My Best Friend's Werewolf

6 Innocent

I'm so uncomfortable right now. If Eliza was here, she'd help to relieve the awkwardness.

Hunter sits forward. "I may not like them, but she seems so innocent."

"Sir?" the waiter asks him. "Would you like something to eat?"

Hunter doesn't spare him a glance. "I'll have what he's having."

The waiter leaves.

Hunter tilts his head to the side. "I forget that you're still partial to them."

I set my toast down. "Umm. . .hi. Sorry, but what's going on?"

"Addy, it's nothing." Travis frowns at Hunter. "Just eat."

He told me to shut up by eating. But I'm hungry so I eat. Not because he told me to.

As we finish up, and Travis signs his bill, Hunter leans toward my ear and whispers, "Don't go in the forest alone."

I'll go in the forest alone if I want, because frankly, I think you're creepy, and I'm not listening to a thing you say. At least that's what I want to say. There's a lot of things I'd like to say that I frankly don't have the guts for. "You make it sound like there are lions and murderers."

"Now, Addy, don't be ridiculous." Travis grabs the box of food he ordered to go, claiming he would be starving in an hour. "And Hunter, try to be nice."

Hunter is still finishing up his food, and so I have to ask him to let me out. He does so grudgingly. I say goodbye, forgoing the pleasure to meet him part. I try not to lie as much as I can help it.

Travis is already out by the truck. "You wanted something out of your suitcase?"

"Just a book."

He lays the tailgate flat and holds out a hand, helping me onto the bed of his truck. I unzip my suitcase and first pull my brown purse out and hand him six dollars which he declines. I pester him about it for twenty seconds before giving up. I grab my book and hop down with his help.

As we drive I don't bother asking him about Hunter. He didn't exactly seem to want to talk about him or anything else back there.

"What are you reading?" he suddenly asks.

I think my face pales. "Oh, well, a book about dogs."

"So it's a dog training book?"

"No. It's a novel."

"Oh." I smile tugs at his lips. "Interesting choice of characters for a teenage girl. I think my sister read a cat series back in middle school."

"Fine. If you're already going to tease me, it's about werewolves."

"Well, I suppose that's better than vampires."

I smile to myself. That was more Eliza's genre. "They're not really my thing."

"Good, because if that was a vampire story"— he looks at me and smirks— "I may have to leave you on the side of the road."