- Penultimate chapter - last one to be posted later on -
Amelia and Tammie both rang me numerous times the next morning. They were full of questions. I told them not to be so nosey and hung up on them, relishing things a little while longer. They both took that to mean good news but I wanted to see if Nathan still felt the same before I would admit to anything.
He was at my door bright and early. I was still getting dressed so Gran entertained him for a while until I was ready. His eyes lit up when he saw me and that warmed me enough to realise that things hadn't changed for either of us. He held my hand even in front of Gran who looked on with a lot of satisfaction. I think she had been waiting for me to get a boyfriend for years. I wondered would she still approve if she knew he could turn into a wolf. I still wasn't sure what I thought about it and I was full of questions for Nathan.
We headed straight to the park again, without even discussing it. We also avoided the woods completely without discussing it but I made a mental note to bring it up at some stage. He held my hand all the way to the park, even putting his arm around me every now and then. It was completely sappy and everything I hate to see in other people but for us on that day, it was perfect.
I was convinced that he was finally over his insecurities. I could totally understand his reasons though, especially after he told me about his parents. That would screw anyone up. I couldn't imagine how horrible it must have been for him to truly believe his father had murdered his mother. And then to believe that he might be capable of the same thing.
I could now see why he hung around with people like Dawn. He wanted to be accepted and he was terrified of being found out as different. Amelia didn't feel the need to do that because she was comfortable and confident about who she was. He still hadn't accepted his heritage.
We made our way to the exact same bench as the night before and sat together, sometimes kissing lazily but most of the time watching the world go by. Before, the park had been a source of fear for me but with him beside me I felt completely safe. I savoured every second with him.
"I can't get over how this feels," he said. I knew exactly what he meant. It was like a drug, I felt so relaxed now that we had accepted our path. A part of me wanted to worry about it but another part of me said, let it be, just enjoy it. So I did. Having what I wanted was an amazing feeling. For the first time in my life, I felt like a normal person even though I knew that no other teenager in the world was going through anything like it.
He traced the lines on my hand, joking that he could read palms. "Little lines here signify major relationships and look, you've only one. That's me. And up here counts how many children you'll have. Fifteen?! That can't be right."
I couldn't help laughing at him. It was nice to see him so unconcerned by anything else. I knew I was avoiding my friends and being exactly the kind of person I hated but I wanted one day for us alone. One perfect day.
"This is nice and all," he said, stroking the corner of my mouth with his thumb. "But isn't there anything you want to ask me?"
"Like what?"
"I don't know. I thought you would be more curious."
"Amelia told me lots of things already."
He made a face. "Of course she did."
"I hope you didn't give her a hard time," I warned him.
"Nah, she's so excited right now that nothing could burst her bubble anyway. She's really into the whole werewolf thing. I don't get it."
"She's not ashamed. There's nothing to get. There are worse things."
"I still can't believe you've known and haven't said anything or even looked at me differently. You're crazy." He kissed my nose fondly.
