Chapter Four
Lea knew she had a slight crush when she was on her way to Hazel's house after work with Chinese takeout for both of them to eat for dinner, and all she could think about was Finn. It was a problem, but she couldn't shake it. She had thought about him all day, and she knew that their hanging out today was turning into a full-blown crush scenario.
Which was weird. Because Finn was so not Lea’s type. He was very the kind of guy that knew exactly how hot he was. His body was well sculpted, and Lea didn’t think she’d ever find him in a library reading for fun. No, that wasn’t the type of personality that Finn had. Finn was someone that looked like he was a bro – and a bad boy. And those two things weren’t anywhere near the type of men that Lea normally went for.
She liked the bookish type. Guys who were intelligent. Even nerdy. She wanted to get lost in a conversation about medicine or history or literature with the guys she fell for. Maybe she wasn’t giving Finn enough credit, but she felt like Finn wasn’t the type of guy who would have those conversations with her.
As she walked up to Hazel’s front door, the colonial architecture greeting her like an old friend, she was bursting with anticipation. She couldn’t wait to laugh about her ridiculous crush with her best friend. Hazel would find the humor in it. Lea just hoped that she was a bit better and not as hungover as she was when she left this morning.
“Is that dinner?” Hazel yelled from her kitchen as Lea let herself in without knocking, yelling hello while slamming the door shut with her foot. Lea walked toward the kitchen, her tennis shoes barely making a sound on the dark hardwood floor. She managed to go home and change out of her scrubs from work before she picked up the dinner, and now she wore basic blue jeans with a hoodie. Even though it was spring, the weather in Maine was still pretty chilly at night.
Hazel was setting out some silverware and pouring some drinks for them when Lea walked into the kitchen. In no time the girls were in the living room, trashy reality tv on, and digging into the huge order of Chinese food they had both splurged on. It was a great meal to the end of the day, especially because they both had started their day in the worst mood possible because of their hangovers.
“You’re never going to guess who I have a crush on,” Lea finally said, jumping into what she’d been dying to tell her friend all day. “You know him. He’s one of the original Britta training members.”
“Oh, my god, Ethan?” Hazel all but yelled in her face. Lea looked at her best friend, confusion on her face from the small little outburst.
"Ethan?" Lea asked, a smile forming on her face as she realized what her friend had just revealed. Hazel liked Ethan, that much was evident. "No, it's not Ethan. Someone likes him, though."
“I do not,” Hazel pouted, though Lea saw the gleam in her eyes. Maybe it was the way Hazel’s face turned red, or maybe it was just the glimmer in her eyes, but Lea didn’t want to push the topic. She didn’t want to embarrass her friend any more than she had to, and she didn’t want Hazel to feel ashamed or anything about who she liked.
Though Lea was surprised she hadn’t seen the crush Hazel had om Ethan sooner than that moment. Hazel wasn’t someone that could keep secrets.
“Wait, so who is this person you have a crush on?” Hazel asked, confused, once she got over her beat red face and was willing to put the whole Ethan thing behind them.
“Finn,” Lea told her, almost in a “duh” voice. If it wasn’t Ethan she had a crush on, the only other option would be Finn. Hazel wasn’t the brightest sometimes. Lea would let it slide, considering Hazel had to drink some wine earlier because her hangover was still so bad.
“Finn is a bad boy waiting for a good girl like you to settle him down.” Hazel laughed. “When are you gonna ask him out?”
“What?” Lea looked at her friend, disbelief on her face. Hazel was absolutely crazy. “I’m not going to ask him out. It’s just a crush, Haze. Plus, he’s not really my type. He’s so handsome, obviously, and his body makes me get shivers down my spine no matter where I am, but he’s just… not my type, I guess.”
Lea didn’t know how else to tell Hazel. Plus, there was the thought that Finn would laugh at her, pat her on her head like she was a child, and reject her. And Lea really didn’t want that to happen.
“Come on, Lea. You have to at least try and ask him out. When was the last time you had any fun?”
“I have fun all the time!” Lea couldn’t believe Hazel was telling her to do this!
“It wouldn’t hurt to at least try and make nice with him.” Hazel took a bite of her sesame chicken, a knowing look in her eye. “You never know where it might lead. Trust me when I say that even on your bad days, you’re gorgeous. And Finn is probably falling all over you, as we speak.”
“I doubt it. And there’s a lot to lose. My dignity for one. But today we actually talked and hung out a little, so at least I have a new friend from this.”
A new friend that she could dream about, that is.
Lea launched into her story of what happened today, starting with the coffee she leant him and ending with the way his body felt against hers as they practiced together as partners in class. She blushed and laughed the whole time.
“Are you going to the bar tonight?” Hazel asked after Lea was finished with gushing about Finn in her wide eyed, full on crush way.
“Oh, crap,” Lea replied, realizing what was happening tonight. It was Britta’s birthday, and Grant was throwing her a surprise party, expecting the whole pack to show up. “I completely forgot. Are you?”
“Yeah, we should both try and make it. Maybe then you can hang out with your new lover.”
Lea threw a piece of orange chicken at her, laughing along with the ridiculous idea that she would ever have the confidence to hang out with Finn in any other way than friendly.
The girls quickly finished eating, and Lea left to go back to her place to put on something a bit nicer for the evening. She was exhausted, with her morning class and her constantly stressful day job, but she wanted to make sure that she was there to celebrate with Britta. Britta had been through a lot recently – she’d almost been killed by a rogue! – but you would never guess that by looking at her.
Lea aspired to be that level of badass. She knew she never would, though. She would always just be plain old Lea. Stable. Reliable. The good girl.
Lea quickly showered the grime that working at a hospital seemed to leave on her skin when she got home, perfectly applying some light makeup and slipping into a cute little white dress. She would be freezing by the end of the night, but she wanted to look cute. The sacrifices she made for fashion were evident.
Lea picked up Hazel about an hour and a half after she left her. Lea made sure to whistle as Hazel walked up to her car, making her friend roll her eyes and laugh. When they got to the party, the celebrations were in full swing. Shifters were everywhere, and the majority of them were pretty tipsy.
Lea noticed that there were shifters on duty, guarding the entrance and keeping watch, completely sober, to make sure that nothing out of the ordinary happened. She felt a deep pain in her heart as she realized that this was just normal protocol now. Before, they never would've had her pack mates on duty. But now, because of recent events and the high threat level, they had to have guards on duty almost every hour. And when there was a lot of shifters in one area, they needed to be protected.
Lea and Hazel each grabbed a cold beer from the bartender by the door, who stood by a cooler and handed everyone a drink when they walked in. Lea could see her alpha, Hann, standing near the actual bar, a smile on his face. His flannel shirt was unbuttoned, showing a white t-shirt on underneath, and he was laughing with Ethan and Kato. Lea and Hazel made sure to wave at him as they walked into his line of vision, and they both felt satisfied when he nodded and waved back at the girls.
As Hazel and Lea mingled with people, stopping for small talk here and there, Lea couldn’t help looking for Finn in the crowd. Every now and then, she would think that she saw his blonde hair pop up behind someone, only to find out that it wasn’t him at all. She didn’t know how she got like this so fast, so she instead just blamed the beer that she was taking tiny sips of. She didn’t feel the alcohol at all, but she didn’t want to admit to herself that this was her being crazy on a sober mind.
She reminded herself, over and over again as they hung out with friends, that Finn wasn’t her type. He simply wasn’t. And she didn’t understand why she couldn’t convince herself of this.
“Britta!” Lea yelled as the birthday girl came into view. Britta had her long black hair down in waves that cascaded down her back, landing at her tiny waist. She was wearing all black, which was usual Britta, and Grant was squeezing her hand as if he never wanted to let go. Lea loved those two together. Everyone had been shipping them together for the last few months, so the whole pack found themselves letting out a deep breath when they finally made it offical.
“Happy birthday, girl!” Hazel yelled behind her, both of them pulling their friend into a bear hug. Britta’s smile reached her ears, and Lea hoped that she would have the time of her life tonight. She deserved it and so much more. Before Lea could tell her this, Britta was pulled away by some other shifters, all of them wishing her a happy birthday.
Lea turned around and stopped in her tracks, her smile frozen on her face, as she finally saw him. The crowd parted so that she could see him for just a second, leaning against the wall with a beer in his hand, and a smile on his face. He looked lovely. Only a guy like him could look so lovely and sexy in a seedy bar like this.
Lea turned her attention back to Hazel and her little group of friends that were talking about the latest pack gossip. She didn’t want to seem too interested in him. She knew that if he caught her staring at him, she’d die of embarrassment.
For the hundredth time that day, she reminded herself that Finn really wasn’t even her type.
She began to think that was a joke.
Lea stole another glance in his direction, her heart quickening in speed as he laughed. She felt like she could hear his laughter from where she stood with her friends. And then, she noticed who was next to him. And she noticed their proximity.
Tatiana, one of the shifters from the same pack as Finn, stood close enough to touch Finn. And when he said something funny, envy blossomed in Lea’s heart as she saw Tatianna squeeze his arm, both of them laughing and sharing a glance. Yep, envy was blossoming at rapid speed, and Lea was sipping that beer in her hand a little bit more as she turned her attention away from the man that was so not her type.
Lea didn’t know why she was so surprised, though. If anyone was going to be Finn’s girl, it would be Tatiana. She was just his type. She looked like a little demented princess, and Lea didn’t know if she had ever seen her in anything other than black. Heavy makeup was a plus in her fashion style, and even with all the gaudy jewelry, Lea couldn’t help but admit that she was gorgeous. Finn was a bad boy. Weren’t bad boys into bad girls?
From the way the two were talking, Lea found it safe to say that yes, bad boys were very much into bad girls.
Lea made herself turn her back on them, instead trying to join the conversation that she had mentally checked out of a few minutes ago. Finn wasn’t her type, and maybe if she told herself that just a few more times, it would finally start to sink in.