(One month later)
I hadn’t seen Lee for a whole month.
A whole month.
It was like when you’d get itches, but no amount of scratching does you any good and it just keeps on asking for a good itch. It was like that, except that would make reading his daily letters equivalent to scratching the itch.
I just wanted to see him.
In person.
For like even five minutes.
Yes, his letters were nice, great, in fact, but it didn’t do him justice. I’d already memorized the code completely, so I kept my napkin copy hidden in my drawer with the other unsent letters to Lee. Which… I might’ve mentioned to him recently.
Kat said I looked like a lovesick puppy.
Yeah, she was probably right.
I sighed into the covers on my bed, gloomy.
There was a small thud on the desk.
I looked over, curiously, knowing I’d already sent my letter to him today. His bird wouldn’t be back this fast.
Eh?
I stared at what used to be an empty spot on my desk. Sitting up slowly, I looked over at my locked window. I glanced over at my shut door.
The heck…
I walked over to it curiously, the small box having somehow magically appeared. Cautiously, biting my lip, I lifted the corner of the lid.
Huh?
I pulled it open the rest of the way.
Bottles?
Perfume?
There were two of them, packaged neatly in the box, along with an envelope. I grabbed the envelope and looked for any sign of the sender.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
I pried it open with my fingers and froze.
Written in neat handwriting, was my name. It was right next to Lee’s. From… Ashena. His aunt sent us something? Why?
“‘Read this together’?”
Well, well… this gives me the perfect excuse to go see him, not that I can tell anyone that I got a present from his aunt, that also happens to be a witch, that says to read this with him.
I’d come up with something.
And…
I grinned.
I could make it there by nightfall.
Really, though, I could.
I left a little packaged envelope for his carrier bird if he came while I was gone. A note and some food.
I found a good enough excuse for my parents, who insisted one of them drive me over to the pack instead of me running over like a maniac, and received a thumbs up from Kat before I left.
The sun had just set when we arrived. And I went straight to Lee’s house, barely waiting for the car to stop, rushing through a quick goodbye. I waved at the Alpha of their pack, Blakeley, as I ran by her. She nodded my way, a gentle smile on her face.
I sprinted faster, the box in a backpack I was wearing. I came to a stop just before the steps leading up into the house. I could hear talking inside there, the familiar voice I loved being among them.
This house I knew.
The people I knew within it.
Lee…
Lee was in here.
This might be the most reckless thing I’ve done. Was this the equivalent of ‘do you know what it means when a woman visits a man’s room at night’ thing? Not that it mattered. Not that I would mind.
I took a deep breath in.
This had to be some kind of act of desperation, right? I was desperate for any excuse to see him. Fast.
Now.
I was…
Heck, I was just plain old desperate.
There was no other explanation or need to explain it further.
I hesitantly walked up the steps, still panting from that run. I’d run here faster than normal.
Just as I moved to knock, the door opened. My hand hovered in the air.
On the inside, with his eyes wide as he stared at me, was the one I’d been hoping to see.
“Jane?”
I smiled, still a bit breathless.
“Hi.”
“I…”
He stared at me, confused, but even that didn’t stop him from smiling.
His parents stepped into my sight, coming from around the corner. I waved my greeting to them and they waved back, smiling.
“I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to come by on the holidays… so I brought your gift here early.” I paused before adding sheepishly, “I got a little excited about it. Sorry for interrupting.”
I spoke loud enough that his parents could clearly hear what I was saying. But that wasn’t really the real reason I was here. Sure, I did have a present tucked away in the bag, next to Ashena’s box of perfumed goodies, but I wanted us to find a private spot to talk more than anything else.
Lee nodded, picking up on it. He turned back to look at his parents. His dad inclined his head to us.
“I’m going to take her to the gazebo, okay?” He turned back to me with glittering eyes of mischief. “We can open that present and go stargazing at the same time.”
“Alright. Be careful.”
“Come on!” Lee grabbed my hand in his and took off, back down the steps with me just a step behind him. “It’s really captivating there at nighttime! The stars are really clear!”
I could tell he played those words up for his parents who stood watching us go.
We raced through the trees and on pathways, climbing up the big hill and over to the other side. There was a freeing feeling as I ran hand in hand with him, and we laughed as we reached a distance from the house. His eyes were lit up as he glanced back at me, slowing down.
Then, we arrived.
Wow.
As breathless as I was from the run, the view would’ve done it too. He was right, the stars were clear. You could see so far into the distance. Of far-off city lights, of the treetops and mountainous hills in the distance. Darkness consumed it all while the light of the moon showed half the picture, half of a roof, half of the mountain.
And there was a gazebo, shining white in that same light of nighttime.
Still holding my hand, he walked me over to it.
“I’ve actually always wanted to bring you here.”
“Yeah?”
“Mhm.”
He smiled brightly at me, the moonlight shining down on his hair, making it look lighter and darker all at once.
I ruffled my hand though it, unable to stop myself from doing so. The strands were soft, if slightly cold and damp, as if he’d taken a shower before dinner.
“Thank you.”
He leaned down and kissed my forehead tenderly.
“You’re welcome.” He sighed. “So, what really brought you here?”
I bit my lip in an effort to find the words. I knew what I wanted to say… what I probably should say… that I really just wanted to see him, but I did have another reason. And I was curious about what she wrote to us. Romance could wait a moment.
“Uh, so… your aunt sent us something.”
“My aunt?”
“Ashena.”
I pulled my bag off and reached inside for the box. I grabbed it and set it down on the bench in the gazebo.
“It randomly appeared on my desk.”
I stared at him, silently asking if that was normal. He opened his mouth and closed it.
“I see… she’s kind of like that.” He stared down at the plain box. “What’s in it?”
I pulled the lid off and showed him.
“Bottles? Is this perfume?”
“I have no idea. Probably written in this.”
I held up the envelope. He looked between my eyes and the white paper, his mouth slowly turning up into a grin.
“That – that would make sense.”
We laughed for a moment and sat down together to read it.
“Considering how ballistic your parents went around each other, I’m surprised you’re containing yourselves as well as you are. If you decide to make yourselves official, and still wish to keep it a secret for now, these will mask the fact that you have a mate. One spray per day on each of your necks. (Aka you each get one bottle) Good luck.”
“Uh…”
I stared down at the words.
She knew.
Ashena knew.
How did Ashena know?
“Really?”
I glanced at Lee. He was as flabbergasted as I was.
“We’ve been caught.” I managed to get out.
He nodded.
“That we have.”
“At least…”
“Hm?”
Lee turned to me as I picked up the bottles. I bit my lip, almost afraid to suggest it. But… the solution was literally in my hands. It was literally right here.
“What is it? You can tell me.”
He brought a hand under my chin and gently moved my face so I’d look at him. His eyes widened when they met mine.
“I don’t want to wait.”
“What?”
“I love you. This–” I swallowed hard, trying to find the words, feeling breathless and shaky all the while knowing what I wanted. What I wanted was right here. What I wanted could happen now. “This… waiting? It’s like torture.”
Not being with him was like physical pain, over and over, longing deepening – never to be sated. An unscratchable itch.
His expression softened. His hand, still under my chin, reached up just a bit higher and lightly caressed my cheek.
“I love you too,” Lee said, giving me a small smile. “And, I understand exactly what you mean.”
I leaned into his palm, unable to keep the whimper from escaping me. It was like a plea and it reached him. He licked his lips, his breath sounding heavier as it left him. His brows creased above his eyes, like that noise had put him on the verge of losing control.
“Honestly, the number of times I’ve had to stop myself from just racing over to you in the middle of the night is unreal. Combined with during the day?” He shook his head, eyes pleading the truth with me. “I’ve lost track.”
I stayed silent, shifting my head just a bit in order to kiss his palm while holding his gaze.
Letting a breath out in a rush, he closed his eyes, squeezing them shut for a minute. His eyes were reflecting mine when he opened them again, and I was unable to look away.
Our thoughts… were perfectly aligned.
“If you’re sure…” He nodded with his words – to me, a response to earlier, to a question I didn’t exactly put into words.
“I am. Are you?”
“I am – I want to, too.”
“Then…” My breath caught before I could say more.
He leaned in, kissing me gently, and oh so sweetly did his hands run through my hair, pulling it over my shoulder, away from my neck. Our foreheads pressed together and we stared into each other’s eyes.
“Are you ready… now?”
I nodded, the excitement like a rush through me.
“Use your words, Jane. What do you want?”
“I want us… I want you to bite me.”
I asked him, watching as he seemed to shudder at my words, the full force of them hitting him. So, I said it again.
“Mark me, Lee. Make me yours.”
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