Chapter 15
“Morning, Lia.”
“Morning…”
He leaned down, brushing his lips across my forehead. I flushed bright red, resembling a tomato. Colby just chuckled.
“You blush so easily. How did I never notice?”
“Well, I think it has something to do with you bullying me for years on end.”
“And that was shitty of me. It sucks that took this event for me to realize that was wrong, but it is what it is and I’ll do my best to prove to you I can be a worthy mate.”
Rain popped up beside Colby, making me jump. Where Colby was then Rain was usually close by. The two of them were very close to one another, having been friends since they were in literal diapers.
“Colby is right. All of us are going to prove to you we can be a worthy mate.”
“Except Matt,” Colby muttered to Rain, but he didn’t say it soft enough that I couldn’t make out what he was saying.
“Shut up, What if he hears?”
I sighed softly. “He’s glaring at you from the doorway that’s cracked open.”
Those two were trying to apologize to Matt, giving me a chance to squeeze past him. It seemed fitting that Jesse was downstairs. He cupped my cheek, rubbing a calloused finger across my cheekbone, leaving warmth in its wake.
“How did you sleep?” he asked, voice low.
“Fine.”
He growled. “That’s a lie. You know, you can be honest with me and tell me if your not feeling well. I want to know how my future mate is feeling.”
“It’s been an adjustment,” I added.
“As it would be, but I’ll help you adjust. Trust in that.”
Breakfast was as awkward an affair as dinner had been. Well, maybe not as much. It was a bit better than yesterday.
Did this mean I was adjusting?
The thought filled me with dread and some happiness. It was the happiness that scared me the most.
It was good that Simone was only a phone call away because I needed to talk to her,
‘Simone, I don’t even know where to start. This whole situation is… a lot.”
‘What happened? You sounded so stressed in your last message.”
‘It’s them. Colby, Matt, Jesse, and Rain. Having them here-every day, all the time-it’s messing with my head.”
‘Okay, but aren’t they supposed to be bonding with you? Like, that’s the whole point, right?”
1/2
“Yeah, but it’s not that simple. They’re trying. I can see that. They’re being kind, thoughtful even. But I can’t forget what they used to be like.”
“The bullying.”
‘Exactly. They made my life hell. And now… everything is different.”
“That’s a lot to process. Do you think they’ve changed?”
“That’s what I can’t figure out. They seem genuine, but then a part of me is waiting for the other shoe to drop like it’s some elaborate act.”
“Could it be that they regret how they treated you?*
“Maybe. They’ve apologized-each of them, in their way-but it’s hard to just… let go of all that pain, you know?”
‘Fair. And that scares you.”
“Yeah. Because I don’t want to feel that way. Not about them.”
“Maybe you’re scared because it’s easier to hold on to the anger than to risk trusting them.”
“Probably. But if I let go, if I start to care about them, what happens if they hurt me again?”
“You’ve got to ask yourself if they’re worth the risk. Have they done enough to earn a second chance?”
“I don’t know. Sometimes it feels like they have, and other times, I just hear the echoes of how they used to laugh at me.”
“It’s okay to feel conflicted. This isn’t something you can figure out overnight.”
“No kidding. I just wish I knew what’s real and what’s… residual from the bond.”
Then maybe take it slow. Let them prove themselves. And remember, it’s okay to protect yourself, too.”
“Yeah. I just hope I can figure it out before it all gets even more complicated.”
The two of us spoke a bit more when I heard one of Simone’s mates on the other end. I could smell one of mine nearby. It was Matt who was outside my room trying to decide whether or not he wanted to come in.
A part of me wanted him to come in so the two of us could just talk everything out all at once. Neither of us was going to survive living together at this
rate.
