My Destined

Chapter 18

Leia

The aromas of lemon and garlic filled the living room as I watched Knives Out on the couch with Nico, Althea, Lucas, Selene, and Cleo. Mmm, that smells SO good! My mouth watered at the smell of the food being prepared currently. Adriel made good on his promise to cook for me, which fortunately (unfortunately) now includes everyone else. Cleo overheard Adriel when we spoke after visiting his parents a few days ago and insisted on him cooking for the group. Sometimes, I wonder if she's on my side or not!

Adriel refused to let me help him cook and said he hates having people watch him cook, so we were all sent to the living room. Luckily, it's an open house concept, so I can still see directly into the kitchen to sneak a few glances. As usual, Adriel looks handsome and determined, focusing everything on cooking this meal. I don't know what he is making us since he has kept it a "secret."

Based on the smell, dinner is almost done and consists of some chicken with lemon. I snuck a peak at Adriel as he pulled something out of the oven and placed it on the counter. He had his usual serious face, and I stifled a laugh at his ability to make everything seem so intense. This time, Adriel caught me, and we stared at one another for a few seconds.

"Keep your eyes on the movie." His voice was barely a whisper, just for me to see the words off his lips rather than hear them. I nodded quickly while pulling my lips together to prevent a smile as a red tint crept up my cheeks.

"Adriel! You're taking too long!" Cleo groaned loudly, rubbing her stomach, signaling she was hungry. The movie credits were rolling as our attention shifted toward Adriel, who began placing the finished food on the dining table. "Not everything needs to be perfect."

"Cleo, patience is a virtue." Adriel and Cleo glared at each other playfully as Cleo continued to complain.

It's been so nice spending time with everyone and seeing how they interact with one another. Althea and Cleo are much closer than I realized, making me think about what Adriel said about Althea and Noemi being sisters. No, I don't want to think about HER. I shook the thoughts out of my head before I could get upset at them and turned my attention back to the group.

Most of the day has been like this: spending it in the pool or on the couch watching movies as we talked non-stop. It was clear how close Cleo and Selene, and of course, Althea and Lucas, are becoming as time has passed. Almost three weeks now... I patted my face, again trying to shake my thoughts from something upsetting—this time, about missing my family.

"You okay?" Selene whispered next to me as Cleo, Nico, and Althea had a yelling match over which actor in Knives Out was hotter. They all had differing opinions, of course.

"Yeah. Just trying not to overthink." I laughed despite myself since I always overthink, but Selene nodded knowingly.

"I know what you mean; everyone else here has been in this pack, so sometimes I feel left out or miss home." How could I forget that Selene is also from another pack, like me? We could have been leaning on each other this time instead of handling it alone.

"Exactly! Have you talked to your family recently?" I started to feel guilty about my limited interactions with my family. It's not as if I have been too busy to talk to anyone or they have been silent; I have been somewhat avoiding it for fear of the homesickness it will bring.

"A little bit. I'm not exactly close with Cael or Adam. Oh, Adam is Cael's dad." Selene looked down and fiddled with her hands. Oh yeah... I never asked why Cael's family adopted Selene as I felt it would need to be something she shared if and when she was ready to.

Cleo must have noticed Selene's shift in mood as she quickly ended the "who is hotter?" battle with Althea and Nico to come straight to Selene. Without words, Cleo checked in on Selene and rubbed her hand reassuringly. It was honestly so sweet to watch. At the same time, Adriel had just called everyone to the table for dinner.