Monster: A Werewolf Romance

71. WITHOUT ME

KYLE

Kaea and I had come separately, but Lee had dropped her, so I told her I could take her back. I didn't say I will take her back, but that I could.

Honestly, I counted that as progress.

My heart felt a lot lighter, like every bit of pressure it had been feeling on its walls had disappeared. I knew it wasn't that now we were definitely going to be together, but I had told her now and she didn't hate me. My mouth was still dry from the thought. I couldn't comprehend what sort of inane goodness would a person need to have to forgive something like that.

All my energy had drained out of me as I forced the words out of myself, words I hadn't ever said, words I hadn't even thought.

But they were out, and they hadn't harmed me. Not yet, anyway.

Kaea got out of the car and walked to my side. I kissed her softly. She smiled. And I felt hot with want. We could just sit here and make out, I wouldn't even go any step further. But her lips were already swollen from all the making out, and it just made me want to kiss her more.

She stood awkwardly, and I knew she had a question. I knew why she would be afraid to ask it.

"I really enjoyed tonight." I said.

She brightened up, but then composed herself. "Yeah, I am glad. Me, too. I'll...see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

She started walking inside, and I remembered the last time I was here. Before I could ask her anything about it, she was gone. Fuck, I will have to ask her tomorrow.

KAEA

I couldn't sleep. Which I figured, was a pretty normal reaction to whatever had happened.

I counted the number of tiles on my floor, but my thoughts soon drifted back to it again. I couldn't believe I had been such a bad friend, but when I looked back on it, I realized I had always done that. I had never let people come too close to me and for no particular reason.

Kyle wasn't a friend then, but I had known he could be. And I was afraid. A memory flashed in my mind. His Uncle, dark hair, and tanned skin, cruel lines around his mouth, leaning towards me as I sat outside completing a drawing. He had asked me about it, and I think I was drawing a tree or something easily available in a backyard, and the conversation had abruptly shifted to Kyle. He had asked me what I thought of him, and I remembered that fear of having a friend, and at that a friend who was adored more than me by my own parents. He knew I didn't want him around. He knew I wanted to one-up him. Such a small, childish thing.

It seems so sinister now.

I am not trying to shun my responsibility of it. My reactions weren't forced, but they had been certainly ill-used in ways I could not have imagined.

I wanted to scream.

Morning came, and my bad mood over the whole thing had subsided. I still hadn't slept.

With a groan I woke up, and brushed my teeth. I didn't look like hell, surprisingly. But I still took good care to cover my dark circles- there was no point in him noticing them. I hurriedly inserted all the required notebooks in my bag, along with some loose paper that were around it, not bothering to look at it.

Kyle was waiting for me, outside my house. It looked like he had just come up. My heart filled up, and I wondered how it would feel like to be with him every day.

"Hi." I said sheepishly.

He waved his hand lightly. "Sorry, I called you, but you didn't pick up your phone. I wanted to ask if I could pick you up."