“I am really happy you are feeling better.”
“I can’t believe I agreed to this,” Gisela says after I have parked the car close to the beach house where the party is being held.
“Don’t pretend like you are not happy to be here,” I chuckle.
“I just came out of pity,” she mutters.
“Right,” I grin. “Thank you.”
For someone who doesn’t like to be here, she for sure approaches the house with a lot of energy, even swaying slightly to the music. It’s a pity she isn’t Dario’s mate. I think they would be great together. “Oh!” she beams. “There is one of the guys who is doing the same warrior training. Phew, I know someone.”
“Have fun,” I call out to her while she targets said guy. “But not too much.”
“Same back to you.”
I chat a little with some guys I know from the last kite surfing class I did, while letting my gaze skim over the room. Gisela is talking to the fellow warrior. Even from a distance, it’s obvious he is hitting on her, but she keeps him at arm’s length. Much to the dismay of her fellow warriors in the training class, she doesn’t date any of them, always saying she isn’t there tofuck around.
When two girls join her and the warrior, I feel relieved. The last thing I want is for her to be uncomfortable here after I dragged her along, and especially since I am not sure if Dario might be into her.
After a while, I am so hungry I decide to look for some snacks. I make my way through the large crowd, frowning when I getpushed around by the many bodies moving around. Kiran is stirring in my mind. Just like me, he usually enjoys being with fellow shifters and having a crowd around him, but it is more crowded than usual, almost suffocatingly so. People are dancing all around without considering anyone else; there are a lot of drunk guys lingering around, and the noise is so loud I can’t even hear a word without relying on my lycan senses.
There are way too many people for such a small place. I blame it on the music and the stressful atmosphere that I don’t have my guard up, but before I can stop it, I feel warmth flooding from me and seeping into the crowd. The atmosphere suddenly gets more comfortable, less stressed. Those who are dancing slow down their pace, while others put their alcoholic beverages away.
“Felix-” Gisela appears out of nowhere next to me.
“I know,” I mutter. “It was unintended. Kiran didn’t like the intense atmosphere.”
“Don’t worry, I don’t think anyone noticed,” she whispers.
“I stopped it before it got out of hand.” I pause. “What about you? Enjoying the party?”
“It’s okay,” she says. “But way too crowded. I don’t usually mind crowded places, but this is a lot.”
“Yeah, same.” Good thing I didn’t convince Dario to come along. He would have seriously hated it here. “I am going to step outside for a moment.”
“Mind if I join you?” Gisela asks. “I wanted to give my mom a call.”
“At such a late hour?”
“Well, she is a free-spirited artist and usually works at night,” she chuckles. “I wanted to catch up with Charlie, too. Why didn’t she join us? Usually, a party like this is her thing.”
“I asked her, but she’d offered to watch her little brother so her parents could go on a date night. She said she might join later if she is still motivated to come.”
Gisela and I step outside into the fresh air. It makes it easier to breathe here. What’s going on with me? Sure, the place is a little crowded, but I am usually not that iffy and sensitive. Another reason why it’s good that Dario didn’t join me. He would have instantly noticed I am not being myself.
Maybe I was wrong after all, and shoving my problems aside didn’t help make me feel better.
ten
Just Not Deep
*FELIX*
Gisela and I slip away from the party and go to a secluded corner behind the house, so we can catch our breath. While Gisela is talking to her mom, I just sit there trying to gather my senses, but it’s hard when I am lost in my own thoughts.
I am not sure why I am feeling so off recently. I am Felix, the sunny boy, not Felix, the worry boy.
Okay, that was cringe.
