“And?”
“Now they’re freaked. As much as they’re happy for me and Jasper, they’re worried about my safety and about what my future looks like. Like if I’m mated to the alpha does that mean I have to give up everything I want in life.”
“Fair point,” she says.
I shrug and stir my cloudy miso broth. “Maybe. But I don’t know why they’re being so dramatic about it all. And that’s coming from me.”
“I’m sure they’ll adjust in time.”
I raise a brow.“Yeah, but now they want to meet him.”
Aisha drops her chopsticks and laughs. “Oh no.”
“They said I wasn’t allowed to go on a date with him until they’d spoken to him. It’s so cringey.”
“And how does Jasper feel about that?”
Now it’s my turn to drop my utensils. “I haven’t told him yet.”
She shoots me a look that saysYou in trouble, girl.
“You don’t understand. I don’t want to tell him by text but he’s been traveling a lot on pack business, I guess doing damage control after the whole coming-out-to-the-pack thing, and he hasn’t had a chance to call me back.”
“Mm-hmm.” Aisha isn’t convinced.
“You think he’s being a shitty boyfriend?”
“I think he should be able to find time in his busy schedule to call you. He made a big gesture, which is great, but he wasn’t the only one on that stage. What he did affects you as well. He should call.”
I lean back in my chair, suddenly having had enough noodles. “Maybe you’re right. As far as I know we’re still on for our date tomorrow night. If he doesn’t call me back before then, well…I hope he likes surprises.”
“Jasper?” She rolls her eyes and grins at me. “Oh, yeah he loves surprises.”
Saturday night rolls around and Jasper still hasn’t responded to my texts asking him to call me. No, it’s not a great start. But I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, for now. Maybe he’s not a caller—that tracks. Maybe he’s been traveling and has been in and out of cell service, across time zones, maybe he ran out of battery?
He did manage to send a text this morning:
I’m excited for tonight. Be there at 7. Be hungry. xxx
I still have no idea what we’re doing on our date, but at seven I’m sitting in the living room drumming my fingers on my knees. His car pulls up outside bang on the hour and I can’t help the jittery mix of nerves and excitement playing havoc with my nervous system.
It takes all my willpower, but I force myself to stay seated until I hear the doorbell ring.
I open the door to find Jasper looking ridiculously dashing in an expensive-seeming white roll-neck sweater and a black suit jacket. He’s dressed like he’s going to the Oscars, meanwhile I’m in a hoodie and jeans. There is, however, a hint of rosiness to his cheeks and an easy, relieved smile on his face.
“Hey,” he says, almost breathless.
“Hi. You look…amazing.”
“Thanks. You too. Ready?”
“You don’t think I should change? I didn’t know what we were doing, so…”
“No you’re great. You look perfect.” He takes my hand. “Let’s go.”
“Wait…” Here comes the surprise. “We can’t go.”
He furrows his brow in confusion. “Is something wrong?”
