Ana put down the phone and placed it back on the center console. She took a couple of deep breaths, checked for oncoming traffic and pulled out into the road. Her mind played through their conversation. Oh god! She pushed down on the brake pedal, realizing at the last second that the light was red. She had almost driven straight through the intersection. At this time of the evening, it was no longer all that busy, but there were still some cars on the road. Her vehicle screeched to a halt. She put her hand up as she glanced in the rearview mirror and mouthed ‘sorry’ to the driver behind her, who didn’t look too impressed.

Her mind was all over the place. It hadn’t meant anything when Winston had said that he missed her. He hadn’t meant it like that. What if he had though? Her heart sped up. Her breathing increased tenfold. She put a hand to her chest. Shit! It felt like she was about to— The car behind her honked. He honked again, but Ana was too busy trying to breathe, trying to calm down, to take note. Then he sat on his horn.

She looked up, seeing that the light had turned green. Damn! That was quick. She put her hand up a second time. This time she got the bird. Asshole! At the same time, she couldn’t blame him. She was blocking the road.

Her heart was still racing, her lungs inflating too quickly, so, to avoid causing an accident, she pulled over for a few moments.

Maybe she was just worried about Winston. Sure, that’s it. She needed to think happy thoughts. Just because he said he missed her didn’t mean that Winston had feelings for her beyond friendship. Everything was going to be okay. He was going to be okay. He was a shifter, he was strong. Ana swallowed hard. The shifters could protect themselves. Everything would be okay.

She leaned her head back against the seat rest and closed her eyes, focusing on slowing her breathing. She pictured wide open fields and glorious sunshine.

It did help, but she was still left with feelings of … anxiety. She grabbed her phone again and dialed Doctor Brenner’s receptionist. Thankfully, she managed to get an appointment for the next morning.

* * *

Doctor Brenner nodded her head every so often while Ana took her through what had happened.

“Do you think that maybe your feelings for Winston have also gone beyond the bounds of friendship?” her therapist asked.

“I never said his feelings for me had changed … just that they may have. I don’t know for sure though. I might be completely off the mark about that.” She shrugged. “I’m probably wrong.”

Doc Brenner nodded once. “Okay, I’ll rephrase, do you think your feelings for Winston have changed? Have you started to see him as more than just a friend?”

“No … no way.” She shook her head, wanting to deny it some more but she forced herself to keep her mouth shut.

“You’re sure about that?”

Ana frowned. “Very sure. I’m nowhere near ready for a relationship. I didn’t like it when he told me that he missed me. I just … I didn’t like it.”

“Why not?”

“He’s my friend. I enjoy spending time with him. I’m improving because of him and I don’t want that to stop. I don’t want our friendship to end.”

“And him having feelings for you would mean that you couldn’t see him anymore?”

“That’s right.” She nodded. “I can’t be friends with him if he wants more. It wouldn’t work.” She squirmed in her seat.

“Your friendship could evolve though, into more. It happens all the time. I’m reading a friends-to-lovers romance at the moment.”

“Not this time!” Ana shook her head some more. “I’m not looking for a relationship and he’s not allowed to be in one so, no, it wouldn’t work.”

“You do admit that you’re attracted to him though?” Her doctor raised her brows.

“Yes,” she moaned out the word. “I admit that I’m very attracted to him and he is just as attracted to me. We’ve openly admitted that. In fact,” she pursed her lips together for a second, “you know I told him I was ready to take the next step. I asked him to introduce me to someone with the purpose of taking the next step.”

“Sex?” Her therapist sat forward in her chair.

“Yeah, sex. It’s been four years. I have to … go there again some time. I have to at least try. I can’t just give up. I have made progress and I think I might just be ready for that next step.”

Doctor Brenner nodded.

“Winston has shown me that it could be possible, that I might just be able to do it. Thing is, I had planned to ask him if he would be willing to … help me out with that.”

“Oooh, interesting. He said he wanted to wait though. No more sex until he found the right person.”

“He said he was done with all the meaningless sex. Sex with me wouldn’t be meaningless, would it? Am I being selfish here?” Ana made a noise of frustration. “I am being selfish. I made a joke about him and me … doing it and he ignored the insinuation flat out. It was wrong of me though.” She wrung her hands together. “It doesn’t matter anymore because I’m not so sure that’s a good idea anyway. If there’s even the slightest chance that Winston has feelings for me, us having sex would complicate things.”

Her doctor cocked her head and narrowed her eyes. “I think you’re right. Friends should not have sex with friends. It never works out. I’m not so sure that sex with a stranger is the answer either.”

“Really?” Ana widened her eyes. “You told me to go out there and have fun … to keep stepping it up.”

“Sex is huge though. It’s ultimately up to you. If you feel that’s what you need to do, then go for it. I’m not going to stop you. It’s still a big step from where you are now though. You need to think long and hard before jumping into bed with someone.” She sighed. “Also, be careful of where you’re headed with Winston. It sounds like things could end up getting complicated.”

Ana nodded. “Hopefully not. I don’t want to lose his friendship.” She looked at Doctor Brenner skeptically. “I thought you said you wouldn’t mind going to Shifter Night. Why the change of heart?”

“I’m not against a one-night stand per se. I’ve had a couple, and one or two were nights to remember. You’re still really fragile though. One wrong move could put you right back. It’s a bit of a catch twenty-two. I think Winston is good for you, but things change. They change before you know it.”

“Winston and I are good. It’s the one thing I can rely on in all of this.” Ana realized that she missed him too. She suddenly felt bad for not saying it back.