“There’s gotta be a reason for you to have the Matches you do. I believe it’s a good thing. Speaking of good things…” Vic teases.
After a big pause, she starts begging, “What? What? What? You can’t leave me hanging like that!”
Vic chuckles, alternating between running his hands through my hair and caressing my face. I close my eyes in pleasure, basking in the feel of his touch as I listen.
“I found another Pack Pull. You’ll never guess who it is.”
She scoffs, “How would I know? We don’t have anyone who overlaps with the two of us. At some point, I hope to meet Simon, but I know he’s hesitant.”
“He’s got some shit to work though, don’t take it personally,” Vic says gently.
“I know, he just means so much to you that I hope he and I can get along. So tell me your Pack Pull!”
“So… it’s this guy named Henry.” Vic teases one tidbit of information at a time.
“Henry?”
“Yup. Apparently, he knows you.”
There’s a pause before Josie all but screams, “Oh my God, you met Henry!!”
Vic chuckles, “Yeah, he came into the coffee shop while Simon and I were there, and it hit me. So we all met up the other day.”
“This is so wild! Ah! I’m excited and terrified!” Josie lets out a high-pitched, nervous giggle that comes through quite clearly on Vic’s cell.
“What do you think about having dinner with us? Simon, Henry, and I. Henry offered to host one if you’re interested.”
I miss the rest of the conversation because I immediately realize that Vic didn’t ask me first. Is he just expecting me to follow along like a good little Packmate? There’s no way I’m going, I can’t just do whatever Henry and Vic say. Vic is my rock. Is this the first sign of him abandoning me? He promised he wouldn’t do that. Why would he invite Josie before telling me about it? I suppose since she’s his Match, she comes first now. That’s going to be hard to get used to.
“Want to talk about it?” Vic says, sounding way closer than he did before.
I open my eyes to see him lying down, his head right next to mine, surprising me since I never felt him move. We stare at each other for a moment before I gather my thoughts.
“It’s going to sound really petulant,” I confess.
Vic just smiles and grabs one of my hands in his, holding them just under our chins.
“Why didn’t you tell me about Henry inviting us for dinner?” I ask, my eyes darting away as I speak.
Vic waits for me to look at him again before speaking. “I had just finished texting with Henry when Josie called. I didn’t have time to let you know. I’m sorry that you heard about the dinner in a way that made you feel badly.”
I huff with a small smile, “Could you please stop being so mature and wise?”
“Okay, poopyhead,” Vic grins at me.
We both laugh through the tension I was holding and enjoy the silly moment.
“There is going to be uncertainty,” Vic says, his thumb rubbing back and forth on my knuckles, “but promise me that you’ll try to give me the benefit of the doubt? I’ll do my best to make sure I communicate with you.”
“Okay, I promise… I do have another thing,” I say to Vic. He nods to show he’s listening. “I think I met another Pack Pull. I’d seen him once before but forgot until I saw him again today. I didn’t get his number or anything, I ran pretty fast.”
“If it’s meant to be, we’ll get another shot. Don’t worry about it for now, just focus on us. Maybe Josie and Henry, too,” Vic replies with a wink.
It’s finally dinner night,and while I’m trying to be optimistic, I’m actually incredibly nervous. I still don’t feel like I deserve any kind of Pack, nor do I trust the idea of a Pack. Are they really that special if one group can kick me out the way they did? I know we were dumb college kids, but the Pack is supposed to be a serious thing. Will Henry kick me out? I know Vic saidhe’ll always be here for me, but I can’t deny him the chance at happiness with a Pack.
Steeling myself, I try to remember that it doesn’t help to worry about the future. If I say it enough, it’s got to stick. My head is so fucked up. Vic knocks at the door as I stand next to him, my eyes all but glued to his ass. He really has a great one, and his dark wash jeans display it well. His casual long-sleeved shirt suits him well, and when he catches me looking, I give him a wink. Henry opens the door right as Vic is about to say something, and smiles widely at the two of us.
“Come on in! I’m glad you guys were able to make it.”
