"Is it me? Your fated mate, is it me?"
In other circumstances, that shocked expression of his may have been funny, but I don't feel like laughing at all right now. My heart is about to burst or collapse, I don't know. It's just thumping like crazy. I turn around to face him, to see when he will answer me, but now, I'm regretting it a bit. The answer doesn't come, Liam just stares at me with that dumbfounded expression. I know what that means, though. I nod, shocked despite what I already knew.
"So I was right... I'm your fated mate," I mutter.
"H-how do you..."
"Sorry to break it to you, but you just made it kind of obvious, on top of everything else," I chuckle nervously. "Come on, you appearing at random times when I was in a bad position? Patronizing me, trying to run away from me, yet always being around somehow? What does it sound like to you?"
He closes his eyes and runs his fingers through his hair, a bit at a loss. I can't blame him, I'm not too comfortable having this discussion either. I feel like we're jumping too many steps at once, going from a walk to one crazy sprint. Like we're about to hit a wall. It's all going a bit too fast for me, hence my erratic heartbeat and dizziness. I'm not feeling well, and I'm crazy with the fear he might... reject me. Because that's what it all comes down to. I don't want Liam to reject me, and I'm scared I've just flipped a switch I'm going to regret flipping. Once again, I spoke without thinking twice. I've just thrown my own feelings out into the open... If this is what I'm feeling now for him, what will it feel like when he rejects me?
He massages his eyes for a brief moment, and finally, lets out a long sigh.
"Yeah, that's... right. You're... my fated mate," he says.
Even if I was almost fully sure, I still feel a little bit relieved to hear that. Thank the Moon Goddess I'm not the crazy one... I nod slowly, but that leaves one big question between us. I'm not really sure how to ask, but Liam actually speaks first.
"Mara, I didn't mean to hide it from you, but it's... it was too sudden for me. I didn't know how to deal with it, and..."
"Why didn't you just reject me?"
My question seems to shock him. He raises his eyebrows and crosses his arms.
"Why? Did you expect me to reject you?"
"...Sorta," I mumble.
He stares at me as if he is trying to understand the mess I am inside. It's hard to justify myself and every question I ask, but I really need to. I don't want more secrets, I'd rather have it all out in the open and face the pain. I don't think I've ever doubted myself this much before, but faced with the idea that Liam might reject me, I'm... petrified. It leaves too much uncertainty, and I don't want to be focusing all of my feelings on a guy I barely know just because some unknown entity made us infatuated with each other.
Liam takes a deep breath and clears his throat a bit.
"Alright, I'll admit, I did think of... rejecting you."
Wow, just hearing that hurts a bit too much... I nod. I had expected that much, at least. He would have definitely been lying if he said he didn't consider it. Some amnesiac witch, hot-tempered and dangerous at times? Yeah, I'd probably consider the emergency exit too.
I want to step back, away from him, but he actually steps forward before I do.
"But... I don't want to regret doing that," he resumes. "Mara, I've seen both of my brothers go through the whole thing. I know it's not easy, but... I also know it can be pretty damn good if it works out. Even before I met Sylviana, I always thought I'd make an effort if I met my fated mate. Among werewolves, it's a really, really rare thing to happen. Those who do meet their fated one have the luck a hundred others only dream of having. I'd be an asshole if I didn't even consider that much."
"Still," I say, "it's not like you won the lottery. I'm not exactly the best... girlfriend material."
He chuckles and tilts his head.
"Mara, to begin with, we barely know each other. And you barely know yourself. That's the other reason I decided not to reject you. The Moon Goddess... She does things for a reason. I believe Nora and Damian found each other because they really needed that person. I... Yes, I know it's one surprising match that you're my fated mate. Still, I don't want to be that douchebag who says no before he has any idea who his partner is. Maybe... maybe there's a reason we don't know yet. Sure, you're not exactly who I imagined. The reason I considered rejecting the bond is that you're a witch, we don't know the first thing about you, and honestly, you're a piece of work when you’re stubborn."
Yep, that's all of me in one sentence... At least I can't say he's not being honest with me. I wrap my arms around myself once again, waiting for the rest of it. I can't decipher his expression right now. His voice is surprisingly gentle, but this whole time, he's barely looked at me. Although, his feet do draw him closer, one step at a time.
"But... I'm fine with... trying to get to know you."
I raise my eyes. Seriously? I wouldn't have blamed him if he had decided to reject me after this conversation... After we both came clean with what the hell is going on with our feelings.
"I know it's not even that big of a deal because you can't feel the fated bond thing, but..."
I breathe in and bite my thumb, a bit embarrassed.
"Yeah, uh... Liam, about that..."
"What?" he asks, frowning.
