Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
TRISTAN
Tristan hadn’t even poured himself a coffee when Bryce barged in and herded him outside. Which was rude, frankly, considering Tristan had just had the best kiss of his life and was still glowing like a glowstick. Only maybe not as brightly colored. Or as disposable. Or bendy. But still, glowing.
“Need your help with your car,” Bryce said.
“At this time in the morning?” Tristan protested. “Can’t I have coffee first?”
“Coffee stunts your growth.” Bryce glanced sideways at him, then grinned.
“Not really something you have to worry about. But no, I want to get this done before I have to go to work. When I brought the car up from the diner, it was running rough, and you can’t risk it crapping out on your way to school.
The sooner you get back to normal, the easier everything will be. ”
It seemed surreal, thinking of his old life, how he was supposed just to step back into it after everything that had happened. But Bryce wasn’t wrong that the rest of the world had kept turning without him.
So he sat in the driver’s seat and turned over the engine when Bryce told him.
Normally, he loved doing this stuff himself—cleaning the spark plugs, changing the air filter, flushing the radiator if it was a good day.
Any sort of maintenance that didn’t need a computer hooked up to the car.
But this was one of the many ways in which Bryce showed his care, through motor oil and muttered sarcasm, and so Tristan let him.
He’d never had anyone like Bryce before, who showed up without being asked, who fixed cars and people in equal measure, and who could take one look at him and know what he needed. Which made it all the more impossible not to share the most amazing news on the entire planet. He’d met his mate.
Except, he realized, Bryce might not be quite so thrilled as he should be. Not because he didn’t want Tristan to be happy—Bryce always wanted that—but because he was worried. He’d warned him off Colby out of concern. Yeah, best not to tell Bryce yet, not until Matt had cleared Colby.
But it hurt, keeping such a big secret from him. It felt like Tristan was trying to hold in a sneeze—painful, and as if it were about to leak out any second.
Bryce wiped his hands on a rag dirtier than they were and came around to the side of the car to look at Tristan, his eyes serious.
“I hear you spent the night somewhere other than your bed,” he said.
“What—how can you even know that already? It’s only just past dawn, and I’m not usually even awake yet—”
“Karl came to find me. His job’s to track potential risks, and right now, that includes Colby. He also knows I worry about you.”
Tristan was silenced, briefly, as his indignation foundered on the discovery this wasn’t just gossip. But they obviously still didn’t trust Colby one little bit, and that wasn’t fair.
“Which part of ‘Take a step back’ did you not understand?” Bryce asked.
At the judgment in his eyes, Tristan lowered his gaze. He hated disappointing Bryce. “I know,” he said. “I know what you said, and you were right, and I didn’t mean to, but I couldn’t help it.”
“You couldn’t help thinking with your dick, you mean.” Bryce’s disapproval was clear.
Tristan raised his head and stared at him. How could Bryce think it was just about sex? As if the way Colby had kissed him meant nothing.
“It’s not like that,” he said, needing Bryce to understand. “It wasn’t my dick I was thinking with. It was my heart. Colby and I are mates.”
The words were out, and he couldn’t take them back. But he didn’t want to, because even now, even with the shock of them freezing Bryce where he stood, they sounded right. They felt right.
Bryce’s face was stiff as he stepped back, studying Tristan, then swung around on his heel so Tristan could only see the rigid line of his back.
Tristan had known Bryce to be angry before. He’d known him to be furious, even, just once or twice. But never at him. And he’d never turned his back on him. It felt like something between them had broken.
“Goddamn it,” Bryce said, and the disappointment in his voice was more than Tristan could bear.
“It’s a good thing, the best thing in the world,” he protested. “It’s not like I said I’m quitting school to find Bigfoot, or adopting another goat. This is good news, Bryce.”
And he didn’t understand why Bryce was reacting this badly.
“You’re supposed to be happy for me,” he said, his voice small, confused, and hurt.
“Fuck,” Bryce said.
“Wow. Okay.” His voice wobbled a little. “Starting strong.”
After drawing a long, deep breath, Bryce turned back around, his eyes dark with distress. “You’re too young. You’re not ready for this and definitely not with him.”
Tristan shook with fury, sudden and shocking. For the first time ever, his wolf snarled at Bryce. “Don’t you say that,” he flung the words. “Don’t you dare. Colby’s amazing.”
Bryce’s fists clenched as if he were trying to control himself. He took several deep breaths before he spoke, and that was fine because that was exactly what Tristan was doing, too, attempting to calm himself. Bryce hadn’t met his own mate. Bryce didn’t understand.
“You don’t get it, Tris. You should have years ahead of you for having fun and falling in and out of love,” Bryce said. “You need to find out what you like, what you want, before you have to settle down and be with just one person.”
Tristan was shaking his head. How could Bryce, usually so clear-sighted, understand so little?
“You say settle down like it’s a bad thing,” he said. “It’s the most wonderful thing in the world, Bryce. I wasn’t even thinking about meeting my mate yet, but now I wouldn’t want to be without him for anything. You’ll understand when you meet yours.”
Bryce’s lip curled. “And that’s the one thing I hope I never do, but nice try at deflection.
The point is, if you do meet someone, you should be, I don’t know, texting in lectures or talking trash on game night.
Doing all the things people your age do, not having to deal with the emotional fallout of all the crap he’s been through. How old is he, anyway?”
“Colby’s twenty-four,” Tristan said tightly, anger still burning steadily in him. “And I’m not a kid, not anymore. I’ve seen more than some people ever will, and I know what I want.”
“Maybe,” Bryce conceded. “But Tris, look at him. He’s been put through hell, and he hasn’t made it back. And the thing is, he’s gonna drag you there right alongside him. You have to walk away now, while you still can.”
Tristan stared at Bryce, wondering if he even knew him anymore. “How can you say that? You’re always the first to help someone, always the first to care, and you—you—” He broke off, too angry and hurt to continue.
“But this is you,” Bryce said, as if it was obvious. “I wish him well, I really do, but I don’t want to see you trying over and over to mend something that can’t be made better. I don’t want what that will do to you. I want you to be happy, Tris.”
Tears burned hot and furious in Tristan’s eyes. “You just don’t get it, do you?” he said through an aching throat. “Colby makes me happy, and you’re going to have to get used to that.”
He turned and walked away, hollow with disillusionment and hurt. And the worst of it was, for the first time ever, Bryce didn’t come after him and soothe him or joke him out of it. He just stood there silently and watched him go.