I didn’t know if I had the strength to go in, but I had to. I couldn’t stay out all day and wallow, and so I dragged myself in. Shutting the door, I pressed my head against it with my eyes closed, reminiscing about all that had happened so far.
A few good things happened, but this one seems to have ruined it all. I still wanted to believe there was a way around this; there had to be. I didn’t diminish my role in all of this, nor did I think I was sinless, but I didn’t prepare for the nightmare or the pain I caused Daniel. He was a good guy with a good heart. He was the best among them, and he deserved better.
I heard a crack in the door from not so far away, but I didn’t even open my eyes to see who it was. I knew who it was, and a part of me didn’t want to see him.
“He’s already laid in bed,” Aaron announced after the door closed behind him, and I just hummed. My head stayed pressed against the door, and my eyes closed.
“Are you okay?” he asked, sounding a little worried.
I doubted his attempt at worrying; I doubted he didn’t hear everything that happened outside between me and Daniel. And I doubted he didn’t have joy over it.
“Do I look okay?” I demanded, my eyes opening to glare at him. “This was what you wanted-make your way into my life and turn things upside down. Make me into a bad person.”
“That’s not true,” he denied, taking a step forward.
“Then why did you kiss me at Diya’s wedding, knowing I had a boyfriend? What were you hoping to prove?”
“Zera…”
“Don’t call my name! Do not call my name!” I snapped at him. “I broke Daniel’s heart when all he has done in the last few years is love and be there for me. I’m no different from all the liars and cheaters out there. I am no better than Owens! This is what you wanted to see, right? You wanted to see me miserable.”
“That’s not true.”
“Then what is this? Because I don’t get it. What did I do to not deserve happiness?”
“You deserve happiness, and I am sorry you’re going through this.”
“Yeah, you should be.”
“I will speak to Daniel and let him know the blame falls on me. You’re not to blame for anything that happened at the wedding. I caused it, and if he’s mad at anyone, it should be at me.”
“He didn’t leave because you kissed me. He left because I told him I kissed back.” I promised myself I would not cry anymore. Crying never resolves anything, but this was bringing them back with a stream of force.
I could be mad at him all day, but the truth is, I gave in to it. I kissed him, and a part of me liked that he kissed me, liked that he held me against himself and pressed me there. A part of me felt right in his arms, and that caused me weakness, and now here I was with the consequences.
“Then I would tell him you’ve been with me these past few days, and not once did anything happen. I’ll tell him it was because you thought only about him and wanted to be faithful. I did what I did at Diya’s wedding because I wanted you to myself, but now I realise it was selfish to want that. So, I’m sorry for causing you any form of pain.”
I didn’t believe he was sorry, but I had to accept his apology. I had little option.
“He didn’t see them,” I said, changing the topic from this sad one.
“What?” he asked, taken aback by my words.
“The mark on my wrist. He didn’t see them, even when I showed them to him. He told me there was nothing there.” I extended my wrist to him. “He thought I was lying. Or even making it up.”
“I had Ivan cast a vanishing spell on the wrist. That way, only you can see it. I did it to keep you away from the eyes of predators who might see your mark and wonder how or why you survived. I told you before, they are everywhere,” he said.
“Can you see the mark?”
He shook his head and took another step forward. “Only you can,” he answered.
This made me curious. “And no one has ever survived the venom of the mark?”
He shrugged his shoulders, clueless. “If anyone has, they kept it a secret. Humans refer to werewolves as supernatural for a reason. They can be deadly.”
And I’ve lived amongst them these past few days. “So what? That makes me special?” I frowned because I didn’t feel special. I felt like shit.
“It makes you different,” he answered, and that answer sounded better. “It also means you tread between the two worlds. The realm of natural and supernatural.”
My brow furrowed. “I’m not human?”
I did not like the idea of not being human.
He took my wrist, bearing the now-invincible mark, and ran his hand over it as if he could see it. His tender touch sent chills through me. “You’re a fighter, a survivor,” he answered before staring back up at me.
The tense nature that the room had earlier has changed into a much lighter one, and I am happy about that. For a moment, I could escape from the sadness and the pain, and I was willing to take it. Aaron was good with words. I’d give him that. He knew just what to say and what I needed to hear. He showed himself to be caring. That’s the side of him I’ve witnessed, and though he had been furious with me, it didn’t deter his care for me.
‘He is not human, Zera,’ my mind warned me.
True, but he’s shown more care and concern for me than many humans have. I had a lot of reasons to fear him and a lot of reasons not to.
As our gazes locked, I saw the vulnerability in his eyes, and I knew this man would never leave. It comforted me and also scared the hell out of me.