I'm back, bitches.
If any of ya'll read TIT, pls comment on this. I may need some help writing a second installment and I'm struggling with some...character details.
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It was quiet that night at our house. Merrick never said much anyway, but tonight, I didn't want to say anything either. The realization of my own feelings was enough to deal with at the moment, and I didn't want to blurt it out randomly and make everything uncomfortable between us. Hell, we had barely started being an 'us.' If we were even one.
All I knew, was that we were now very comfortable with each other and -dare I say it- affectionate. He threw his jacket onto the couch, and I startled out of my thoughts, looking up at him then quickly looking away again.
"Is there something wrong?" He murmured, moving into the kitchen but keeping those red eyes on me. I picked up the remote and turned the TV on, shaking my head a bit too hard.
"Nah nah nah, everything is fine. A-ok. Normal. Great. Amazingly average."
That sounded like me talking to a guy who had an underwhelming package.
Merrick stared for a moment longer before turning away, getting started on dinner. I grabbed my assignments from my bag and pulled out my laptop, typing away on some stupid statistics assessment my teacher had given me. When would a werewolf ever need to know about sampling variation?
"Do you know when we will be having that Cole boy over for dinner?" Merrick said, so lowly I almost didn't hear it. I shrugged a shoulder, pushing some hair out of my face. "Next week probably? Don't mind about the other things I promised too, Alpha Luke has been paying me well."
Merrick grunted, shaking his head. "No. I'm paying."
I rolled my eyes. "I get enough money, I also want to start paying for mortgage and food here. Something."
He shook his head again, cutting the vegetables with a little more force. "No. I'm paying."
Oh really? I stood up, putting my laptop to one side and walking to the bench where he was preparing food. "I want to help Merrie. And being here, without doing or paying anything really just makes me feel like a freeloader."
Merrick didn't look up from his cutting, but didn't shake his head too. After a moment, he sighed. "Will this make you happy?"
"Of course."
He flicked his dark gaze up to me, searching my face for any hint of a lie. "I want to make you feel safe."
My heart skipped a beat at the raw genuineness in his voice, and my hand reached out to his face subconsciously, stroking down his cheek as he went completely still.
"You know what Merrie? I do."
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Lyle came to drop the rest of my things off the day after, standing outside of Merrick's house with my bag and another suitcase. It was an unspoken rule never to enter another wolf's home without express, enthusiastic consent (A/N this applies to rape too),especially someone as territorial and brooding as Merrick.
After moving all my stuff (which was quite a sad amount of things. Just shoes, my hair dryer and some more pairs of sweats) I sat with Lyle on the porch.
"How's everything been for you? We've both been a bit...preoccupied these past few weeks." With me nearly dying, the ball, both of us working a hell of a lot and barely seeing each other at school. Lyle grinned at me, nudging my shoulder.
"I should be asking you that. Word has gotten around about the big bad enforcer becoming a big cuddly teddy bear for his scary mate."
I rolled my eyes, "We're just coming to terms with what being mates means to both of us. And...we're learning a lot about each other." I cocked my head to the side, leaning back on my palms and turning my face to the sky. "He's kind to me. In his own way."
I cracked open my eyes and slid my gaze to Lyle. "Now answer my original question, how's things been going with you?"
He shrugged a shoulder, mimicking my movement. "Just all work and no play really. Still haven't found my mate. But, about that girl I told you about earlier, I think I'm getting over her. She was never really meant to be mine, and I can see that she's becoming happy. Happy with her mate."
I nodded thoughtfully, wondering how Lyle could be so accepting. He was honestly the best man ever on this earth. If his mate was a dipshit...let's just say before she'd catch feelings, she'd catch these hands.
"Have you ever thought what your mate would be like?"
He shook his head, curls bouncing. "Recently, yes. I've had more time to think of what she could be like, since my mind isn't consumed with thoughts of her."
I laughed, shaking my head. "That girl sounds like a handful."
He looked over at me, staring for a long few moments. "Yeah. She is."
I punched his arm, "at least this new guy seems like he can handle her, eh?"
Lyle scoffed loudly before turning back to the sun. "Yeah, sure. No one can handle her, they just have to let her do what she wants and hopefully she lets them come along for a ride." There was no resentment or anger in his voice, which I would have thought to happen since he had been...rejected by his first love. But all I heard was amusement and a slight longing in his voice.
I grabbed his hand, squeezing it tight before looking back up to the sky. "She would have been lucky to have you Lay. Any girl in their right fucking mind would have been lucky to have you."
He only hummed his agreement and sat with me in silence, basking in the light after a school filled day.
"You're the best friend a girl could have Lay."
"I know."
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Did somebody say filler? If not, I just did.