Christian smiled, a happy flush in his cheeks. He'd missed his mom like crazy and was so happy to have her back. Ella hadn't left his side the whole time we'd been here. She was constantly touching him, his hand, his face; the pain in her eyes indescribable. I hadn't seen her in what felt like forever, and I could clearly see the toll Christian's health had taken on her. She wore a pretty flowery dress, her blonde hair cascading over her shoulders, but her face was lined, her eyes tired.
"He's been treating you well, Mila?" Ella asked, shooting her son a playfully warning look. But I could scent the sadness wafting off her. He grinned back at her. "We girls have to stick together. I don't have to kick Christian's ass do I?"
"No you don't, Mom." Christian rolled his eyes, and it warmed my heart seeing him like this. He turned to me, expectantly. "I've been good to you, haven't I, Mila?"
"He's been awesome," I said, smiling. I was happy for Christian, but I was pretty exhausted myself. I wasn't sleeping well these days. There were too many sounds that I couldn't hear before, too many scents in the air that I could smell... even the feel of bed sheets against my skin drove me insane some nights.
"Yeah, I have," Christian agreed, eyes alight as he looked at me. I could almost ignore the paleness of his skin, and the obvious loss of weight when he looked so full of life standing there. Ella had one hand in the crook of his arm while Rob worked the barbeque. Dad was helping him and Mom was inside, trying to make room in the refrigerator for the dessert she'd made. It was already packed full of food. Rob had really outdone himself.
"You've raised him well, Ella," Mom said, joining us outside. "You should be so proud."
"I am. I'm so proud." There was a shine in Ella's eyes as she looked at Christian, bringing tears to my own eyes. Mom looked between them, a deep empathy clear on her face.
"Every mother's worst nightmare," Mom whispered, so quietly, I shouldn't have been able to hear.
"I know. I am kind of awesome," Christian was saying, drawing my attention towards him. "Although there was that one time when Mila thought I was cheating on her..."
Oh god. He had to bring that up. I knew he was just trying to lighten the mood, but I could feel the smile on my face falter slightly. "It was a reasonable assumption to make."
Don't think about Luca. Don't think about him. It was a constant mantra in my mind.
"Uh-oh. What's all this about?" Ella looked between us.
"Yes? This is the first I'm hearing of it," Mom chimed in, looking at Christian suspiciously.
Christian filled them in on what happened, "...she just stood there glaring at me like I'd kicked her puppy."
He could laugh about it in his ignorance, but I couldn't. Even if I hadn't gone to the club that night, I'd still have met Luca later on as my teacher. I would have still felt this unbelievable connection towards him. I just wouldn't have slept with him.
Destiny... my wolf echoed in my mind. I couldn't help but whole-heartedly agree.
A little while later, we all sat down to an informal dinner. Dad and Rob talked about work and basketball, and Rob kept glancing at Ella while he talked.
Mom was asking about Ella's job when my resolve formed. Ella had been mid-sentence before she'd paused, getting distracted by Rob's laughter across the table. She'd glanced at him and her eyes had lingered, softening at the sound of his laugh.
I wasn't sure what had led to their divorce, but it was obvious that they still cared about each other. It was kind of adorable how stealthy they thought they thought they were being.
"We have to do something," Christian whispered in my ear, echoing my thoughts. I turned towards him, my nose brushing against his as I nodded. We could be so alike sometimes – it wasn't uncommon that we often had the same thoughts about something. We understood one another on a level that nobody else could reach.
After dinner, everyone bullied Christian into heading upstairs to rest. He hadn't been happy about it, but even he couldn't deny how awful he was feeling. He was still pale, and had begun to look fatigued. He'd been coughing all throughout dinner – much to everyone's worry. I didn't offer to help him upstairs, knowing he wouldn't appreciate my asking, but I did tell him that I'd be up soon to watch a movie with him.
Mom and Dad said their goodbyes and left, wanting to give Ella and Rob some time alone. I'd head upstairs and get out of their way myself in a bit.
I helped Ella with the dishes after she insisted on doing them, as Rob had put so much effort into cooking the meal. Rob had lingered for a while before he headed back outside to put away all the barbeque stuff.
"It was so great seeing you today and catching up, Mila," Ella was saying. Wrapping up some leftovers, she placed them in the refrigerator.
"Me too. I know Christian's happy to have you back," I said, my hands covered in soap as I washed up.
"I just wish I could have gotten here sooner. My contract was for the year and I tried my hardest to get out of it, but they had to search for someone to replace me before they were willing to let me go." Ella shook her head. "I would have walked away regardless, but they could have legally sued me for breach of contract."
"Hey," I said softly, wiping my hands on a towel. "No one blames you for not getting here sooner. Christian, even Rob, is ecstatic that you're here." I wrapped a comforting arm around her.
"Really?" She sniffed casually, but I could see the interest in her eyes when I mentioned Rob.
"Rob's been running around the place all day like a headless chicken, making sure everything was perfect for you," I told her. It wasn't a lie, he had been doing just that, and any women would be flattered that a man was trying so hard to impress her. Wouldn't she? God, I hoped so. "I think he was nervous to see you again." I wasn't fibbing. Rob's nervousness had been kind of endearing and I hoped she'd see it that way.
Moving back to the sink, I tried to keep my face normal. I could see that she was slightly flustered. Rubbing at the sleeve of her shirt, she bit her lip. But she couldn't quite hide her pleasure at my words. It convinced me that I was doing the right thing by blabbing – though Rob would probably be embarrassed if he knew.
Ella had been awesome today, smiling and saying all the right things – for Christian's benefit. But I could tell that she was grieving already, and Christian was still very much alive. Rob wasn't any better, though he'd had time to come to terms with everything. Plus seeing Christian's drastic change in appearance wasn't as big of a shock for him like it had been for Ella. They'd be good for each other.
***
"Ella seemed really impressed with you," I said, munching on a cookie as I handed Rob a beer. He sat on the couch, looking exhausted, and I hoped that there was enough left to do in the kitchen to keep Ella occupied for a while.
"She did?" Rob looked unbelievably pleased. His eyes strayed towards the kitchen and a small, sad smile played on his lips.
"Yeah. Do you think you guys will be getting back together?" I asked. Normally, I would never be so forward or ask such a personal question, but it was a lead up to what I'd say next.
Rob was – understandably – taken aback. "I don't know. Why? Has she said anything?" he asked, taking a sip of his beer. His thumb traced the label on the bottle in an absentminded way, but it seemed to me like he was focusing too hard on the bottle and straining a little too hard to hear what I had to say. Jackpot.
"Well, no." I shrugged apologetically. "Not to me," I added. "But she's staying here when she could have stayed at a hotel." Mom would be so disapproving if she knew I was meddling, but I hadn't told any lies.
Rob leaned forward, not looking convinced "Yeah, but that's for Christian... don't you think?"
I shrugged, not saying anything, letting him make his own conclusions.
I had planted seeds of possibility into each of their minds, and I just hoped it'd all lead somewhere. I couldn't stand by and not do anything. Not when it would make Christian so happy, and not when Ella and Rob had spent most of the evening sneaking glances at one another. Sometimes it took losing someone to really appreciate just how much they meant to you.
I was hoping that was the case with them.
I went upstairs to find Christian, and saw that he'd changed into some pyjamas, drawn the curtains and had settled into bed. He looked sleepily at me, and I decided to forgo the movie.
I nestled in beside him on the bed, his leg automatically going across mine as I lay on my back. He cuddled into me and was asleep in seconds. I stared at the ceiling, remembering so many other instances that I'd been in this bed. I remember being so sure that he was it for me; that I'd never want anyone else, that we'd get married one day and spend the rest of our lives together. That was before I'd started getting restless, before the mating-call, as Luca had described it, began. It was before Christian had gotten sick, sealing both his fate and ours.
I lay there, just thinking, feeling incredibly warmed by his body heat. Christian continued to breathe softly against my neck while I ran my fingers through his hair. I paused as I moved my hand away from his head and noticed that a clump of brown hair remained in my hand. Silently, I deposited the hair into a trashcan beside his bed. And I tried not to cry.
A/N:
Hey everyone! I woke up to a lovely surprise this morning. This story has hit 1 million reads! Thank you, thank you, a million times thank you. I can hardly believe it :). Thanks for all the support, I can't even put into words how much I appreciate it. Every last one of you is fantabulous <3