I woke up on the couch not long after, Zane by my side. His elbow was on propped up underneath him, his head on his knuckles. Ava was on the other side of me sleeping as well. There was no telling the time, though a little bit of light leaked through the blinds next to the front door. I stood up and stretched and then went to go take a shower. When I came out in a band tee and regular jeans I noticed that the siblings still hadn’t moved and that the television was still on some science fiction movie. I went into my room and noticed it was still the same as I had left it. The comforter was tossed to the side, my bag of clothes on the corner of the room. On the dresser I saw a rose and two slips of paper next to it. I went over to them and lifted the dead rose in my hand, petals falling off of it onto the floor as I did. It still had the sweet smell, but death had already rolled into it.
I tossed the rose into a small trash can next to the dresser and then picked up the two slips of paper. I looked at the one with the address, rubbing my fingers on the letters and numbers he had written and thinking again about how he had chosen the tea shop to meet at. Could it be coincidence? Or, the whole time, had he really known who I was and what my family had been doing in the city. Was the entire ‘run into me at the store’ fate, or had he planned it the entire time? I threw away the paper and then looked at the other one. I admired the way he wrote his numbers so neatly, and then threw it away as well.
There was no reason to keep them; the rose was dead, the meeting over and done with, and I had his number in my phone. I walked back out into the room and started looking for my phone. I had already known it would be on the bar that split the large room in half. There had been a few messages from my mom, but nothing other than that. I wasn’t quite ready to talk to them considering they were my parents and had kept me in the dark and expected me to join a pack knowing what they had been a part of.
When I turned around from the counter I smacked right into a wall of warm flesh and looked up at those beautiful sea blue eyes. “Hey there,” I said almost breathless. He was wearing a tight blue tee and jeans, his feet bare and his hair tossed to the side. His pecks were staring me right in the face, as well as his biceps. I leaned forward and put my head against his chest, hoping he would wrap his arms around me. As if on cue, his arms pulled up and surrounded me, pulling me close to him once again. It was funny, how in the spot I had always wanted to be, it was just as I had pictured it. I felt perfect against him, feeling absolutely at peace.
Did I feel comfortable belonging to him? Did I feel contented dating my best friend? What was Alice going to say? What was Jad going to say? Was I even going to see Jad again? What would I say when I did see him? I sighed heavily with the enormous amount of questions I had rolling through my noggin. Zane, hearng my unintentional gust of breath, pulled away from me and tilted my head up to his. “Whats wrong?” he asked.
I opened my mouth even though I didn’t know what I was going to say, but then shut it again realizing there was nothing I could really tell him. “It’s nothing,” I decided would be best. “I’m just happy that you finally figured out what you wanted from me.” I said trying to turn it into a joke.
His lips pulled up and he shook his head. “Sorry it took so long, and sorry I almost had to lose you to figure it out, though I guess in a way, I had always really known. I just didn’t think I deserved you.” He brushed his lips slightly against mine, and that’s when I heard a small gasp from behind him. Moving over I saw Ava’s face lift in shock. Her eyes almost looked like they were bulging out of her head.
“What is going on?” she asked even though she clearly could guess. Zane turned around, almost protective like, and held up his hands. “are you two…” she looked between the both of us.
Zane and I exchanged a look and then pulled our gaze to her growing fury. I figured if we hadn’t of told her, she would have figured it out. I mean last night she was used to him being so protective over me, but then he kissing me was a totally different thing. “Alice, I think you know.” I decided to speak up and moved next to him, grabbing his hand. He didn’t pull away from me; rather he was giving Alice a warning look that basically told her to not start anything.
I was so tired of all this fighting, all this me against someone else, all this us against her, and all these untrusting thoughts. I was just so tired of everything. “You guys are dating? I mean really? After everything you are going to bring a relationship into this madness? Are you guys fucking crazy?” She cursed at us fairly loudly, and that was a major sign she was to-the-top pissed off. I looked away and decided to let Zane handle this considering he was better with her then I was.
“No, no, no, don’t look away from me! It’s mainly you I’m angry at! I mean I already knew that Zane liked you but you promised you didn’t like him!” she was screaming at me, but I couldn’t hide my shock when she said that she already knew Zane liked me, and I almost wished I could have seen his face.
“Alice, stop it.” Zane said pulling my attention to his tight balled fists and hard lined lips. He wasn’t exactly screaming, in fact it was almost a whisper. Alice crossed her arms tightly and looked over to him. “You, You saw this coming.” He started off, and it sounded like he was going to say something else but decided not to. I guess he was trying to make us both happy. I got that she was his sister, and that I was his potential mate, so I understood it.
“I know, but Ava…why? I mean you told me you wouldn’t. He is my brother! He is your best friend.” She was looking at me with curiosity.
“That was before everything. I know what was going on with all of you now.” I tried to explain with a stuttering voice, but I failed miserably.
“It doesn’t matter! He is still my brother! I mean we all live together! What were you both thinking?” she was getting angry and yelling again.
“Alice,” Zane slit his eyes at her, warning that if she didn’t stop he was going to blow, and I had never really seen him blow up before. She looked at him as her foot tapped against the floor and the looked away. I could see that her bottom lip was getting puffy and her eyes were getting red. She seemed like she was about to cry, but nothing was sliding down her face. “Don’t make that face.” He said more softly. “I’m sorry…” he walked forward and twisted her into him, hugging tightly into her and stroking her hair.
“No,” she sniffled. “I’m sorry. I am being such a bitch. I mean I ‘m your sister. I should be happy for you, and you since you’re my best friend in the entire world. I don’t know.” She pulled away and looked down at her slippers. “I guess I’m just upset since everyone else is finding love and I’m not.”
Zane took a step back and looked at me with an unknowingly look. Of course he wouldn’t know what to do or say about that; he was a guy, and they didn’t really even like to talk about love with their girlfriends. I took a step forward and gave him a dismissive signal. He nodded and walked away into his bedroom. A little disappointed I took Alice by the shoulders and guided her to the couch. As we sat down I was rubbing her back. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were red watery. “Alice,” I started and didn’t quite know how to start with this. We had never really talked about boys before other than talking about my not dating Zane. “When it comes to love, I don’t know. I don’t even know if I really love Zane. I mean, of course I do, but am I in love with him? There is no telling.
What I do know is…the one comes around when you least expect it. The whole thing just drives me crazy! I mean I have no idea who my one true mate is; it could be Zane, but the truth is we won’t know until…well we know you know. He will come around Alice I promise, but don’t look for it. I know how you have tried with Alexander and even Rosario, and I know that they didn’t feel the same. It might even be a wolf you haven’t met yet. You just have to wait and see.” Well that was the best I could do.
She sniffled and then looked over at me. I could tell that it might help for a little while, but in a few days she would see me and Zane with each other and realize that she really is one of the only single wolves of her age. It was terrible, but Alice had never really been one to get along with someone else for very long. True she was the girl everyone wanted to be, the girl everyone wanted to look like, and for all the human boys, the girl everyone wanted to be with. Wolves, they knew what they wanted, exactly, in another wolf. I mean it was love at first sight for Alexander and Kelly, and even Rosario knew what kind of wolf he was in to.
The room was quiet and cold, the television set on a low volume playing I didn’t know what. Outside I could see that it had gotten a little darker, probably either from weather or sunset. I hadn’t known what time it was since I had really come back to the house, nor did I know what day it was. I didn’t know what was going on with the pack, or if Zane had told Alexander about Jad. Although, there was still a lot Zane didn’t know. He didn’t know about Rick or Harvey and how they had an entire family after us. Alice put her hand on my wrist, pulling me out of my thoughts, and nodded. “I’m sorry,” she said apologetically. “I really should be more understanding. You’re right. I just have to be patient.” She smiled, but I could tell it was forced.
We stood up together and I walked her to her room, and as the door shut behind her, the door to Zane’s room opened. “Well, that was easier than I thought.” He grinned that crooked smile I fell for every time. Maybe it was possible for me to fall in love with him if I wasn’t already. I stared at him for a moment and then turned around back toward the living room dying to know what time it was. Considering I got home early that morning and considering we all took a nap on the couch, I honestly I had no idea. On the oven it blinked eight forty-five in bright green letters, which meant the dim glow outside was from the sun making its way to the other side of the world.
I took Zane’s hand and pulled him to the front door. Outside the air was cool, almost freezing. It was a clear sky, birds flying sound as the sun started to disappear behind the trees on the other side of the road. I hadn’t just sat around and watched the sunset in a long time, and I wanted nothing more than to do it right there with the man I had almost hoped would be mine someday. Sadly my thoughts drifted to Jadako again, and I cursed at myself inside my brain. I had to stop thinking about him. Zane squeezed at my hand as his eyes ventured out into the brilliant colors of oranges, reds, and yellows. Inside them I could see the scene before us, as if someone had painted a sunset on the wavy deep on Hawaii or the coasts of Florida.
I could pull my look away from him, and even when he turned toward me I could look away in embarrassment. I reached out my hand and touched his face. It was soft to the touch underneath my fingertips, and he almost seemed to relish in my slight touch. How could something so good be wrong? How could such a moment like this happen to me? The only problem with life is that it was a roller coaster, and since I was at the top of the mountain, I would come crashing down sooner or later.
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Authors Note:
So, do you think Alice is being a little overdramitic? Are Zane and Ava taking there relationship to fast? What will happen between Ava and Jad now that Zane has claimed her? In the next chapter Jadako makes a surprise visit.