False Confidence

House Guest?

Azriel Huang

"Popcorn." I demanded, opening my mouth up to allow Griffin to drop in  some of the delicious, fluffy kernels. Aniya, Nora, Griffin, and I all took to lounging in the main living room, a ridiculous rom-com playing on the large tv mounted to the wall ahead of us. The setting sun's golden light leaked through the skylights over head, heating up the plush surface of the couch as I took it in, resting my head on the expanse of Griffin's lap.

Nora and Aniya splayed their tired limbs on both sides of Griffin, Nora mindlessly playing with my hair as voices droned quietly from the room a couple turns down the hall. I had grown bored, majority of the wolves kicked out of the house to allow my parents as much privacy as possible for their "paramount conversation." Save for my friends, which I had begged them to stay. Much to my mellowed glee, my parents had complied.

"Wow, I wonder what your dear Alex would think of you putting your head on another man's lap." Aniya purred with a playful gleam in her eyes.

"I assure you, he wouldn't care. He knows Griffin and I are simply the best of buds." I shot back dryly, not missing a beat. Aniya only shrugged in response, her thick lips, painted a dusty pink, curving into a faux-coy smile.

"Oh have your parents met our dear Alex?" Aniya once again teased.

"....My parents walked in on Alex and I kissing, like two days ago." I blurted, slapping my hands over my face in dread. I was looking to vent to them about the humiliating situation but my hopes were quickly snuffed.

All of them burst into a fit of cackles, although silenced by a bang on the walls, an unspoken reminder to keep quiet while the real grown up wolves chatted. That didn't stop them completely, the three of them sharing sly grins as they turned their borderline terrifying smiles on me. I grimaced, turning my head towards the tv, lazily flipping them off while beckoning Griffin for more popcorn.

"Makes you wonder what they're talking about in there." Nora mused, gazing over at the direction of the room as if she could see past the walls if she stared hard enough.

"Probably how to get rid of you're annoying ass. y'know, just cuz your friends with Azriel doesn't mean you can come up in here like it's your house during closed hours." Griffin snorted, poking at Nora's puffed up cheeks. Griffin was usually kind and reserved, contrasting from his intimidating form, but that seem to lessen to a degree when he was with us.

"Probably." I scoffed, swallowing the popcorn I had been chewing on.

"Shut up." She grumbled, turning her attention back on the increasingly silly movie that had raptured all of our joint attention. Even Aniya had her pupils focused on the way the main character fumbled and spilled scalding hot coffee onto the pants of the love interest. Griffin was the only one who laughed, but his hearty chuckles forced a smile or two out of us.

"Oh, by the way, are you guys going to the party on Halloween?" Nora asked, scratching at the side of her nose.

"Mhm." Aniya hummed in response, her eyes still trained on the screen.

"Yeah." Griffin said curtly at the same exact time as Aniya.

"Alex made me." I fibbed, it wasn't the complete truth.

"Thank god for Alex." Aniya huffed, dragging her bright gaze onto me while looking about ready to flick my nose as she always does. I readied myself for the stinging pain but it never came. Aniya had swept her hand back as my parents walked back into the room. My mom looked a little worn, stray strands of hair flying from her loose bun. Time had barley touched her poised features, with alert, round eyes and rosy cheeks that screamed youthful. Though, if she expressed her emotions too thoroughly, wrinkles would often become more prominent.