Lost in Translation

Chapter 11: Communication

———Anthony———

Monday, May 6th, 2019

"Have fun!"

"Ja—"

I scowled as the door to my own house slammed in my face. I sighed before turning towards Ben, who was shifting back and forth on his feet nervously.

"I'm sorry about him," I said after a pause.

"It's fine, really," Ben said. "It's not like he's making anything more awkward than I already am." I frowned as Ben laughed nervously. I really didn't think he was to blame for the current problem, at least not directly, but that wasn't a conversation I wanted to have.

"Um, I figured we could drive up to the Pineview trail," Ben said, pointing a thumb backward at his truck. "It's not steep, but it is one of the more out-of-the-way ones, so we aren't likely to run into anyone up there."

"Sure, sounds good," I replied, trying my damndest to sound normal, but my stomach was already doing flip-flops. I made my way quickly to the passenger-side door, hoping his eyes wouldn't linger on me long enough to reveal my apprehension. I fidgeted with the seat belt for a moment and swore to myself. Thankfully, I got it to click just as Ben hopped into the driver's side.

The moment the truck door shut, his scent hit me like, well, like a truck. The windows were rolled up, which was less than ideal both for dealing with the scent and my... issue with small spaces. I was thankful that, for the time being, Ben seemed preoccupied with driving and not me.

Ben reached out and turned the radio on. I hadn't even noticed it was off until now. The motion pulled my attention back to reality, but it seemed like Ben was still somewhere else.

"Ben. Hey, Ben. Ben. Ben!" I yelled, trying to get his attention. He jumped in his seat and tapped on the brakes a little too hard to be considered gentle.

"Weren't you supposed to turn there?" I asked, pointing back to the side road that led to the trail's parking lot.

"Fuck. Sorry. I, uh... I'm just nervous. I got a little distracted," Ben said. It was apparent how uneasy he was around me. I felt a sting at that realization that was difficult to ignore.

"It's fine. I get it," I finally responded. I looked away, annoyed that the realization that Ben wasn't comfortable around me (and likely would never be) made me feel so glum.

Ben pulled into the small gravel parking lot, and I jumped out of the truck immediately, eager to escape his scent, the small space, and my own thoughts. I leaned against the side of the truck and closed my eyes, willing my heart rate and emotions to slow down with limited success.

I opened my eyes as I heard the gravel footsteps of Ben approaching me. He had on a huge backpack that seemed a little excessive for the trail we were on. We started up the trail, and thankfully, things were quiet. My mind needed a minute to clear his scent out before I could think well enough not to make an ass of myself... as much as it was possible to do that, anyway. After a few minutes of walking, Ben cleared his throat and looked at me.

"So, uh, you're Alpha Darius' brother? What's that like? Was it a lot of pressure?" He asked.

"Uh, no, not really," I replied, surprised at myself for even answering. "The Alpha family adopted me right before Alpha Sondra died, so Darius was only like 18 when he got custody of us. Sarah was 17, so she just opted to get emancipated and help Darius out, but they were both still basically kids. There wasn't a lot of structure those first few years."