I sighed out all the air I was holding and began to gasp as my heart pounded uncontrollably. I opened my eyes, and he was lying on the bed looking straight into my eyes with wide eyes and his pulse pounding.
"Are you okay?" he asked me.
I was completely covered in sweat, my throat felt dry, and I was short of breath.
"Yes, I think so," I replied, sitting up with his help. "I had a very strange dream."
"A nightmare, I'd say," he said, wiping the sweat from my forehead with the palm of his hand, and for the first time, my body heat was so high that I didn't feel his so embracing. "When I woke up, your facewas red, and you were holding your breath. I tried to wake you up, but you didn't respond, are you ok?" he asked one last time with concern. I nodded, confused.
I took a deep breath and looked vaguely at his disorganized desk until I noticed the time and snapped out of my trance.
"Shit! It's late. Your mother must be waiting for me," I said.
"If you want, you can shower here," he offered.
"I don't have any clothes here," I said and got out of bed hurriedly, grabbing my belongings. "I really have to get going, sorry," I finished giving him a soft kiss and walked out of the room straight to my room.
I went into the bathroom and took a shower in automatic mode as if my body was doing everything, but I was somehow absent from thinking about that strange dream. I felt as if doubt was gnawing at my insides, and a piercing sound was pounding in my head.
I dressed in simple clothes, and when I came out, Eric was waiting for me, dressed in a black suit, with square sunglasses and a gold wristlet.
"What are you doing here?" I asked him.
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay after the scare you gave me in the morning," he said. "Let me walk you to the lab."
He took me by the hand and led me down the corridor. It felt very natural, as if that was the right order of things. His hand fit in mine. His touch was gentle, and I felt the butterflies in my stomach flutter in harmony, giving me a warm feeling.
Eric opened the door for me. "See you later," he said.
"You're not staying?" I asked.
"I'd love to more than anything in the world, but no. I have a business to attend to with my father that can't wait," he commented without elaborating. And he gave me a subtle kiss on the cheek and said goodbye to his mother with a smile.
Lydia was sitting at the desk already with her lab coat and glasses on, playing candy crush on her cell phone at full volume.
"I'm so sorry to keep you waiting. I..."
Lydia raised an eyebrow, set the cell phone aside, and looked at mewith a serene expression. "Is there something going on between you two?"
I felt a lump in my throat, one of the things I had been dreading the most just happened. Having to accept in front of other people my feelings.
"Yes, we are in a relationship," I told her, and it felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders.
My mind stopped wandering, and I rooted myself in the present, waiting for the answer from the Night Pack's Luna.
Lydia immediately softened her face and let out a smile.
"It was about time," she said. "I'm glad you finally decided to give each other a chance."
I blushed with embarrassment, that was not at all the reaction I expected from her, but it was sweet to see her so excited.
"Thank you so much for receiving me so well and for everything," I said. "Now, do you think we should finish the perfume?"
She nodded, still looking at me with light in her eyes.
I took the peach extract and handed it to her and the exact measurements of adhesive, alcohol, and solvents for her to mix in a vessel.
"Before you, I lost hope that Eric would decide to get serious with a woman and get married," she mentioned as she mixed the products. "He had a suitor, but she turned out to be a schemer and ran away the very day of their wedding when my son discovered her plans." Lydia lost herself in her memories, putting on a somber expression and endlessly mixing the liquids in the glass receiver. "Eric never trusted women again."
