My life

Special

GENEVIEVE'S POV

After eating, I drifted back to the couch, curling into the same spot I'd claimed earlier. A part of me expected him to stay in the kitchen or disappear into another room, but he didn't. He came with me and sat down right beside me, close enough that I could feel his warmth without him actually touching me. 

To my surprise, I wasn't uncomfortable. 

That alone felt strange. Normally, having someone that close would make my skin crawl, my muscles tighten, my thoughts race with what-ifs. But with him, the nervousness was quieter. Still there, but softer. More like uncertainty than fear. I wasn't scared of him I was scared of what he might want, of expectations I didn't understand yet. 

I turned on the TV and scrolled until I landed on a scary movie. The Nun. I'd never seen it before, but something about horror movies had always drawn me in. Fear on a screen felt safer than the fear I carried inside me it had rules, endings, credits. 

I noticed him glance at the screen, surprised. Maybe he didn't expect me to like these kinds of movies. I didn't say anything about it. Instead, my heart started pounding for an entirely different reason. 

There was something I needed to tell him. 

"Hey, Mica..." My voice came out quieter than I meant it to. I swallowed and tried again. "Um... I wanted to let you know. My birthday is in two days." 

The words felt heavier than they should have. 

He turned toward me immediately, his expression shifting from surprise to something closer to concern. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" he asked. "We have to celebrate it." 

My stomach twisted. "No," I said quickly, shaking my head. "I don't want to." 

Birthdays had never been happy for me. They were reminders—of being ignored, forgotten, or worse. Celebrating something that had never felt like a gift didn't make sense. 

He studied me for a moment, then nodded. He didn't argue. But I could see his mind working, wheels turning, like he was trying to find another way to make it special without crossing my boundary. That made my chest ache in a way I didn't quite understand. 

We talked quietly after that. He told me that tomorrow we'd need to go shopping so I could get clothes that actually fit me. The idea made my stomach knot. Stores meant mirrors. People. Choices. Judgment. 

But at the same time, the thought of wearing clothes that were actually mine clothes that didn't hang off me like a reminder that I didn't belong felt... nice. 

"Where would we be going?" I asked carefully. 

He told me it was about an hour away. A mall. A big one. He wanted me to have options. 

The name of the place sounded familiar. Too familiar. I realized it was probably the mall my family used to go to without me. That realization stung more than I expected. 

After a moment, I asked if the nurse could come with us. Having someone familiar. Someone female. Someone safe. 

He nodded immediately. "I'll ask her. If she can't... would you be okay with my sister coming? She's eighteen. Really cool." 

The thought of meeting someone new made my chest tighten, but I nodded anyway. "I guess that would be okay." 

A yawn escaped me before I could stop it. My body was tired so tired but the sky outside was already starting to lighten. I didn't want to sleep through another day. I didn't want to waste the time I'd been given. 

"Could we maybe... go for a walk?" I asked. "I want to see the ocean." 

His smile was immediate. He agreed, then disappeared briefly into the kitchen and came back with clothes. Pants. A shirt. A sweatshirt. 

"I asked my sister if you could borrow some of her clothes," he said. "So you don't have to keep wearing mine. I hope that's okay." 

"It is," I said softly. "Thank you." 

Upstairs, I showered quickly. Out of habit, my eyes drifted to the drawer where the razor blades had once been. Still empty. A sharp mix of irritation and something like sadness rose up inside me. I wished he'd just let me be. 

I'm not good enough for him. 
Or his family. 

The clothes fit surprisingly well, though the sleeves were long. His sister must be tall. I was... not. I studied myself in the mirror. I still looked sick. Too thin. But better than a few days ago. The bruises were fading. 

I remembered my dad once saying I healed fast so he could keep hurting me without killing me. The memory made me nauseous. 

Did I deserve it? 
No. 
But the question still lingered. 

Downstairs, Mica had changed too. Shorts. A fitted shirt. He looked... unreal. I caught myself staring and quickly looked away, heat flooding my face. I knew he saw. 

Outside, the night was beautiful. The moon reflected off the water like silver. I stepped toward the sand, but he gently stopped me and pointed to a path instead. 

It led through trees and opened up to something breathtaking a hidden lagoon, connected to the ocean but tucked away by rocks and forest. 

I couldn't speak. 

---

MICAS POV

I brought her to the lagoon because it was the safest place I knew. Where the pack learned. Where we gathered. Where the world felt quiet. 

"Let's sit here," I told her. "The sun should come up soon." 

She agreed, settling beside me. I wrapped an arm around her, and she leaned in without hesitation. We watched the sky change—dark blue bleeding into pinks and purples, the sun slowly rising. 

I wanted to tell her how beautiful it was. 

But she was already asleep. 

I lifted her easily and carried her home. Back upstairs. Back to the bed. She murmured my name in her sleep, and something warm and protective spread through my chest. 

I lay down with her still in my arms and set an alarm for five hours. 

She needed rest. 

And so did I.