One Night

Chapter 1*3**8

Audrey

After searching for a while, I finally found Tina sitting alone on a bench by the river, tossing popcorn to the ducks. I almost wouldn’t have noticed her, had it not been for the plastic leather of her Wonder Woman costume catching the amber glint of a nearby streetlamp.

I approached cautiously, my red cape trailing behind me. My broken basket had long since been discarded in a trash can.

“Hey,” I said softly, sitting down beside her.

Tina didn’t look at me. “Get lost, Audrey,” she growled, jutting out her chin as she-rather forcefully-chucked another piece of popcorn into the water. A mallard skittered up and grabbed it before the other ducks could get to it.

But instead of leaving. I put my arms around her and held her fast. “No. I’m not going anywhere,” I said firmly. “You’re my best friend, Tina. I’ll never leave you.”

She stiffened beneath my touch but didn’t push me away. Not yet, at least. When she finally relaxed slightly and it became clear that she wouldn’t run away as soon as she was given the chance, I released her, grabbed a piece of popcorn from her bag, and tossed it into the water.

We sat in silence for a moment, watching as the same mallard from before greedily gobbled it up.

Finally, I spoke. “I’m so sorry, Tina. I didn’t mean to break my promise. It’s just… it’s complicated.”

“Complicated?” Tina scoffed. “What’s so complicated about telling your best friend the truth when you promised there would be no more secrets?”

I sighed. A chilly wind blew across the water, and I pulled my cloak tighter around myself. “I got caught up in the guilt of it all,” I finally said after a moment. “The longer it went on, the more I felt like I had to hide it. I knew it would only hurt more if I revealed how long I had been lying. It became this vicious cycle.”

Tina turned to look at me, her eyes still red-rimmed from earlier although now her mouth was pressed into a thin line. “But we tell each other everything, Audrey. That’s our thing. You promised.”

“I know.” I gritted my teeth and looked away. “Can I be honest with you?”

She scoffed again. “Oh, so now you want to be honest?”

Ignoring her jab, I said gently, “We’re adults now, Tina; seniors in college. Sometimes adults have… secrets, and that’s okay.”

“But-

“It doesn’t mean we’re not still best friends,” I interrupted before she could protest further. “I value your friendship above everything else, Tina. But sometimes I need to be allowed to keep certain things to myself until I’m ready to share them. Not constantly be strong-armed or guilt-tripped into telling.”

Tina was quiet for a long moment after I spoke, tossing more popcorn to the ducks remained silent, giving her the space to think, to formulate her response. Slowly, her movements went from harsh and angry to slower, gentler,

Then she sighed. “I guess you’re right. I’ve been overbearing lately, haven’t I?”

I shrugged. “A little.”

09:29 Thu, Sep 19

Cha**

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“I’m not.. good with boundaries, Tina admitted. “I never have been, even as a kid. My parents were strict growing up, the type to look through my phone and take the locks off my door, so… I don’t know. I guess I thought it was normal to be expected to tell everything to the people you care about.”

She laughed bitterly. “But I’m a hypocrite, aren’t I? I didn’t tell the rest of our friends I was ***y, and I care about them.”

“No. You’re not a hypocrite,” I said firmly.

Tina sighed again, leaning her head on my shoulder, “Look… I’m sorry I got so mad. I don’t blame you for keeping your relationship with Edwin to yourself. It wasn’t fair of me to expect you to tell me everything”

Now, I was the one who scoffed. “It’s hardly a relationship. To him, apparently, it’s just ***ki**

“Why wouldn’t E*

“Audrey, come on,” Tina said. “Remember that night at the cottage over the summer? Edwin looked at you like you were his shining star. There was so much love in his eyes.”

I felt my heart **ip a beat. Gavin had said the same thing; that Edwin had looked at me like I was more valuable than any of the expensive collectibles in that house. Maybe I was the only one who hadn’t noticed it that night because I was too angry with him to pay attention.

“You should talk to Edwin, hear him out, Tina said.

“He’s engaged-

Η

“I’m not telling you to blindly fall for an engaged man,” she stopped me. “But don’t be so quick to believe someone else, either. Especially someone who has a history of… troublemaking

I bit my lip, thinking back on Fiona’s words. She had seemed so sincere, and had even guessed what was happening between me and Edwin down to the last detail. It could have been another truck, but..

“But Tina… Fiona said Edwin is her fated mate.”

“And you believe her?” Tina asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t know,” I admitted, looking away. “But it made me realize something. Even if it’s not true, I could never be Edwin’s fated mate. I’ll always be human-there’s no changing that. Even if he does love me, we’ll never have that level of soul- connection. And if he does find his fated mate while we’re together, it would be nearly impossible for him not to give in to that pull.”

Tina was quiet for a moment, considering. “Then you should talk to Edwin about those fears,” she said softly. “His perspective might be different. You won’t know unless you ask him. Just.. be careful.”

Just then, we heard familiar voices approaching. Our friends came into view, Betty’s vampire costume at the forefront.

“Hey,” Gavin said, now clutching his pirate hat in his hands. “Are you guys okay?”

Tina and I exchanged a look, then nodded. “We’re okay,” Tina said with a tiny smile,

Avis stepped forward, twisting her hands nervously. “Tina, we… We wish you had told us the truth about your sexuality. But we want you to know we support you completely.”

“We just wish you had told us sooner so we could have set you up with some pretty girls to date,” Betty grinned, folding her

**

**

arms across her chest.

Gasping, Tina grabbed a handful of popcorn and threw it at them. “Get lost, you dorks!” she cooed.

**

Our friends laughed and jumped out of the line of fire, except for Gavin, who opened his mouth and caught a piece of popcom between his teeth. Avis smacked his arm, and Betty shook her head, circling around the bench to haul both Tina

and me to our feet.

“And you, too,” Betty said, leveling me with a stern gaze. “We support… Whatever the hell it is that’s going on with you.”

I opened my mouth to respond, to thank my friends for being here, even if it was confusing and strange and maybe even a bit ridiculous.

But like clockwork, as if he had been summoned out of thin air by Betty’s words, I glanced up and saw a familiar figure walking along the b

He was wearing an all-black suit and a black wolf mask that covered his entire face, but I recognized those broad shoulders. instantly. My breath caught in my throat, I knew it was him

My big bad wolf.

“I’ll… I’ll meet up with you guys.” I said quickly, smoothing down my costume.

My friends looked at me curiously, but understanding dawned on them. Tina met my eye, nodding subtly.

“Go,” she mouthed before ushering the rest of our friends away.

I turned and walked toward the bridge, my heart pounding in my chest. Edwin had stopped in the middle, his hands in his pockets. Even with the mask, I could feel the intensity of his gaze on me. His eyes were glowing slightly, a pale yellow hue in their depths, just as I had imagined.

I stopped a few feet away.

“What do you want?” I asked, although my voice came out lower and shakier than I had hoped.

Edwin took a step closer and slipped one hand out of his pocket, which he held out toward me. There was that scent again- smoke and wine, but… something else. Something that had no name.

“I’ve been looking all over for you,” he said softly.