After accepting Matt's invitation to dance, I slid off the stool and slipped my small purse over my neck, so it would string across my body.
He took my hand and led me to the dance floor where other couples and clusters of people were moving to the music. Someone had changed it to a pop station. I actually recognized the song playing as one of my best friend's favorites. She was wilder than me. This would've made her proud.
Once we were wedged in the masse, Matt took me by the waist and pulled me close. This was not the kind of dancing I had anticipated. Nonetheless, I let my hands find his shoulders and settle on them. They were hard with muscle, but not muscular. Our eyes locked and he smiled at me again.
"You're hot, you know," he told me.
"Thanks." My cheeks went red, though I hoped he couldn't tell in the dark.
"So what's your story? Why are you here?"
"I could ask you the same," I said.
"I'm not the one here alone."
My lips pinched and I tried to pull out of his grip. He tightened his hold before noticing my panicked look. Sighing, he released me but grabbed my hand before I could bolt.
"Sorry," he apologized, "I didn't mean to pry. I'm just trying to get to know you."
"Maybe I don't want to be known."
Though my words were sharp like a blade, like one of my mother's kitchen knives, he didn't give up. Instead, he squeezed my palm and offered a lopsided smile.
"We all want to be known by somebody," he said. "I want to know who that somebody is who let you down."
My heart jumped into my throat. How did he know? How could he tell? Was I so easy to read? He pulled me into his arms and hugged me right there, in the middle of the dance floor. To my surprise, I melted into his embrace. I needed that so badly.
"Why don't we go somewhere we can talk?" he asked.
Even though I didn't know him and had absolutely no reason to trust him, I did. I knew he wouldn't hurt me. Intuition had yet to guide me wrong. Besides, maybe Matt could settle for friends. I couldn't offer him any more than that, regardless of if my mate loved someone else. A human could never understand me, and that was okay. Friendship would be okay.
We ended up driving to a Starbucks five minutes away in my car. He let me drive when I told him I wasn't ready to get in his car. Though he was concerned I was too tipsy to drive, I assured him I had a high tolerance. It was that way for all wolves, but he didn't need to know that.
Matt insisted he pay for our drinks since he didn't even buy me one at the bar, and then we settled into a window booth. I rubbed the cardboard sides of my latte and sighed. He sipped his hot chocolate and watched me, smiling.
"What?" I asked, staving off a grin.
"You're just even prettier in the light than in the dark," he said. "It usually doesn't happen that way."
Laughing, I rolled my eyes. "Thanks...I guess." I wasn't the beauty that attracted stares everywhere I went, but I was decent. His flattery still made me feel nice.
"It was a compliment." He winked. "Promise. Anyway, tell me about yourself, Lee."
"Not much to tell."
"Now, that's a lie. Everyone has a story," he reminded me. "You can begin by telling who led you to that bar. I can tell that isn't your natural habitat."
Again, I smiled. No man had made me smile like this in a long time. "My natural habitat is my bed."
His brows rose as his playful face gave way to a more serious one. Groaning, I sipped on my coffee, burnt my tongue, and then decided what I could tell my new human friend.
"Fine," I muttered. "There's this guy I met...I like him a lot. But the issue is that he's already in love with someone else. I suppose I kind of assumed he had a girlfriend, but seeing them together was just harder than I thought."
Matt's face softened. "I'm sorry, Lee. That sucks."
"Well, that's life I guess."
A hysteric chuckle pressed from my lips. To any human, that would sound normal. To any wolf, that wouldn't make sense. This didn't happen to mates. They don't just fall in love with someone else. If he knew his mate would come eventually, as we all do, he should have waited. He should have known getting involved with someone else would be messy. Maybe he knew but didn't care. The thought made my heart squeeze.
"It shouldn't be that way, though," Matt softly replied. His hand had snuck its way across the table, and now his fingers brushed against my knuckles. "I'm here with you."
Unthinking, I jerked away. I regretted it instantly, before even seeing the hurt look on his way. This was why human relationships were complicated. He wouldn't understand.
"I'm sorry, Matt," I told him. "I just...I like you, I do. I just don't think romance is going to work out for us. My heart is pretty hung up."
"Well, I'm sorry to hear that." His head hung a little in dejection. "When you get over him, I'll be here."
I wished I could get over my mate as easily as he had gotten over me. My heart ached again at the thought of him with someone else. Stupid mate bond. More than ever, I wished I wasn't part wolf. I wanted to be fully human. Life would be so much simpler that way.
When Matt lifted his head, he caught my admiring stare. I was adoring his pure humanity, flawless in spite of its flaws. He looked confused, so I shook my head and looked away.
"How about you tell me about yourself now?" I asked, sipping on my coffee. It didn't burn my tongue again, but my tastebuds were already ruined beyond the point of detecting flavor. At his hesitation, I jokingly added, "Aside from the fact that you pick up estranged women in bars, that is."
Smiling, he rolled his eyes. "Wouldn't really consider that a hobby of mine. I'm a pretty simple guy. I work for the local power company, rent a small house on the outskirts of town, have a dog, eat microwaveable dinners...that sort of thing."
"Sounds like quite the fulfilling lifestyle," I noted with a hint of sarcasm and a wink. He was pulling out a friendly part of myself I often forgot I had.
"Simple, like I said."
"I like simple," I told him. "I think we're going to be great friends, Matt."
Releasing a deep breath, he forced a close-lipped smile. "I bet so, little missy."