Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Walking away from Evan when all he wanted to do was hold him was one of the hardest things he’d ever done. He wanted him. Wanted to be there for him, but if Evan wasn’t going to help himself, George couldn’t stand there and watch him spiral down.
To keep busy, he threw himself into sorting his own life out.
He took Evan’s advice and applied for some jobs as an orderly and then ended up getting one out at a Coven-run nursing home, which was cool because the old shifters and witches had some tales to tell. The pay was shit compared to what he’d been getting on the rig, but it was enough that he was able to rent a place nearby. It was on the same side of town as Evan, only about half an hour away.
Not that it mattered, since he hadn’t called or messaged.
Had it felt like more to him than it had to Evan, or was he too messed up to do anything? It was so tempting to check in and see how things were going, but it wouldn’t end with a call. He’d end up in Evan’s bed—which was where he wanted to be, but not with Evan’s anger and loathing between them.
He’d gone to see his family, and it had gone as expected. His parents were disappointed that he wasn’t moving back into his childhood bedroom or even moving back to the same suburb. Having the job was an excuse they understood, and he went for a run with them, which he had enjoyed. But the whole time, he wondered about Evan and his family and his pack. What the fuck had they done to him that he hated half of himself?
One week slid into two.
Then three.
Evan’s profile had been deleted from the app, erasing their messages.
For a few seconds, he considered searching for someone else to have fun with, but he couldn’t be bothered despite the seemingly endless options. He only wanted Evan.
Had he made a mistake walking away?
Should he have held his hand and coaxed him into getting help?
Evan was a fucking adult…who didn’t like asking for help or admitting there was a problem. What if he’d done something dumb?
He drove out to Kyle’s for a run and met some of the other wolves, hoping that Kyle had heard from him. All Kyle knew was that he’d changed his pack status.
Had Evan’s old pack found out and done something to him?
If anyone else was worried about the silence, they didn’t say anything. But then Evan hardly ran with them, so if he didn’t turn up for a couple of months, no one thought anything of it.
When he drove back to the city, he stopped and parked in front of Evan’s building, not sure what he was going to do. Or if he should do anything.
He’d told Evan to call him when he was ready.
What if he was never ready?
He couldn’t wait forever.
But he wasn’t ready to move on.
And as he sat there in silence, he realized what he felt for Evan was more than liking him. He wanted to wake up with him and lie on the sofa, watching TV with him. He wanted to shift with him. Watching the other wolf couples run had made him more than a little envious. That’s what he wanted. That’s what he deserved, but he wasn’t sure Evan was that man.
He started the car and drove away because he couldn’t force Evan to be who he wanted. No matter how much it tied him in knots. If this is what it felt like to fall in love, he hated it. No matter how hard he tried to summon up the old anger and hate, it was gone, replaced by the worry that something had happened and that he could’ve stopped it if he hadn’t walked away.
So he caved and messaged first.
Thanks for the tip about the orderly work
It was an hour before he got a response.