The movement lifted his sleeve just enough to show the line of his wrist, the tendons shifting under his skin. I noticed that too, which was new.
“Thing is,” he went on, “we didn’t end badly. We were friends before, and we kind of stayed in the same friend group after. So not going feels weird.”
“Ah, got it,” I said.
“Exactly,” he said, pointing at me like I’d just solved something important. “And I’m not trying to make a statement. I uh, accidentally mentioned that I have a boyfriend.”
I nodded, taking a sip of my drink, buying myself a second to think. It wasn’t a hard situation to imagine.
I’d been to enough pack events where I felt like the odd one out, standing there with a drink in hand while everyone else leaned into their other halves like it was second nature.
“Yeah,” I said. “I get that.”
His shoulders loosened a fraction, like that alone helped.
For a second, we just sat there again, the conversation hovering in that space where it could either drift off or sharpen into something else.
My wolf leaned forward.Here it comes.
Seth tapped his fingers against the table again, then stopped, like he caught himself.
“So random question,” he said.
There it was. I set my drink down and gave him my full attention.
“Shoot,” I told him, hoping I came off as encouraging.
Seth hesitated for a beat, but I definitely noticed it.
He was working up to something, circling it. Trying to make it sound casual before it left his mouth. Curiosity flickered through me, steady and bright.
Seth inhaled, then finally went for it.
“Would you maybe want to come with me?” he blurted. “As a favor. Like, just so I don’t have to deal with it alone.”
The words tumbled out fast, tripping over each other. His face heated up almost immediately after, a flush creeping up from his collar to his cheeks.
I stared at him, and not because of the question. It’s just I’d never seen him like this.
Behind the counter, Seth was composed and efficient. Seth was always calm in a way that made the whole place feel steadier.
But right now? He looked flustered, and honestly a little undone around the edges. And it was dangerously cute.
“You don’t have to stay long,” he added quickly, eyes darting away from mine. “Just, like, show up. Leave early. Totally fine.”
I realized, a second too late, that I hadn’t said anything yet. Because I’d been too busy noticing how his curls fell into his eyes when he looked down.
How the flush on his cheeks made his eyes seem darker. How his voice dipped just slightly when he got nervous. Huh.
Since when had I been paying attention to any of that?
“It’s totally fine if not,” Seth said suddenly, the words coming faster now, sharper. “I mean, I can just go by myself.”
Wait, why the sudden shift? Did I miss something? His shoulders pulled in, just a little.
It wasn’t obvious if you weren’t looking for it. His posture tightened, like he was bracing for something.
“I probably shouldn’t have asked,” he added, almost under his breath.
