We’re all left a panting mess in the end. Ben leaves for a couple minutes and when he returns, he hands something to Eli. It’s then I feel Eli cleaning me up with a wet paper towel. My ever-considerate mates. I tug Ben down so his face is closer and kiss him hard. He seems surprised. How can he be one of the dirtiest talkers in the pack and be surprised when I give him a kiss?
I stand, realizing I’m a little wobbly on my feet. My body is a little like jello at the moment.
“Woah let’s take minute to rest.” Eli rests his hands on my shoulders, steadying me. I lean back into him, closing my eyes in contentment.A break sounds good.
When we return to the hall, I see Micah leaning against a wall by himself. I know he’s not the most sociable of the pack but I’m surprised to see him alone. I make my way over to him and lean against the wall behind us, taking some pressure off my tired feet.
“Feeling okay?” I ask him, still looking over the room at everyone having fun.
I can feel him looking at me but I keep my gaze straight ahead. “Yeah, just partied out already. Once it’s midnight I’ll head home.”
That gets my attention, making me look up at him. His default face is always so stern looking. The tone of his voice says the opposite; he does sound tired. Thea, we’re trying to be friends.Remember?
“Mind if I catch the same ride home then?” I ask. His brown eyes bore into mine.
“You should stay and enjoy the party with the pack.”
“I’m getting tired too and my feet will definitely thank me the sooner I can take these shoes off. You’re my pack too. We can head home together.” I smile genuinely at him, hoping he sees I mean it.
“Fine. But make sure to tell the others,” he says as if I need permission. I hold back from rolling my eyes at that comment.
We both stand here in companionable silence as we people-watch. It’s nice. I really am tired, I wasn’t lying. I’m not sure when it happens but I’m suddenly jolted awake, my head restingagainst Micah’s arm. Liam is in front of me. It must’ve been him who woke me. My brows pinch together in annoyance. Why would he wake me? That has to be an unwritten rule in relationships, right? Mhm. Maybe they don’t know that about me yet. Connor only ever woke me up if I asked him to be a backup in case I slept through my alarms for work. It was a frequent occurrence, at least once or twice a week.
“You okay?” Liam asks, concerned.
“Can’t a girl take a nap?” I reach up to rub my eyes before remembering I have mascara on and that would be a bad idea.
“It’s almost midnight, you both coming?” Liam looks between us.
“Yes, then we’re heading back home. Clearly someone needs sleep,” Micah says seriously. Liam turns around and leads us to the rest of the pack gathered for the countdown. I look up at Micah after he says that, and he has the faintest hint of a smirk on his face. His eyes gives it away as he looks at me. We’re going to be okay, I know it.
25
ELI
Careful not to rip any of the bags as I try carrying them all in one trip into the house is a challenge. But who wants to do multiple trips when it’s this cold. We’ve all been so busy since the heat—going back to work then the New Year’s party. After that snowball fight, it was obvious we need more fun as a pack or at least all of us to relax a bit. Liam was the one who brought up a movie night to me. He’s like Micah in that sense; he comes up with a good idea for the pack but asks us to put it together and claims no credit for the one who instigated it. I bet Micah will do that once we give Thea our courting present. He probably will downplay any contribution he made. I’ll make sure to let the pack know tonight that our doc was the one to suggest family bonding time. I’m smiling just thinking about it.
I dump the bags contents on the kitchen island. I bought every kind of snack someone would want for a movie night—sweet, sour and everything in between. Liam will be picking up the pizzas I ordered on his way home. Everyone should be here within the hour. I better get this ultimate snack station set up.
Thea is the first one in the kitchen, Ben following close behind. I don’t see Micah; he must have gone somewhere to seclude himself. He’s been sulking a bit since his talk with Thea. He’ll figure it out in time, I’m sure.
Thea’s eyes light up when she sees the island. I’ve organized all the snacks and drinks I bought covering the entire area. “Whoa, what is all this for?” she asks, drawing me in for a side hug.
Leaning down, I kiss the top of her head. “We’re having a pack movie night, which will probably turn into a movie marathon depending on what we pick,” I reply, just now realizing that picking the movie will be the hardest part. Brushing it off for the moment, I continue seriously, “Proper snacks are a necessity for such an event.”
I can feel her giddiness in the bond. Ben must feel it too given the soft smile he’s looking at her with. “What about dinner? You need me to cook something quick?” he asks, moving towards the fridge. I am not allowed to cook anymore. Well, nothing too complicated.
“You burn one too many dinners and everyone acts like I’m useless in the kitchen,” I faux pout. Thea pats my chest in sympathy which has Ben rolling his eyes.
“It was less you burning things to the point they were inedible, more you going the opposite way and undercooked food so bad it got us all sick,” he retorts, making Thea gasp in surprise.
Rubbing the back of my head, I try to downplay it. “It wasn’t that bad Sunshine. I’d never cook anything that got you sick.”
She just shakes her head, laughing a little. “It’s okay. You can’t be amazing at everything,” she chuckles, giving me a teasing smile as she pats my chest again before walking towards Ben. That wasn’t as comforting as before. Now I really am pouting as I take a seat at the other side of the island.
“You don’t have to cook. Liam is picking up dinner.” I remember to say before they start preparing anything.
“Oh okay. I guess I’ll go get Keelan and Parker then,” he says before kissing Thea’s cheek and leaving. She comes over and sits next to me. I’m resting my chin in my hand as I stare at my unloved snack station. Her vanilla and woodsmoke scent wraps around me but I won’t be swayed.
