The White Tiger

Chapter 40

 When we entered the cafe, Lily instantly looked around. She frowned, looking a little disappointed and sad. 

 "What's wrong? Isn't he here?" Robert asked, confused.

 She shook her head. "No...I don't see him..." 

 I put my hand on her shoulder. "It'll be alright...I'm sure he's here somewhere."

 "I'm sure you're right..." Lily gave me a small smile. 

 I smiled at her and before Jay and I led the group to a table. We all sat down. "The service here is really nice, as well as the food and drinks." 

 "I'm looking forward to trying the stuff here." Robert replied.

 At that moment, a young man with blond hair and freckles walked up to us. "Hi, welcome to the Spring Cafe. What can I get you today?"

 Lily snapped her head to look at him. Their eyes met. "Mate.." they said in unison.

 I smiled brightly, looking over at Jay, who shared my enthusiasm. Kallie squealed with joy. "EEEK! You finally found him!" 

 Lily and the waiter were snapped out of their daze. "Um...I-it's nice to meet you.." the waiter said quietly. 

 Lily smiled at him. "It's nice to meet you as well."

 "I'm Benjamin...My uh...friends call me Ben...You can call me whatever you want though, it's fine! I mean, like, usually everyone calls be Ben, usually I'm called Benjamin when I'm in trouble, and now I'm rambling like a idiot-"

 "Ben, it's ok...Really." Lily smiled at him, taking his hand in hers. Ben's eyes went wide as he looked at her, his face going red.

 "They are so cute!" I squealed, mind-linking Jay.

 Jay chuckled. "They do seem to make a cute couple." he agreed. 

 At that moment, Ash cleared his throat. "Can we order now or..?" Elanor elbowed him. "What? I'm thirsty. You know I need a lot of fluids."

 Elanor rolled her eyes, giggling a little. "I know, Ash. Just be nice, ok?"

 "Ok, ok. I will, my firefly. I promise." Ash smiled, kissing her cheek.

 "So...Um...What can I get for you all?" Ben asked, his tone sounding nervous.

 All of us, except Ash, ordered cupcakes and hot chocolates. Ash ordered an iced tea and a cupcake. I've noticed in his time here, Ash really prefers room temperature or cold drinks over anything hot. In fact, he rarely has anything hot. And, he always has a water bottle with him. Elanor always reminds him to check to see if it's full.

 It wasn't long until Ben came back with our drinks and cupcakes. They really do have the best cocoa and cupcakes here. "If there's anything else, just let me know." Ben replied, giving Lily a small smile before walking away.

 "Hey, Lil! Look! I think that's his number on your cup!" Kallie smiled brightly. 

Lily smiled and looked at her cup. "There's even a little heart on it...And he wrote, 'Hope to talk to you soon'..." she said in her quiet voice. 

 "That is so cute!" Rose declared.

 We smiled and congratulated Lily. We all talked and laughed, enjoying our treats. I'd met Ben before. He seems like a nice but quiet young man. I think he and Lily would make a great couple.

 When we'd finished, we paid for our stuff, leaving a tip on the table. In the corner of my eye, I caught Lily leaving a piece of paper for Ben. I smiled, part of me wondering what was in it. The whole time we were at the cafe, her smile never left her face. She and Ben kept stealing looks. And even after we left, she didn't stop smiling. It was really sweet.

 That night, Jay and I sat in his room on his bed, talking about everything that had happened. It had been a crazy day. A lot had happened. I was honestly really happy. I felt relieved. My friends were safe. They were safe and sound in the pack house. Kallie and Robert were sharing a room. Vicky and Lily shared the room next to theirs. I could tell they felt a little nervous and wanted to be together. And I understood that. They were in a new pack that they'd only ever heard of. They knew a good amount of people, but compare the number of people they met today with the number of people that are in the pack, that's a very small amount. 

 I was going to spend the night with Jay in the pack house tonight. I wanted to be near him and my friends. I don't know where Alec is, but he decided not to spend the night with Vicky. He told her he'd see her first thing tomorrow morning though.

 "Why do you think Alec didn't want to stay here?" I asked Jay.

 He shrugged. "Maybe he's still nervous. After all, we aren't the only pack members. There are over a thousand more. Some don't know vampires exist. Some might. And if there are some who know, they might hate vampires. They might be afraid of them. He's just being cautious, I think."

 I nodded slowly, leaning my head on his shoulder. He put his arm around me. "That does make sense....I just wish I knew how to help him feel more comfortable here...So he and Vicky can be together all the time. Like Jeff and Kiera. Kiera seems alright here...But Alec...It's different with him."

 "Mhm...I wish I knew how as well...Maybe someday..." Jay said softly. He then stood up and walked over to the window. "It's kinda cold tonight..." he murmured, closing it. "Do vampires get sick easily?"

 I shrugged. "I have no idea." I answered honestly. He frowned, a worried look in his eye. I could understand his concerns. We don't know much about vampires. Especially vampires like Alec and Kiera. They're a little different, from what Alec told us. One look at Jay, and I could tell we both were thinking the same thing. We were both concerned about Alec. 

 "I'm sure he'll be alright...." Jay said quietly, sitting down beside me. I could hear the doubt in his voice, however. I nodded slowly.

 Many things clouded my mind. Thoughts about Alec. Thoughts about my friends. Even thoughts about Benjamin. But, what really clouded my mind, were thoughts about Alpha Richard. I knew he was coming. And he was coming soon. Perhaps sooner than any of us thought. I only hope we're ready for him....