12. Katrina

CHAPTER 12

KATRINA

T he clouds overhead started to darken soon after I arrived at the beach, but I decided to walk anyway. My phone informed me that it wasn’t supposed to start raining for another hour or two, and I liked that there weren’t many people lounging on the sand. Watching the tide flow in and out as I strolled helped calm a lot of the stress I’d brought along with me. I was still terrified of what would happen on the next full moon, but the strength and beauty of the ocean were grounding no matter what a person was going through.

My mind wandered as I went, and I thought back to what Missy had said about the stories surrounding Solara Bay. I’d lived in places where ghost stories were discussed as casually and authentically as stories about one dropping their clothes off at the dry cleaners might be, but comparatively, this part of the world struck me as fairly tame.

Then again, this was the place where I first turned into a werewolf, so there was that… And the man who ran the fortune-telling shop in town seemed to know a lot more about what I was dealing with than the average person would.

So maybe there was a little bit of truth to the rumors Missy had heard. That still didn’t explain why she seemed so interested in said rumors. I hoped she wasn’t secretly some weirdo who would drag Al into the world of conspiracies and paranoia. He deserved better.

“Hey, you!”

The voice pulled my train of thought off the tracks, and I brought my gaze up from the sand. A man I vaguely recognized was jogging towards me. He was wearing jeans and a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and he smiled knowingly as he approached.

“Katrina, right?”

I eyed him. “That depends, who are you?”

“My name’s Matt.” The man stuck his hand out for a shake. “I was at the bar with my buddy Rory the other night. I don’t think we actually met—or even talked—but I thought maybe you saw me.”

Rory’s friend.

I gulped and smiled, though I didn’t shake his hand. “Ah, I see. Nice to put a name to the face, I guess. But how did you know my name was Katrina?”

“Rory told me.”

“How did Rory know my name was Katrina?”

Matt grinned. “I had a feeling you were going to ask that, which means you didn’t tell him your name on purpose.” He tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Very interesting. You really don’t want my boy to know anything about you, do you?”

“Is that a crime?”

“No,” he said, shrugging. “You’re allowed to keep whatever secrets you want. I just hope you know what you’re doing to poor Rory. He’s really bent out of shape about you. He’d kill me for saying so, but honestly, I don’t even care. I think you should know that he’s falling hard for you, so if you don’t intend on ever… spending time with him again, I suggest you make that extremely clear.”

From how Matt pronounced the phrase ‘spending time,’ I could tell that Rory had let slip news of our rendezvous in the alleyway. I wasn’t mad, just perhaps a little embarrassed. I could only hope that Rory hadn’t gone into too much detail.

“So,” he said after a few seconds of awkward silence. “What’s it going to be?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Are you going to break my friend’s heart, or do you like him back?” He laughed. “God, listen to me. I sound like one of my students—trying to figure out who has a crush on who. It’s true what they say—you never really leave high school behind.”

I shook my head and started walking, not really in the mood to continue this conversation. “I really don’t see how this is any of your business,” I said, moving past him. He turned and fell in step with me. “This is between Rory and I. Plus, why do I have to decide right now how I want to proceed? I just met the guy! Whatever happened to taking things slow?”

He smirked. “I think you’ve sort of gone past taking this slow, don’t you?”

I shot him an angry glare. “Look, I didn’t come to the beach to be judged or lectured by a man I don’t even know. Honestly, the fact that Rory told you about us hooking up, and how you’re behaving right now, tells me everything I need to know about both of you. You’re immature and not worth my time. If Rory needs some sort of official declaration from me, then go ahead and tell him it was fun while it lasted, but he can go ahead and leave me alone now. You too.”

I picked up my pace, but this asshole wouldn’t quit. He kept up with me and further pleaded his case.

“Wait, don’t do this,” he said. “I’m doing a shit job of explaining myself. And I definitely am not representing my friend in the best light. Forget what I said about having to decide right now—that was stupid. I just—would you slow down?”

“No.”

“Fine.” He continued to jog next to me. “I just don’t want to see Rory get hurt, that’s all. He really likes you. More than I think he’s ever liked anyone before. I thought you should know that since he’ll never tell you so himself. That way, in case this was just a casual hook-up for you, you could understand that it meant more to him. So, you know… if you’re going to let him down, just do it gently. That’s all I’m trying to say.” He huffed and put two fingers against his neck. “Woof, I have no idea how Rory can go do a workout after that massive breakfast we just had.”

I finally stopped, and Matt sighed with relief. “What did Rory say exactly?” I asked. “What makes you think that sleeping with me meant something to him?”

“I don’t feel comfortable telling you his exact words.”

I scoffed. “Seems like an odd point in the conversation to suddenly start worrying about protecting your friend’s privacy.”

“Why do you need to know what he said exactly anyway?” he asked. “Isn’t it enough for me to say that he’s really into you? That he can’t stop thinking about you?”

My stomach fluttered a little, but I didn’t let it show.

“If you don’t believe me,” he said. “Just pay close attention to how he acts the next time you see each other. We’re talking about a guy who, up until a few days ago, I would’ve said was the epitome of playing things cool. But ever since you came to town—he’s been a complete mess. You did that to him. I don’t know how, but it’s all on you, Katrina.”

“Why do I get the feeling like you’re blaming me for something?”

“No blame,” he clarified. “I’m just laying things out in black and white for you—If you want Rory, he’s all yours. Signed, sealed, delivered. And if you don’t, then you better speak up now, because my boy is already in deep .”

I drew in a deep breath and then let it go with a loud exhale. “Where is he?”

Matt drew back in surprise. “You’re going to go talk to him now?”

“You’re the one who made it sound so urgent.”

“He’s at the pool,” he said. “Swimming laps. But hang on, what are you going to say?”

My face scrunched in confusion. “I haven’t decided yet.”

“What?” He balked. “You?—”

“Thanks for laying things out or however you put it,” I said, waving as I turned on my heel and headed toward town. “This has been a very enlightening conversation.”

Matt called out to me with an unmistakable sense of urgency in his voice, but I ignored him. He wanted me to sort things out with Rory so bad, then so be it. But I wasn’t going to lean into this ridiculous high-school gossip game. I wasn’t going to send my messages through Rory’s best friend.

No—instead, I was going to talk to him face to face, like the goddamn adult that I was.