Song: Boys In The Street, Seeb Greg Holden
Please, please, please listen to the song. It has such a powerful message and definitely goes with the chapter.
I hope you enjoy it. Don't forget to comment and vote.
~HarleyVB
Adrian's POV
The air outside was warm and crisp, matching the steaming mug that Danny had placed in my hands moments before I ventured outside. According to Atticus, Finn had gone for a run before I woke up. It bothered me that he didn't invite me to go with him, but I merely brushed it off and focused on the blooming plants surrounding me.
Though I had been gone for a few weeks, like most of the pack, my quaint little garden was doing very well on its own. I was inspecting a few of the more dry plants when I noticed the fluffy face peaking at me from the bushes.
What a goof.
I ignored the spy and continued to meander, sipping the bitter coffee with a disgusted expression.
Needs more creamer.
Little red buds were beginning to form at the base of one of the more green plants. I assumed it was some kind of flower, but if I was really lucky it would turn out to be strawberries, or maybe even tomatoes. It made me happy imagining what Danny would say if he realized he could plant some of his own food and skip the trip to the supermarket.
"You really need to work on your stealth. I think you've gotten a little sloppy since last time." I said, grinning at the noisy rustling I heard behind me.
Finn came up behind me, tugging on a pair of sweats and ruffling his messy hair.
"I'm just making sure you're paying attention to your surroundings." he said, stealing a sip of my coffee. "Ick, bitter."
I giggled and nodded, turning around to finally face him. The wounds on his back and chest were healing quite nicely, though that was one of the werewolf perks he told me about. He still had trouble doing strenuous tasks, but I made sure he took it easy. No way in hell would I let him overwork himself just to prove a dumb point.
Stupid Alpha males.
"The garden looks nice." he commented, sliding his hand into mine. "It could use more water, but we should be expecting a rain shower or two in the next week."
It made me happy to see him relaxed. Saying that the past few days were rough would be an understatement. Finn was constantly having night terrors and waking up a mess, not to mention his constant state of panic that forced me to stay close to him. It felt as though our roles were switched. It broke my heart to see him like this.
"Hey, what're we doing today?" I asked, pouring the acrid coffee into one of the nearby weeds. "I was thinking maybe we could go into the city and have lunch. You know, a proper date."
He grinned, tired eyes facing downwards. "Sure, sounds fun. We'll go after Jasper takes a final look at the stitches. Hopeful they'll be coming out today."
I titled his head up, rubbing my thumbs against the rough skin on his face. Bringing my face up, I pressed a quick kiss to his lips before giving him a reassuring smile.
"I love you," I whispered, almost as if it were a secret for just us to share. "Don't ever forget that."
He didn't say it back, but he didn't need to say the words to convey his feelings for me. I had already come to realize that his actions always spoke louder than words could.
"Shall we?" he asked, leaving his hand open for me to take.
"Indeed, we shall." I laughed, letting him lead us back inside the chilled house.
Shelly was resting on the couch, one hand stuffed under the pillow while the other wandered across the book she was skimming through. I smiled when she rolled onto her side to face us, missing the bright glow that she hadn't brought for a few weeks. She had been sick for a while, fighting off a stomach virus that werewolves rarely got. From what I had learned, none of them ever got sick, so her diminishing health was obviously scaring the shit out of Jasper.
"Hello boys." she had a charming smile, one that often graced her full lips and forced you to give one back as well. "Nice to see you two so happy."
Word spread fast in a small pack. Finn wasn't doing his best, and nearly everyone around us new about it. I knew it hurt his ego to know that others knew he was acting weak, I could tell by the way he stood taller when around people. He only let this facade slip when we were alone in our bedroom, the door shut tightly and lights dimmed low so only I could see the tears slip down his face.
"You too, Shel." I said, beaming back and peering around her to look for my other friends. "Is Danny around?"
She shook her head, short curly locks waving as she did so.
"Nope, he's probably still recovering from everything that happened..." her eyes drifted to Finn, only darting away when he noticed.
Finn's face got red, hand squeezing mine tighter while I pretended not to notice her comment and quick look.
"We were just wondering if he, or you, would like to join us for dinner. A double date sounds fun."
"I can't." she politely declined. "Jas is out for the day and he very strictly instructed me to stay here and not move around too much. So I guess that's a no from us."
I hummed and nodded, kneeling down by the couch to hug her quickly before she flicked the back of my head and wrinkled her nose up.
"Don't pull that shit again, okay? None of us would have been able to handle you gone." her voice was soft and reassuring, similar to that of a warm, yet scolding, mother. "Go take care of your mate, he's your responsibility now."
She released me, poking my cheek and turning back to the book in her left hand. I assumed this meant we were dismissed and went off to look for Danny.
"Do you mind getting my jacket from our room?" I asked Finn gently, earning a worried look from him. "I'll just be a minute, okay?"
He nodded, trotting away from me cautiously.
Danny's door was open, his back facing me as he sat on the bed with a hand covering his face.
"Hey," I started, getting cut off when he sat up, face covered in tears and cheeks bright red. "Danny..."
He rubbed his eyes and turned away from me.
"I-I'm fine." he sniffled, tears still falling down his face. "It was just a fight. Everything's fine."
He wasn't fine.
I sat down next to him and offered an encouraging smile.
"You and Atticus had a fight?" I asked, getting a nod from him. "Did he hurt you-?
He immediately shook his head, leaning closer to me.
"No, he would never do that to me."
I had a feeling that I knew what their fight was about.
"Because of you not wanting kids?"
He didn't confirm or deny this, but I noticed the ache that spread across his face and it nearly broke my heart.
"Please, just leave me alone." he begged, surprising me. "I just--need time to think."
Though I felt slightly hurt from getting kicked out, I wouldn't force him to open up to me. I knew that sometimes it was better to be left alone when you're sad than to have to break down in front of someone.
I met Finn in our room. He jumped when I put my hand on his shoulder, eyes glazed over and slightly shaken.
"Hey, I guess it's just the two of us." I smiled, kissing his cheek and reaching for his empty hand. "I'll try not to bore you too much."
He smiled, the expression more sincere than it ever had been.
I felt his fingernails dig into my palm as Jasper tried to work quickly on removing the stitches.
Finn grit his teeth together and gasped, eyes shut tightly while I rubbed my fingers across his arm.
"It'll be over soon," I whispered, but this did little to cease the look of pain on his face.
Jasper twisted the ends of the stitch, carefully pulling it from the hole and placing it down on a metal pan.
"There," he smiled at us. "All done."
I could feel Finn let out a large breath of air, leaning against me as if I was a crutch that helped him stand. He was always so brave. He always had to be. Since his parents were gone and he was required to take guardianship over Jasper, there was always so much pressure pushing down on him. I wondered how he had managed to get through all those days without having a meltdown.
I kissed the side of his head and ruffled his messy black hair. He didn't say much. He hadn't spoken very much to me, or anyone, since we had been reunited.
"You still want to go to lunch?" I asked, trying to sense any kind of hesitation in his posture.
Since words were often spent unspoken between us, I had to rely on body language instead. I could tell when he was uncomfortable, worried, scared, and most importantly when he was happy.
He was mainly blank though, as his face was right then. It was as if he was just empty inside.
"Finn?" I nudged him, both of us still sitting on the infirmary table.
"Yes," he nodded, tightening the grip on my hand. "Lunch."
With that we headed out the door and down to the jeep. Danny insisted I learn to drive, so while Finn was occupied, he taught me.
I quickly sped for the front seat, knowing all too well that Finn would want to drive us instead. He needed to rest, both mentally and physically, so letting me chauffeur him around was something I could contribute in doing.
"You know you don't have to." he said, looking guilty as he slid into the passenger seat. "And you also don't have your licence."
"Not yet, but I do have a learners permit. And you are a legal adult, therefore, I'm driving. So sit there and relax. Turn on the radio, you can play whatever you want. Except for country."
This pulled a genuine chuckle from him, the mood brightening immensely from it.
"Can I at least know the location of where we're going?" he asked, fiddling with the tuner on the stereo.
I shook my head. "No, but I promise you'll like it."
The engine purred and the car bucked forward slightly when I pressed down on the gas. I was still a little nervous to drive, but I didn't let it effect me too much.
Our short trip was mostly filled with the hum of a catchy pop song on the radio, Finn sometimes chuckling at the quirky commercials that broadcasted. The silence wasn't at all comfortable. I tried to push a conversation his way, but he often dodged it or just gave me short answers in return. I missed my old Finn who wouldn't hesitate to talk to me, even when I was overly shy and didn't know how to respond.
He'll come back to me. He just needs time.
I had spent the last week telling myself that exact statement. That he would be back and this frightened person next to me would suddenly become endearing and kind. He couldn't just stay like this forever.
My hands tightened on the wheel as I thought this.
I turned down a busy street that lead to small city shops and bustling cafes. I spotted the familiar sign in front of one of the buildings, carefully maneuvering the car into one of the empty parking spaces that sat behind the building.
"Danny didn't teach you as bad as I though he would." he smiled, once again reaching for my hand. "He's got terrible road rage though, I hope you don't pick it up. And he's a wild driver in traffic, he doesn't really give a shit who he has to cut off."
I could see a spark of happiness on his face, reminiscing in such a small memory. It was slowly tamped down when we entered the crowded restaurant, people piled together and jostling each other to get through. I pulled him tighter to me as we searched for the front desk in the hoard of bodies.
"Hello!" the friendly hostess said, "Welcome to Harley's Cafe."
Finn snorted, "Dumb name," he mumbled to me.
I hit his arm playfully.
"Table for two?" she asked, guiding us to a table near the bar when I nodded. "Is this seat alright for you two?" we both said yes. "Alright then, your waiter will be with you shortly."
It was the weekend, so people were quickly filing in and out. Our table got bumped several times by workers who rushed to tables with platters of steaming food and drinks.
"Is this okay?" I asked, having to raise my voice to speak above the crowd.
He nodded and picked up the folded menu, not looking very interested at the food.
"We can go somewhere else." I insisted, begging for him to voice his feelings to me.
"No, no. This is fine. It's almost two, so the lunch rush should be over soon." he smiled softly. "As long as you like it, then I'll eat here."
I sighed, reaching for my own menu as well.
You're supposed to like it too, stupid. Stop being so damn selfless.
There wasn't anything that special about the place, but the small home-town cafe vibes that I got from the place drew me here. Apparently it did the same for the other 20 couples eating there.
"So, Drake isn't in the pack anymore?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
Drake had come to me himself, saying he was sorry to leave. I wasn't sure what the big fuss was though, we lived a couple miles away and all it would take was a phone call to reach him. I said I wanted him to be happy and that if things didn't work out then he would always have a home with us.
The waiter quickly approached the table and jotted down our orders, leaving just as swiftly as he came. I was impressed by the speedy service we were getting, due to the fact that we were surrounded by demanding customers.
I smiled at Finn as he watched other people sitting down and eating their meals, noticing how he slowly started to relax. It took everything in me not to giggle at his childlike behavior. He was such a goof sometimes.
"Something wrong?" he asked, finally noticing that I was paying an awful lot of attention to him.
I just shook my head and decided to look somewhere else instead of his face. Ever since I was a small child, I was always one to just sit and watch people. I was intrigued by the way others went about their lives. It was just so strange to comprehend the fact that they too had a plot and ongoing story that they lived.
After about ten minutes of little talks, our waiter came back with two plates of food. I accepted mine and waited for my water to be filled before digging in.
I relished the warm food as it reached my stomach. As an abused child, I was never use to eating three meals a day. The scraps that I got weren't ever substantial and may have aided in my stunted growth and slim figure. Now that I had a healthy home and new family, food was something that I cherished often.
"I think you should have a talk with Atticus," I said to Finn once I was almost done with the food.
"About what exactly?" he asked, wiping crumbs from his mouth.
"Danny, their future, kids," I sighed, feeling my temples ache. "They've been fighting a lot lately. Danny is very unsure about children and I think that Atticus is pushing him more than he might realize. Maybe you can ask him to back off and let Danny figure things out first."
Being Luna was very confusing. I suddenly had this connection to everyone in the pack and keeping them all happy was a heavy weight on my shoulders. I could tell if someone wasn't quite alright and it became my goal to make them feel better. Danny was my first challenge.
"I can do that. Atticus is much more stubborn than he appears to be though. I know that Danny helps to ease this, but when it comes to something he really wants, there's little anyone can do to fix it." He picked at the rest of his food with a fork.
"Danny shouldn't feel pressured to do something that will effect his life so immensely. It's his body." I suddenly felt very defensive over my best friend, power sparking in my chest. "If Atticus feels that he deserves everything he wants like a spoiled child, then I will sit him down and talk-"
A soft chuckle broke through Finn's lips, a smile taking place of the frown that had so deeply take over his face.
"You're very cute when you get mad about something, love. Your face gets all scrunched up and I can almost feel how angry you are. Remind me never to get on your bad side."
I quickly felt self conscious, fixing the glare that had appeared on my face and blushing.
It seemed that our conversation was over.
"All finished?" I asked, setting my used silverware down on the plate.
I started to stand up, but Finn cut me off.
"Wait, Adrian." he sat me back down. "I just wanted to thank you. For helping me get through these few days. It's been rough and I know I've been distant, but I promise I'm trying. I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me."
I grinned so wide that my cheeks ached.
"I love you,"
"I love you too,"
We kissed softly.
His lips were as warm and gentle as they always were. Nothing was different about the kiss, though everything else in our life was. He was still the same. It was the same passion and tug that kept us pressed together, my arms wrapping around his neck. Without words, we expressed our love for each other, lips melding together.
I felt so happy that I thought my chest would never stop pounding.
But it eventually did.
"Fucking fags."
My skin felt pierced, like a needle was digging into the skin on my neck and spreading uncontrollable shivers across the expanse of my body.
My vision blurred with red.
We immediately broke apart, Finn looking hurt as I pulled away from him.
I turned to face the man who was glaring harshly at us. There was a few of them actually, all seated at the bar and holding tall mugs of beer. I could tell that they were all drunk, one of them stumbling slightly as they took another swig of their drink.
"What the hell did you say?" I said, my blood boiling as they all looked at us as if we were complete freaks.
"You queers should get out. You things don't belong in a public place like this, spreading your disease to everyone else." he slurred his words, but I could detect what he was saying. "I think that all you fags should be rounded up into a building and shot." He spat, beer and spit coating his lips and making me flinch, pulling Finn closer to me as my hands trembled.
I couldn't stop myself, everything inside of me buzzing with hate and anger for the men who spat profanities at me and my mate. They were intolerant assholes and I wouldn't stand for them.
"Leave me and my boyfriend alone." I hissed, trying to hold back.
It was the first one who snarled and spit directly on Finn, his eyes coating in tears. He was so weak and fragile.
Something in me snapped.
"Wait, Adrian-"
His group scattered as I shoved away from the table and attacked the leader of them. I didn't stop to think as I punched him straight in the jaw, power burning in my chest. I only stopped when an arm looped around my waist and tugged me back.
I was heaving, squeezing my fists closed and feeling the pound of pain spreading across my knuckles.
I was so angry that there were thick tears in my eyes.
"I'm sorry sir, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave." a voice said to the left of me.
I turned to argue with him, only to realize that he wasn't speaking to me. Two men grabbed the drunk and ripped him out of his seat, nearly tossing him out of the door.
The man was obviously angry, almost as much so as I was. He turned his head to look at us with a smile, nearly baffling me.
"I'm very sorry, the food is on the house. I promise that will never happen again." he said, grinning brightly.
I was confused.
"I-I just punched that guy, shouldn't you be kicking us out?" I asked, giving him a quizzical look.
"I don't blame you. The way he acted towards you and your boyfriend was unacceptable." his face was scrunched up in a glare. "People can be so ignorant and repulsive-" his face was red. "But love wins, right?"
I was completely speechless as the man left.
Finn had to help me out of my seat, my legs and arms shaking so uncontrollably that I nearly fell to the ground. Everything just felt so overwhelming.
That was the day I realized not everyone was accepting. It wasn't just my father, or the kids in my school that constantly bullied me. It was the rest of the world too.
But that wasn't the reason I sobbed into Finn's shoulder when he finally tugged me into the car. I didn't care that all this hate was aimed towards me due to the fact that I loved a man.
I cried for those in the world who were blinded by their own hatred. I cried because I knew that nothing could change the way they felt for homosexuality, not even a sign sent from God. I cried because the people I loved didn't care about the fact that I was gay. Finally, I cried because for once in my life I had really accepted who I was, and there was someone beside me who I could always turn to.
With my pack, it wasn't hate and bigotry. Everyone was safe. They embodied true kindness. When I was lost and broken they took me in, adopted me as one of their own. The thought almost brought more tears to my eyes, but I smiled in spite of the deep emotions going through me. Crying wasn't the right way to deal with what I was feeling. Instead, I vowed that I would spend everyday of my life, protecting and trying my best to always show how much I love them.
"I'm so sorry, love." Finn apologized, though he seemed more internally affected by the drunks than I was. "People are disgusting and awful."
I shook my head and smiled through the tears, wiping them away.
I just pushed away the pain and turned up to face him, watching the way his eyes lit up when they met mine. It was in that second that I felt his love for me in just the look in his eyes.
For once, I felt the same way too.
No secrets, no hiding.
All of my feelings were out in the open and I didn't have to be afraid of rejection.
There was hate in the world for people like us, but I knew that in the end love would eventually win.
(Posted 4/30/18)