A/N
I have some happy news/some sad news. Please read authors note at end.
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[COLE'S POV]
My palms get sweaty as Charlie continues to pester me about the surprise. She looks so beautiful tonight. This better work. I let Ellie help me set up the date. It seems like a good idea, but I can't keep the bad thoughts from entering my head.
What if she doesn't like it?
What if she hates it?
What if she just doesn't like me?
The anxiety was killing me from the inside out.
She began to whine that she would 'go mad' if I didn't tell her.
"You won't go mad." I chuckle at her childish behavior. "You'll find out soon enough."
She glares at me and dramatically slams her back into the seat. Then she put on this adorable pouty face, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
I am so close to giving in that I almost give out a sigh of relief at the approaching clearing.
I hear her gasp and look over to her, pleased with her wide eyes and gaping mouth.
Ellie had decided that a romantic, picnic, diner would be the perfect date for Charlie and I. I had picked out the location of the dinner, however.
It was our old tree house. But tonight it looked a lot better.
Fairy lights were strung along the branches of the nearby tress, and all the leaves and underbrush had been raked away from the forest floor, creating a circular clearing. A red plaid picnic blanket sat in the middle, complete with a rose in a vase and a waiting picnic basket.
The dazzling smile that spread across her face, was enough to make me fall in love with her a little more.
Yes, over the past couple of days, I had admitted to myself that I loved her. Now all that needed to be done, was to admit it to her.
I quickly rush out of the car, using her dazed state to my advantage, and open her door before she has the chance to.
"Thank you." She smiles, suddenly seeming shy. I try not to take too much pride in knowing that I have such an affect on her.
"You are quite welcome."
"Can we, you know, not talk like we belong in a crappy romance movie?" I suppose I don't have that strong of an affect on her...
"Whatever you want."
We both walk over to the picnic blanket and awkwardly sit down.
After a long moments silence, she speaks. "So, did you plan all this by yourself?" She gestures to our surrounding.
"Ellie planned the scenery, the rest was me. I even planned our topic of conversation for the night."
"Is that so?" I nod my head. "And what might this 'topic of conversation' be?"
"I'm going to get to know you better." I say confidently.
"20 questions?"
"How about 50?" She shrugs her shoulders. " But first, lets start dinner." I open the exceptionally large picnic basket and bring out the dishes.
The choice of food was so difficult. I ended up picking spaghetti and garlic bread.
"First question, go." She instructs, placing a piece of garlic bread into her delectable mouth.
"Um," For a moment I am sidetracked, " favorite color, and why?"
"Blue, because it brings a positive connotation with it." She smiles, her mind caught away in a memory. "When I see it I think of the ocean. I remember this one time, mom and dad got Connor and I all dressed up to go to the beach. I was in this really pretty blue sundress, and Connor was all dressed up in his nicest dress shirt and all that, well we were supposed to be taking pictures, and for a while that's what we did. Then, like an hour after we got there, dad ran into an old friend and mom had to go to the bathroom, so Connor and I, keep in mind that we were only six and seven, decided to build a sandcastle. It was absolutely disastrous." She laughs at the memory. "It took us almost twenty minutes to actually get some sort of structure, but then we needed a flag. I had this really big stick and it was the only one we could find, and every leaf we found look way to small, so Connor had the brilliant idea to use his pants."
"No."
"He stuck them to the stick using the belt loops." She sighs. "So what's your favorite color and why?"
"Green. And my 'why' is almost the same, except instead of the ocean, I think of the forest." She makes a gesture, urging me on, as she takes a bite of her spaghetti. "Well, the forest has always sort of been a symbol of freedom for me. It's where all the big events in my life have happened, not including you, and it's where most of my time is spent. I feel like I actually belong here, like my human side and my wolf side get along better in the woods."
"Wow." She looks at me.
"I know, pretty stupid, huh?" I rub my neck awkwardly, embarrassed that I had even said that.
I should have gone with black. That's a typical guy answer, isn't it?
"Not what I meant. I mean, you went all deep, you have a gorgeous reason to love the color green, while I'm over here talking about my brother stripping." She laughs.
"My reason isn't beautiful, you aren't involved in it."
And it's true. She is so beautiful in every way. She is one of the strongest people I have ever met, and will ever meet. She looks at me, and I can't help but to lean over and kiss her.
I was expecting her to pull away, but she dives right in.
Her hands meet at the back of my neck, while mine meet at her waist. I lean us both back on the blanket, careful to keep my weight off of her.
We both break apart, desperate for breath, and I decide to keep the game going. "Favorite food."
She kisses me again, and breathlessly replies, "Watermelon, you?"
"I'm tempted to say you." I chuckle as she blushes. "But I guess that wouldn't be too acceptable, so pudding."
She laughs as I lightly run my lips down her throat. "That's not a food."
"Yes it is." I say defensively. "And it happens to be the best food on Earth."
She just shakes her head at me and touches her lips to my cheek.
"Favorite season?"
"Summer."
And that's how we went on, asking pointless questions, and making out.
I pull back, breathless. "I love you." She laughs at me. "No, I mean I really love you. With everything in me, I love you. I love your smile, your laugh, your eyes, but your looks only have a little part in my loving you. I have never and will never meet a person, wolf and human alike, as wholeheartedly stubborn, clever, strong, brave or breathtakingly gorgeous as you. Rejecting you was a mistake. A big mistake. One of the biggest mistakes I've ever made."
"I love you too." I open my mouth to tell her not to say, to say it, but she cuts me off. "And I'm not saying that to say that. I mean it, this whole 'let's make the other person jealous by seeing who can be a bigger whore' thing is so incredibly stupid. I'm sorry, and I love you."
I smile and kiss her mumbling, "I love you Charlie. I love you so much."
She goes to answer me, when I pull away, Connor's voice invading my head.
Cole?
What? I growl, frustrated. I had specifically told everyone to leave me alone tonight.
Mike, he showed up early. His army just reached border and they're plowing through our warriors.
A/N
I swear on my life, that I will finish this book before the first of July.
And today I have two very, very important things to discuss with you.
1) There are only four to six chapters of this story left. The epilogue will be divided into two or three chapters. I will be working my but off to finish the story before the end of May.
2) I was thinking about opening an Instagram page, where I could post some updates about my stories, post a few short stories, and just connect with my readers a little more. Tell me what you think.
Oh, and my birthday's in exactly three week! Yay!
I love you all for being patient.
Kisses