"What kind of things?"In the background, El could hear the busy bustle of the bakery Persia owned.Sheet pans clanked noisily as they were pushed into scorching hot ovens, and a mixer whirred as cupcake creations were magicked up on site.
"I'm sorry, Persia, I should have realized you'd be busy."
Persia snorted."When aren't I?Look, I'm worried about you, and I know that you have never been all that open and forthcoming regarding certain parts of your life… I've been fine with that because I know your past and your family life is crazy.But you've never been this closed off before.I really mean it when I tell you that I'm worried."
"This is so beyond anything even I'm used to, Persia.I have no idea how to share it all with you.I don't even know if I can.I just, well, needed to hear somebody normal."
Persia's laugh echoed down the line."Only you could call me normal, and only you could make me feel normal."
Her lips twitched because it was kind of true.Persia was… definitely unusual."How's everything?"
She sighed."My parents are arguing over the mortgage on their new place, my sister's heart’s been broken by a jock at her school and I want to kill him, and this place is finally doing more than breaking even.Now, get back on topic.What's going on?"
"It's not all about me, Persia.That isn't how friendship works."
Persia snorted."You don't have to tell me that, El.I'm not the one in crisis here either, so you're entitled to be a little bit selfish and hog the conversation.So, spill."
There was no way El could share the whole truth with Persia.Mostly because the whole truth was insanity itself, and that was without the whole shifter mate thing.Throw in the fact that El herself had just shifted and it was a whole other kind of fucked up.
Trying to sanities recent events, she settled on, "I got married."
A shocked gasp echoed into her ear."You got married?To who?"
Though it was a lie, it wasn't in this culture."To the dating site guy."
"Oh, my, God!Are you insane?"
Ellen grimaced."Maybe.But marrying Ryan is the best thing I've ever done.But marrying him, well, it’s opened up a can of worms so big, I don't know how to get over it."Silence fell at her statement.
Then came a long sigh."Why do I feel like that's all you going to tell me?"
El closed her eyes because she wished Persia wasn’t bang on the nose, and licking her lips, she admitted, "I can't."She cleared her throat, and fell back on an excuse that had served her well in the past."Security, you know?"
Persia hissed."I knew you were going to say that."
"I'm sorry.I wish I could tell you more."
"If wishes were horses, babe…" She blew out a breath."I'm not sure how I'm supposed to help you if I don't know what the fuck is going on."
Guilt speared her at the impotence in her friend' s voice."You've no idea how much it helps that you are just here for me."She broke off to whisper, "Same goes, you know?I promise, if you call, I will answer."
Raised voices appeared in the background, and El frowned at the Spanish curse words as well as the grating noise of something flying into the tiled floors.
"Shit!I'm sorry, El, I have to go.Rico has got a nasty burn.I'll speak to you later, yeah?"
But before El could reply, the line went dead.
El ran a hand through her hair.She hated, and always had, not being able to share things with Persia.Persia was really the only friend El felt that way with.But in the past, things she hadn't been able to share had centered around her safety and the protection detail she had with her at all times.Now?
She had no idea how to go about even rationalizing this situation to herself, never mind to somebody else.
El was well aware that she'd accepted this situation with the Triad so easily because of the pressure cooker environment in which they'd all met.Maybe that wasn't healthy, some might even say that it was wrong, but their opinions didn't matter.They couldn't matter because the rightness of what she felt for her men was something only somebody in her shoes could understand.
It seemed like the time she’d had with her men had been nothing but a rollercoaster.She feared that they'd yet to reach the highest peak of the ride though.
Just putting the uneasy feelings she had into thought trebled her concern.
Lifting her knees against her chest, she pressed her forehead into the bony joints.
