Love, Bitterly Sweet

Chapter Three

This is the second chapter I've uploaded in less than twelve hours! Happy? :P This means that if you haven't read a chapter in awhile, you have to go back one. 

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I groan as I realize what I did. I ran. I ran rather than face rejection.

And if I weren’t so embarrassed, shocked, and upset, I would probably laugh at my current situation.

I’m sitting on the floor with my back against the wall and I’m in an empty classroom in the science wing. It might even be the same exact classroom my mom ran to when she found out my dad was her mate thirty years ago. Except she ran because she didn’t want him, while I ran because he doesn’t want me.

Max is my mate.

It’s almost too unbelievable to be true. I know that I was kind of fantasizing about the possibility, but I never actually really considered it could happen. After all, he’s human.

Could it be that that’s why he didn’t recognize the fact that we’re mates? Can humans not tell if their soulmate is a werewolf? I know that they can’t tell normally, but shouldn’t it be different if they’re meant to be with a were? Does it mean that he didn’t reject me and that I actually have a chance with him? But that would mean that I would have to make him fall in love with me. And I don’t know how to do that.

Ugh. I don’t know. I’ve never been prepared for this. Who can I go to talk to about falling in love? Obviously not Clair. Obviously not my brothers or Dylan. My parents maybe, since they were just starting to like each other right before they found out that they were mates. But I don’t want to admit to them what just happened. I can’t admit to them what just happened. It’s too embarrassing, too ridiculous.

Why? Why did this have to happen to me? I regret now all the times that I wanted to find my mate. Now I can’t believe that I was actually stressing about it just this morning. It seems like it was a lifetime ago.

Two feet appear before me and I look up to find Dylan, concern written all over his face.

“You okay?,” he asks gently.

“Yea – fine,” I mumble, resting my head between my knees again.

“Uh huh. Sure. Which is why you high-tailed it out of the cafeteria just now.” I can feel Dylan slide down next to me a second before he wraps his arm around my shoulder. “Want to talk about it?”

“Not really, no.”

“Too bad. As your best friend and number one cousin, you’re obligated to tell me.”

“Dylan…I’m not really in the mood right now. I just want to be alone for a while, okay?”

“Nope, no can do. I know you. You’re going to stew and worry and stress yourself out. Talk to me. Tell me what you’re thinking right now. It’ll help, I promise.”

I turn to face him and see that he’s being serious. “I found my mate,” I finally whisper, tears pooling in my eyes.

Dylan nods his head. “I know.”

“I was that obvious, huh?”

“No. Not really. I doubt anyone else could tell. The question is, why are you here instead of back in the cafeteria getting to know Max?”

“Because he didn’t recognize me. How could he not recognize me?” Tears are now liberally falling down my cheeks and Dylan wipes them away with his fingers.

“I don’t know but I’m guessing it’s because he’s human. You should talk to your parents – find out if they know how the were-human mating thing works.” I shake my head at that suggestion but Dylan just continues, “You can’t just keep running from him, Lily. He’s your mate – you two are meant to be together.”