Mine

Chapter 4

1 year later. . .

The water of the harbour sparkled as if the stars had fallen from the sky to glisten on the surface in the morning light. The smell of the sea mixed with coffee from the dock full of coffee shops and restaurants, all busy with the breakfast crowd. The clang of plates being cleared, the hum of chatter from the diners and the squawking of the seagulls only added to the atmosphere and seeing the couple put down their menus, I took that as my sign to go.

"Welcome to Dockside, are you ready to order or did you need some more time?" Smiling at the couple in front of me, I got out my notebook in preparation. My instincts paid off and heading back to the counter, I'd just put their order through on the computer when the kitchen bell sounded out. Before long I had picked up the plates of pancakes and bacon, swiftly moving around the tables to another waiting table. "Enjoy!"

"Seriously, slow down. You're doing all the work and making the rest of us look bad!" Fiona hid her coffee under the bar ledge as our manager walked past, showing another small group to a table in the back.

"That's not true and I can't help it. It's a good, no it's a great day!"

"You're glowing, I love it. Then again if I had what you did waiting for me at home each day, I would be too!" She winks and bends down to gulp more of her coffee. "Do you think if I went as blonde as you I could attract a Nate of my own?"

"Trust me, being blonde has nothing to do with it!" I try assure her.

"No it does, look over at five - Hunky McHunky is with a blonde. Twenty two I would gladly do and oh look, not only is he with a blondie, he is with the ultimate blonde - Barbie!" She laughs, throwing her mass of ebony hair over her shoulder.

"You know, I don't like you tone. Blonde doesn't mean Barbie!" Joey our manager, stops beside me and Fiona doesn't hide the coffee quick enough making him groan and shake his head.

"What are you two arguing about now?" He sighs, jotting something down for the order he just took.

"Tell Fiona she is beautiful and she shouldn't be jealous blondes have more fun." The 'are you kidding me' look makes us both laugh and we're sent back to work.

Living and working among humans has been a refreshing experience. In the year since we left the pack, Aiden's Uncle was able to arrange for us to move across the country under new names and be granted permission to live on our own. The Alpha of this area lets us be and I know Nate kept in touch with him weekly to be respectful. Apart from that it was just him and me in our own little world.

Paradise.

By the time our shift is over, its nearly two o'clock and in the six months of working together Fiona has taken it upon herself to be my best friend. It's a novel idea since she is human and completely unaware of what other races live around her. After getting up the courage to apply for a job, I met Fiona during the interview. From there she took me under her wing, acting as if she was twenty years older than me rather two. She never asked questions about my past, and took all my insecurities in her stride. I loved her for it.

Since it was a beautiful day, neither of us were ready to go our separate ways home. Actually I was but I knew Nate had classes till four and wouldn't be there. Deciding to take a break we joined the tourists on the stairs by the wharf and while eating gelati from tiny plastic cups decided to soak up the sun.

"So what has Romeo got planned for your birthday?" Humans always put all their emotions out on their sleeves and her jealously only amuses me. In the early days of moving here, and meeting her at the restaurant, it had bothered me. I was still adjusting to being 'normal' yet here, I still wasn't. I was different to the people here, not because of a reputation built on lies by an alpha with a vendetta, but because I wasn't just a human.