Chapter Forty-one

If sitting next to him wasn't awkward enough, we now had to work on an assignment together. I was positive my stomach couldn't turn into a tighter knot than it was now. We sat in silence, while everyone with their partner, started working on their assignment.

"Would you stop that?" The hardness in his voice caused my head to whip to the side to look at him.

"Stop what?"

"The tapping." He gestured to my hand, and I honestly hadn't even realized I was doing it.

As if the table had burnt me, I placed my hands on my lap under the table. "Sorry."

I snuck a glance at him out of the corner of my eye, hoping he wouldn't catch me.

There was just something about him that made a passionate pull towards him. Maybe it was because of his extremely devilish good looks, or the detailed tattooed work up his arms. Anyway, the point being, I found myself not able to take my eyes off him, or at the very least I couldn't stop the sideways glances.

When it came down to it, the sad and most pathetic thing about my crush on him is that I don't know why I have one, or how or when it started. We had never really had any communication between us. Sure, we shared some classes, but it wasn't like he had ever talked to me or cared enough to smile my way.

Although, in saying all that, one thing had changed; he wasn't usually this hard and grumpy.

"So, um, we should get started." I reached for my textbook.

He looked at me dryly. "What? It took you that long to figure that out?" His eyes were sharp as blades slicing through my innocent eyes. Well if he wanted to scare me off, he had succeeded.

 

***

ZANE

It was physically killing me sitting next to her while her hormones of lust swirled around me. Human Allie liked me. Screw that, human Allie wanted me, wanted to talk, and wanted to get to know me. It was killing me.

The only way I knew how to cope was to snap her out of it.

"So, um, we should get started." Her sweet, nervous voice flowed through my ears, like a wishful perfume.

She was killing me.

"What? It took you that long to figure that out?" I met her innocent eyes with a harsh glare. The only way either of us was going to survive this was if I kept the distance between us. If that meant being harsh, then I'd be harsh.

"Well, are you going to open that book or just stare blankly at me?" I snapped her out of the dazed stare she was giving me.

It seemed to have worked because her eyes snapped back to the textbook. Hopefully, those deep blue eyes I had just filled with pain wouldn't lift from those pages again.

Because I'm sure if I saw the pain in her eyes I would crumble at her feet.

 

***

"So, this freezing Allie out has been harder than I expected," Taylor said, emptying his second beer.

I was past counting mine. "She wanted to talk to me today." I threw the empty can to the side, while pulling one out for myself and handing Taylor one.

"Who would have thought human Allie would like you and wolf Allie would hate you," Taylor grunted, sounding half amused.

"She never hated me."

Did she?

He gave me a deadpan look. "Fine, strongly disliked you then."

"Doesn't matter anymore anyway, as she and I are finished." I had been told those words, and I had said them a million times over, but still, I didn't believe my future or my chance with Allie was completely finished. Was it wrong to cling to an impossible dream?

"She's really turned the heat up too," Taylor continued the conversation I would very much like to end. "Did you see those shorts today? Swear every bloke made excuses to walk past her."

I was about to throw a rant his way when Ebony stepped in and threw a can at his head. "Shut up, would you?"

Taylor rubbed his forehead. "Since when are you defensive about Allie."

Since she found her mate, I thought to myself.

"I'm sick of talking about her. Wasn't the whole point of us wiping her memories to forget about her, not bring her up every second?"

"But those shorts…"

I growled at Taylor.

"Fine, I'll drop it," he huffed, and stuffed a mouthful of chips in his mouth.

 

***

Just had to get through the day. Surely, I could avoid her for one day. I had been tormented by her all day yesterday.

Today I wouldn't be keeping an eye on her.

Today I wouldn’t let her scent suffocate the words and willpower from me.

I was still in the middle of the pep talk I was giving myself when my eyes landed on her.

It's fucking official - she is going to be the death of me.

She was wearing a tight summer-white dress that flowed out above her knees. Her beautiful locks were curled and swinging freely down her back, but it was the wide grin on her face that she was giving some bloke I'd never seen before that finally did it.

A hand gripped my upper arm stopping me just before I went charging over there.

"Reel it in, mate. Remember what your dad said." Taylor gave me a sad smile, before letting go of my arm and walking off.

Fate would have it that Allie glanced in my direction, catching my strong glare. I saw the shock fill her eyes and her expression twist with sadness a short moment before she continued the conversation with the boy I didn't know.

I felt a sting of guilt immediately. I shouldn't have been glaring at her like that, as it wasn't her fault that I was filled with this frustration.

 

***

Shopping.

It wasn't something I enjoyed or wanted to do, but when you are running out of clothes, it isn't like you have an option.

I held up two printed t-shirts, both of which weren't appealing to me.

For a shopping mall that promoted having something for everyone, they were really failing to deliver.

I was scanning suit jackets when her sweet voice scared the hell out of me.

"Special occasion?" Allie asked, standing behind me.

How had I not noticed her scent or pick up on her being here!

"Um, no." I scratched the back of my neck feeling awkward. "I, um, ran out of clothes but I’m just not finding anything that, umm, suits my style."

She grinned. "Maybe that has something to do with you being on the wrong floor." She gestured to the formal fitting sign that hung behind the counter. "I think level five will be where you find what you want."

"Thanks," I stumbled out, feeling even more awkward due to her kindness. She stood there wide-eyed and with friendly advice, and I couldn't think of anything to say to her because everything I wanted to say I couldn't.

"Well, um, I’ll leave you then." Her eyes dropped, and she turned to walk away.

"Can you show me where it is?" I blurted, stopping her from walking away from me again.

She swung around with an expression of shock. "Of course, I can.”

We walked to the elevators, and I hit the button for it. It wasn’t until it opened and I was inside with her in a small space that I realized my mistake.

I pressed the fifth floor at the same time as her small tiny finger did.

One touch.

One simple touch.

That was all I needed for the wolf in me to know he was near his mate.

He wanted her.

Hell, I wanted her.

"Sorry," I apologized, making sure to use a softer tone, which, by her facial reaction, she noticed. Being a jerk to her wasn't working because I didn't want to.

It went against every muscle and everything within me to be mean to her or cause her pain so, when the elevator chimed five, and the doors opened, I knew I couldn't keep the icy front up.