**BOOK FOUR**
Reuben is running. Running from a life he never wanted; one he never fit into.
Eli is chasing. Chasing a future he is desperate to call reality.
After Reuben's rejection, Eli thought he'd never see his mate again. However, when repo...
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"You've been spacing out all day. Are you okay?" Arlo asked me.
He was right. I had been spacing out ever since I went to visit Eli yesterday—ever since he kissed me. I hated to admit it, but the dark-featured man had been on my mind twenty-four-seven.
Eli had kissed me and, if that wasn't enough, I had kissed him back. It was all still fresh in my mind like I was still there; still feeling his lips on mine, his hands holding the sides of my face, and my fingers running through his dark hair. I could still feel it all.
Of course, I didn't tell this to Arlo. I hadn't told anyone about the kiss yet and I wasn't sure if I was going to.
"I'm fine. Are you? You've been quiet since yesterday. Trouble with Cronan?"
Arlo diverted his gaze and shrugged. "No. It was nothing after all. He was just eating with a friend."
I knew he didn't believe his own words. Even if it was the truth—which I was fairly confident it was—Arlo wouldn't believe it. He had a habit of getting into his own head and I doubted that, even if I tried to convince him otherwise, he'd stop overthinking it.
I knew a lot of his overthinking habits came from the fact that they didn't share a mate bond. Though he hadn't gone into much detail about it, Arlo had been scorned in the past and I knew that as a result, he was determined to not repeat past mistakes.
My phone buzzed and my eyes drifted down toward it. The message was unsurprisingly from Eli. He hadn't stopped texting me since yesterday. The rule against unnecessary spam had long been thrown out the window.
I didn't click on the message though, instead, I turned my attention back to Arlo and asked, "Have you talked to him since yesterday?"
Arlo shook his head and I sighed. "At some point, you're going to have to. Would you rather be left always wondering what's going on when you aren't there? If you really want a relationship with him then you're going to have to communicate, you know that."
As much as I might've not liked Cronan, I cared more about Arlo than I did about my own feelings.
"I know that, but..." he sighed. "What if he doesn't want what I want, Reu? What if he..."
His voice trailed off and I could practically see a list of worst-case scenarios running through his mind.
"You won't know if you don't talk to him. Besides, do you really want to continue devoting time to someone you won't ever have a future with? I know you, Arlo and I know that would only hurt you. If Cronan doesn't want to be in a relationship then it isn't meant to be and you're both better off apart."
I knew my words weren't what he wanted to hear, but Arlo nodded nonetheless. He pushed himself up and sighed shakily.
