Chapter 6

Six

Chloe

" H ey," Mia says, hugging me and then sitting down at our table at Polly's, a pack pizzeria. "I've been worried about you. It's not like you to not want to talk," Mia says with concern in her eyes.

"I know. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry. I just needed a little time to myself yesterday."

"I about spit out my drink when Ethan came back into the party and told me you went home with Nick."

"Yeah," I say with a nod.

"Yeah…so? Are you going to tell me what happened?"

"I made a mistake, Mia. A big one…well, two big mistakes, if we're being technical."

"Okay, so what did you do?" she asks in a hushed tone.

"I slept with him," I say, shaking my head.

Mia's eyes widen and her mouth drops open. She nods slowly. "Okay, so that's one thing you did. What's the other thing?"

I pull my hands down my face before I look her in the eye and say, "I basically told him I've always loved him, and that I still love him. "

Mia's mouth drops open even more as her eyes bulge. "Okay," she says, nodding. "I've got to be honest. I'm not sure where to go from here."

"I know. It's such a freaking mess."

"So, do you?" Mia asks.

"Do I what?"

"Do you love Nick?"

"Ugh." I pull my hands down my face again. "I don't want to."

"Okay, so whether you want to or not…do you?" I chew on my bottom lip and avoid eye contact. Mia reaches across the table and takes my hand. "Chloe, it's okay. I'm here to support you no matter what you say. Just be honest with me. You need to get this out and talk about it."

I nod and squeeze her hand. "I don't want to love him, Mia, but…I just?—"

"You do," she says, helping me finish my sentence.

I nod. "I don't think I ever stopped."

"So, I'm failing to see where everything went so wrong. Nick had to be thrilled with all of this."

"He was until I took it all back and said it was a big mistake the next morning."

"Oh, Chloe," Mia says with a sad face.

"I know. I told him I need space. He was pissed when I left, and I haven't heard from him since."

"Well, maybe he's giving you the space you want," Mia says with a shrug.

"Maybe. Or, maybe he's totally written me off by now."

"I highly doubt that," Mia says.

"Yeah, so do I," a male voice says next to us. I look up to see Ethan standing by our table.

I slouch down in my chair. "Oh, God. I'm sure you got an earful," I say, looking up at Ethan.

"You might say that." He turns a chair around backwards and sits down at our table. "Does Mia know everything? "

"She does now. I just told her."

"Why would you do that to him, Chloe?" Ethan asks.

"Excuse me?"

"Why would you fuck him and then tell him it was all a big mistake?"

I hold my hand up to Ethan. "Hold on just a second here. Are you seriously questioning me on my morals when it comes to having sex? Because let me tell you something?—"

Ethan shakes his head and reaches for my arm. "No, I'm sorry. That came out all wrong. It's just that because Nick can feel your mate bond, you basically lit a fire under him by fucking him, and then you told him you want space. He's fighting like hell to stay away from you when all he really wants is to throw you over his shoulder and lock you up so he doesn't lose you."

I shiver and squirm in my chair as the very thought of Nick throwing me over his shoulder and locking me away for himself totally turns me on. "It's just complicated, Ethan."

"It's not that fucking complicated, Chloe. You fucked, he was an idiot, you got pissed, he found out you're his mate, you fucked again, you both got pissed, and in a couple of days you turn eighteen. You know you're about to recognize him as your mate too, so just agree that he was an idiot, accept his apology, fuck again, keep fucking, and be happy." Ethan shrugs as if it's just that simple.

"I mean, he's not necessarily wrong," Mia says, scrunching up her face with a shrug.

"My dad thinks you're making him work for it. Is that what you're doing?" Ethan asks.

My eyes widen in horror. "Your dad knows?"

"He doesn't know the details, but he gets the gist. I mean, what do you want him to do, Chloe? Fucking beg?"

I get it that Ethan is trying to help out his best friend, but I'm starting to get a little pissed off with his insertion. "So, when did you become some kind of authority over my love life?"

Ethan holds his hands up and tilts his head. "You're right. I'm not. I'm just saying, you know the two of you are going to end up happy and in love in the end. Don't torture him in order to get there. Forgive him. Let him love you and make you happy, Chloe."

"Ethan," the woman at the counter calls out his name, and hold up his pizza box.

"I've got to go," he says, standing. "Think about what I said." With that, Ethan leaves our table, grabs his pizza, and leaves the restaurant.

"Is that what I'm doing?" I ask Mia. "Am I just torturing him to get back at him?"

Mia shrugs. "Maybe? I mean, he might deserve a little torture, but there's also some truth in what Ethan said. If you're going to be happy in the end, why not be happy now?" I sigh and nod as I think about what they both said. "Listen, your birthday is in a couple of days, and you don't have to decide this very second. Maybe you should take the space you need to think today. If you decide you're ready to be with him a little early, you can talk to him tomorrow.

I nod and release a deep sigh. "Do you think Nick will show up for Kate's bonfire tomorrow night?"

"Nick knows Kate is one of our closest friends. You can almost count on it."

I spend the rest of the night thinking about what Ethan said. Nick hurt me. That's a fact. But, am I just punishing him to make him suffer? In my heart, I know he's not lying about us being mates. He wouldn't do that. I also know that I'm only days away from feeling the bond myself. Right now, everything just feels so…tainted. I used to dream about finding out Nick is my mate, and now the universe is literally handing me everything I've ever wanted. It's up to me to take what I'm being given.