Chapter 11
Eric
I’d screwed up.
I knew it.
I’d known it minutes after adding the note to the gift basket.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” I muttered while watching Finn drink a cup of tea. Out of one of his old, chipped cups, not the new one I’d gifted him. He’d also used a teabag, not the loose tea I’d given him.
He was mad at me.
It was the only thing that made sense.
And yeah, I guess it made sense. That last sentence had been a bit much. Granted, I’d been fucking hungry when I’d written it, but that didn’t justify terrifying my mate. He probably thought I was out to get him.
Maybe I needed to apologize?
Weighing my options, I watched Finn take another sip of his tea before pulling a face and placing the mug on his coffee table. He used his sleeve to wipe his mouth and glared at the mug as if the contents were deeply offensive.
Which might be true. Most of those standard teas didn’t exactly taste great. That was why I’d gifted him better tea in the first place.
But I’d gone and put a foot in my mouth without actually saying a word, and now he was mad.
My chest tightened, hollowness threatening to swallow me whole.
The thought of having upset him was… painful. It was actually physically painful.
I rubbed my sternum, my eyes never leaving my mate.
He was sitting on the couch, staring at his phone, his brows dipped low, his teeth worrying his bottom lip with those sharp canines. He was obviously deep in thought. But a few moments later, he straightened his shoulders and started typing.
Bzzz
My phone buzzed in my pocket.
Finn smiled.
The hollow feeling in my chest was replaced by warmth.
Had he texted me?
Finn: I know it’s only been a day since we met, but… do you want to come over? I kinda don’t want to be alone right now.
Had my note scared him so badly?
Fuck.
I needed to grovel more than I’d thought.
Sure. Is everything okay? Did something happen?
I hit send and watched the message arrive on Finn’s phone in real time. His face lit up, posture relaxing. The relief on his face was obvious.
Oh shit. Yeah, I’d screwed up so badly.
Finn: I don’t really want to talk about it. But I’d like company. We can watch a movie if you’d like.
