A Pride of Werecats

Chapter 14

Naoko's POV

"Why isn't Ling here?" Anne whispered to us while we cowered behind one of the aisles looking at the mysterious man. 

Cherry peered over the instant ramen "I have no idea, look at those eyes though..."

"Yeah they're kinda hot actually," Anne giggled.

This got Naoko's attention, she had been previously occupied by Ian. "Guys that is a grown ass man," she hissed at them

"So?" Anne shrugged "I'm legal."

"Barely," Naoko walked over to them and looked at him. He was reading a novel unaware of their stares "Well if he's replacing Ling he's not doing a very good job."

Cherry looked at Naoko "What do you mean?"

"He hasn't even noticed you creepily staring at him over the noodles," Naoko hissed.

A flicker of a smile twitched at corners of the man's mouth. The three girls backed away from the noodles with horror.

Ian laughed his head off "It is quite quiet in here," he said as he casually strolled out into the vulnerable open.

The man looked at Ian "I suppose so."

His voice was smooth, deep and rich and his face pulled into a proper smile. Naoko couldn't stop looking at him, not for the same reasons as Anne though. There was something so alluring about him. She couldn't help herself she grabbed the first thing in front of her, not even looking at what it was and walked out into the open.

His lush green eyes fell upon her and she was swept away to some other place where trees ruled the land, a green kingdom. 

And his smile was also upon her. It invited her to come closer and she accepted. She came to the counter and got wind of his forest scent. She had only smelt something like that once before. When the school made them go camping in the Otways. She had hated it, having no mirror she had gone eyebrowless for a week and was relentlessly teased about it, even long after they returned. That had made her grow back the few hairs that allowed her to still draw the eyebrow shapes she desired. But there was one thing about the camp and all the bush walks she had barely endured that she liked. It was the scent of the thick forest, the same scent that she smelt now.

"S-sss-sorry," she stammered, barely making a noise. 

He didn't seem to hear her "that's hard to pull off."

"W-what?"

His eyes fell to her lips, her heart was racing "Black lipstick."

"Oh..." she was back in her comfort zone "it's really not, it's kinda a neutral colour it goes with anything, it's your blues, yellows and greens that are hard to pull off... or some people think."

"Interesting..." he muttered.

"It's not really pulling off or not it's about how brave you are to wear something, if you style it right you can pull off any colour," Naoko rambled.

He smiled and muttered to himself "easiest choice yet."

Naoko's fake eyebrows crinkled "What?"

"Your choice," he looked down at her hands "chicken is the easiest choice."

She also looked down, instant ramen; chicken flavour. She smiled and handed the packet to him. Ian approached from behind.

"Why are you buying that?" he asked.

"Tomorrow's lunch," Naoko blurted out.

The man handed Naoko her noodles in a plastic bag but Ian it for her and looked down into it "Don't your parents have a million of these things at home?"