Soren jumps at my exclamation.
“It’ssweetand”—I take another, bigger bite and moan—“salty and sticky and—”
So good!is what I’d say if I weren’t devouring another huge bite of sandwich. The peanut butter, or is it the jelly, gets stuck to the roof of my mouth as I chew, but I don’t mind at all.
“What the…” Soren mutters.
“You made this yourself?” I lick a glob of the salty stuff off my thumb.
“Yes…” Soren is giving me a wide-eyed, amused look. “Wow. You love your PB and J, huh?”
“This,” I declare, “is the food of the gods themselves!”
Soren bursts out laughing beside me, cackling so hard he doubles over. “Oh man. I should have made more! You’re killing me here.”
What? No! I don’t want to kill him. “What’s wrong?” I grip his shoulder. “Are you suffocating? Can you breathe?”
Soren wipes his eyes and waves me off. “I’m fine. I’m fine!”
The sight of his smile leaves me speechless. I did that. I made him happy. I’d eat more of these sandwiches until I burst if it would make him laugh again.
“I’m glad you likedthe sandwich.”
“Ilove it.”
Snorting, Soren offers me some napkins. “You’re the messiest eater I’ve ever seen.”
I scrub at my face. “Better?”
“Give it here.” Shaking his head like I’m the most foolish man in the world, Soren takes the napkin from me and rubs the corner of my mouth. A thrill ripples through my stomach as he leans in. The cloth keeps his fingertips from my skin, but I still shiver at his touch. Soren glances up, and I lose myself in the earthen-brown of his eyes. When was the last time we were so close?
We were such different people then.
Wetting his lips, Soren looks away. “There. All better.” He pats my thigh, cheeks flushed.
Having his hand so close to my cock makes heat stir in the pit of my stomach.
I long then to touch him, to reach out and turn his face to mine and let him taste the sweetness of the strawberries that still lingers on my tongue.
Clearing my throat, I say, “Thank you for the food.”
He grins. “It was so worth it.”
We share a chuckle before Soren looks away and watches the traffic go by.
“I understand if you don’t want a lover,” I say, watching him closely. Soren’s jaw tenses. “But how about a friend?”
He sighs with such uncertainty in his eyes that I have to fight back the urge to reach out and comfort him. “Lyall… are you sure?”
“If all you ever feel for me is friendship, then that’s fine.”
It isn’t a lie, not really, because we’ve been here before.
When my feelings for Soren had started to shift from friendship to love, I’d thought for sure I was the only one who felt that way. I’d feared that if I confessed what was in my heart, he’d run from me.
So I’d stayed silent and fought the way my wolf howled for him to be mine alone. If I had to choose between having some of Soren or none at all, then the decision was easy. I would always choose him, again and again. His friendship was the greatest gift of all.
To have his whole heart in one timeline and only parts of it in another will always hurt. But I will be grateful for what I have and, most of all, I will have patience. We’re fated for each other, and Soren’s heart will find its way back to me. It’s just a matter of time, but I will always wait for him.
