Laid out on the dining table was a huge selection of all my favourite foods. Roast chicken, even though we had that for dinner last night, honey carrots, mashed potato, crumbed lamb cutlets, double choc chip cookies, Lindt 70% cocoa chocolate, blueberry cupcakes, a large pot of tea, mint choc ice cream, macaroni and cheese, and lolly snakes. I couldn't believe the effort Mum and Alanna had gone to, to make all this for me. Mum held me as I thanked her over and over again, tears streaming from my eyes, looking at the food and positively drooling. After I calmed down enough to stand on my own two feet, we all sat down around the table. Despite experiencing the worst break-up-of-my-entire-life-so-far yesterday, I couldn't wipe the grin off my face as we dug into the delicious food.
An hour later, I had a pleasantly full belly and I felt mildly content. Marcus, Alanna and Mum were all chatting away, while I felt perfectly happy to just sit there and listen to their conversation. I don't know how long we sat there for, but eventually, we all helped clean up and Alanna retired to her room for the night. Marcus and I said goodnight to Mum and we made our way to my room as well. Marcus politely went to the toilet while I got changed into my pyjamas (which consisted of love-heart pants and a singlet top) and turned on the TV to watch some more Grimm. I turned the volume down so Marcus and could talk without it distracting us, and I got snuggled under the fluffy red blanket.
A minute later, Marcus appeared in my doorway and closed the door. He then proceeded to sit down under the blanket with me and make himself comfortable. We watched Grimm for a while, before Marcus spoke up.
"So," he turned to me, "Tell me everything." And with that, I unloaded everything onto Marcus, and he took it well. I told him about how Tristan and I met, our first date, our first kiss, the first time I slept over at his house, the day I knew I was in love with him, the times we spent together, the way he looked at me, how happy I was that Marcus and him got along so well, and finally, my frustration about the way he broke up with me, and how much it hurts, and how much I love him, and how I couldn't bring myself to hate him even if I tried. I cried several times, and I had to be comforted by Marcus' embrace a few times as well, but I got through it, and I felt a hell of a lot better after getting it all off my chest.
"You look like you need a hug." Marcus said, pulling me to him. I wrapped my arms around him, relishing in my friend's kindness.
"You're my bestest friend." I said, wholeheartedly meaning it.
Marcus kissed the top of my head softly. "You're my bestest friend too." I smiled, because it reminded me of when Marcus and I were about 8 or 9, and we said exactly the same thing to each other. We've been best friends ever since.
We watched Grimm for a few more hours, before my eyes started to droop, and my vision was blurring in and out of focus. "Marcus?" I questioned softly.
"Hmm?"
"I'm tired. Can we go to bed?"
"Sure thing, baby girl."
Marcus got up and turned the TV and the light off, and he made his way to my bed and lay us down. He held me close, just like the way my ex used to, but it was different with Marcus. It was soft, shy, and very comforting. With Tristan it was gentle, confident and arousing. Never have I appreciated Marcus' presence more than I did in that moment. I snuggled closer to him, and quickly fell asleep, surprisingly exhausted despite doing and feeling nothing for the whole day.
***
~Marcus' POV~
I woke up and my nose was cold. Stupid winter. The rest of my body was quite warm, though. I opened my eyes and caught a mouthful of sandy blonde hair. Still half asleep, I spat it out, and raised my head. Bethan was sleeping soundly, pressed up against me like a kitten looking for comfort from its mother. I smiled, warmth spreading through my chest and kissed her head softly. That's always been a thing of mine. I always kiss girls on the top of their head, especially ones I care about. I dunno, maybe it's coz my mum used to do it to me when I was little, and it was kinda comforting. I decided not to get up just yet, relishing in the fuzzy warm feeling of mild excitement that was making its way through my body. I guess I've always kinda liked Bethan. She's gorgeous, and she's been my friend for a long time. I've never really made a move because I don't want to ruin the strong bond that we have, but I lost my chance when Tristan first asked her out. I've never been the jealous type, but this guy was even better looking than me. I don't know how that's possible. And now, with Bethan so vulnerable, I decided I'd use this time with her to my advantage, just a little bit, maybe I'll be able to somehow get the message across that I care about her as more than a friend. For over three years, I've fantasized about what it would be like to kiss those beautiful lips, to hold her wondrous body, to . . .
I'm getting ahead of myself. I can feel it in my pants. But I still don't know how she hasn't noticed that all the girls I've dated in the past have freckles, or sandy hair, or hazel eyes, or a mix of all three. Maybe girls are more clueless than we think. I mentally shrugged, and just pulled Bethan closer, enjoying this brief moment in time.
It came to a close all too quickly when Bethan started to stir. I immediately loosened my grip on her and gave her some room to stretch. She looked at me and smiled.
"Mornin'," she said.
"Morning." I replied, smiling myself.
"Mmm, what time is it?" Bethan wondered aloud. She reached over and grabbed her phone, watching the screen light up and flash the time. She scoffed. "Only 9:30? God, I have hours more to sleep." She looked like she needed it too. She turned over to face me and asked, "How did you sleep, Marc?"
"Yeah, pretty good actually." I smiled. God, I didn't know how to frown around this girl.
Bethan closed her eyes and sighed contentedly. "Well, that's good." She snuggled closer to me and out of pure instinct, I wrapped my arms around her. I saw a small smile light up her face before she was off in Dream Land again. I took this opportunity to bury my face in her hair and take in her scent. A mix of her favourite deodorant, pine needles and that rain-on-the-grass smell. I loved it. Her scent was like my kryptonite. If I closed my eyes and imagined hard enough, I could almost feel the wind whipping through my coat as she ran beside me. If she were to be any animal, I'd say she'd be a beautiful silver wolf with eyes like burning yellow fires. Me? I'm a black wolf, with green eyes. Then, I was hit with the all-too-familiar wave of sadness that was brought on whenever I thought of my heritage. How was I ever going to tell Bethan? How would I explain my bloodline? My ancestors? And the fact that I'm so obsessed with werewolves?
It's because I am one.
YOU ARE READING
ANIMALS
FantasíaBethan Skyler is a perfectly average teenage girl, living in a small but extravagant suburb. Marcus Finch is her best friend, who has had a crush on her since they were twelve. Marcus is also a werewolf. No one, not even Bethan knows. Bethan goes th...
