Forced Mating

Sixteen

Dedicated to graeheart! Hope you enjoy these next few! Let me know what you like or don't like about it (hopefully more the former ;) ) Thanks for voting! It means a lot! 

******

After a few hours of swimming the sun was starting to set and I was extremely hungry. I hadn't eaten breakfast since I got up late and planned on eating lunch.

But then with the bike ride and swimming, I didn't.

Swimming grew awkward at times because of a comment made or Caden stopping to stare at me. But overall I guess it wasn't terrible.

"So? How about I barbecue some dinner?" Daniel asked. Sam agreed right away and they got talking about what to make. I'm glad they had common interests.

Caden swam a bit closer, "You can go, I don't have to."

"We've been hanging out all day. And we all have to eat."

"Blake I get it."

"I would hope so. You've had to eat your whole life."

I climbed out as he gave a short laugh and a shake of his head, "We're in, Daniel." He said as he glanced at me. I gave him a nod and he seemed to relax a bit before climbing out. 

"Do shish-kabobs, corn and potatoes sound good?" He asked and I nodded. I haven't eaten a real meal in years. Ever since I stopped cooking for Dana and I.

"Sounds great," Caden said and I just threw clothes on overtop, which were soaked pretty quickly.
We made our way back to the back porch as Daniel cooked.

"These are delicious, I didn't know you could cook so well Daniel." Caden said after we all took a few bites.

"That's because you never let me. You just had to take care of me like a good big brother," Daniel said playfully.

"And you're welcome for feeding you." Daniel snorted before they both just smiled. 

Sam and I were on one side of the table and Caden and Daniel were on the other. Caden sat diagonal from me, I think to give me space, which I reminded myself to thank him later for, but he kept looking at me out of the corner of his eye. Sometimes it wasn't so subtle. I tried to ignore it, so I just kept my eyes to my plate.

"Did you stop in at your old pack house to see your family?" Daniel asked and I looked up a bit to look at him.

"Yeah, I talked to Dana and Jess all day, but she stopped at home so I could see Mom and Benji."

"Old home. Sounds nice though." Daniel added the correction quickly and I wanted to rol my eyes but stopped myself in time.

"It was good to see them. A few other pack members said hello too, I didn't realize how much I just missed them all."

I noticed Caden had stopped eating and mentally smacked myself for talking about my old house in the present tense. And I called them my pack members, which technically they weren't any more.

"Did you see your dad?"

"No, I left when my father came to talk to me."

"Oh, bad timing?"

"No, good on my part."

Daniel and Sam sat there confused but I saw the amusement in Caden's eyes, although the hurt was still there.

The three of them talked about all kinds of things and I noticed that Caden opened up to Sam, I think he realized she wasn't the same way around us. Hopefully, she was like this with everyone now. Daniel and Sam seemed like they've been talking a lot and I was happy for them, maybe it would lead somewhere.