CHAPTER 8 #2
“Well--l” She opens her mouth, then pauses, her brows knitting as she thinks. “Maybe it’s not what you think.”
I peer over the rim of my cup at her, the steam curling between us. “Or maybe it’s exactly what I think.”
The conversation tapers off, dissolving into the soft chaos of the coffee shop around us.
Cups clink against saucers. Forks scrape against plates.
Someone laughs near the counter as they pick up their order.
The espresso machine hisses as if it’s letting out a long, dramatic sigh of its own.
There’s even a couple at the next table that’s murmuring to each other; their voices too low to understand what they’re saying.
All of this creates a cozy atmosphere that cocoons us.
We sit in the pocket of quiet, allowing the commotion to wash over us.
Jazmyn’s gaze drifts, unfocused, like she’s turning something over in her mind.
She chews on her bottom lip as she thinks, and I’d pay anything to know what she’s thinking about right now.
I take another sip of my coffee and try not to make a face as it hits my tongue.
This is the most disgusting thing I’ve ever tasted.
Finally, after what feels like forever, she looks away from whatever thought she was chasing. Her features soften as she takes me in.
“I’d give them a chance,” she says, her voice gentler than before. “You may be surprised.”
Her words settle between us, being left on the table for me to pick up. It’s warm and unsettling. I can’t tell if the flutter in my chest is dread ... or curiosity.
“Um,” I start, second-guessing myself. “Do you mind looking at this with me? I, uh, kind of don’t want to do it by myself.”
She smiles warmly at me. “No problem.”
There is zero judgment on her part. The simple kindness in her voice settles something inside of me.
I let out a breath to calm myself, setting my phone on the table between us.
For a moment, neither of us moves or reaches for it.
The coffee shop noise swells around us. Jazmyn shifts closer, her small frame leaning inward with curiosity.
She gestures down to my phone in silent question.
I nod, giving her permission to snoop around on the app.
With a smile, she picks it up and starts going through the app.
“Click on the message,” I say, finishing my cup of coffee and putting the cup to the side.
She does, and by the widening in her eyes, it must be something shocking.
“What?” I ask. “What is it?”
“Well, the pack did message you.”
“And ...”
She smiles brightly. “They want to go out on a date with you.”
“They do?”
She nods. “Yeah. They do.”
She’s not pushy. She doesn’t tell me if I need to do this or not.
She simply sits there quietly and waits.
I peer down at the phone in her hand, rapidly going over the pros and cons in my head.
From what I know, meeting them could be the greatest thing that ever happened to me, or it could be the worst thing that ever happened to me.
“What would you do?” I ask, sweating bullets as I wait for her reply.
She shrugs. “You never know until you go for it, girl. I’d go for it. The app paired you all together for a reason. Maybe they’re your scent match mates.”
The memory of Mr. Cinnamon Candy brushes the edge of my thoughts. My thighs clench under the table as I try to keep from perfuming everywhere at the mere thought of him. I haven’t been able to fully catch his scent since that night, and I’m jonesing for another whiff of that delectable scent.
But I can’t wait on that scent forever. I’ve gone back to Luscious more times than I can count.
Each time, I leave there empty-handed. I don’t know how much longer I can do that.
I want to meet my pack and have lots of babies.
I want to be loved and cherished. I want them to want me as much as I want them.
I want forever.
“This could be my forever,” I say, mulling over my words.
Jazmyn’s smile widens. “Yes, it very well could be.”
The want sits in me like a living, breathing thing.
It’s steady, pulsing, and impossible to ignore.
I don’t want the vague, dreamy kind of forever people talk about when they’re being poets.
I want the real thing. I want a life built on trust, love, and something solid beneath my feet.
Just thinking about meeting them is like dangling a carrot in front of a starving horse.
My whole body leans toward the idea, hungry for it, aching.
It’s more than curiosity now. It’s a deep pulling in my chest. It’s a craving that feels older than I am.
I’m completely ravenous for the chance to finally step into the life I’ve imagined a thousand times before.
I want one where I’m not left adrift. I want one where I’m not left just hoping.
I want to actually find what I’ve been waiting for.
Even with the ridiculous screen name, the want doesn’t fade. Instead, the want sharpens to a point. It steadies me and my resolve.
“I think ... I think I’ll do it,” I say, laughing when Jazmyn squeals and hops up and down in her seat.
“Perfect!” She’s too giddy for her own good. But her next words take me off guard, maybe in the best of ways. “Because they want to go out tonight!”
“What?”