2
1085 Words
Josiah
“How old are you?” I questioned as I gazed upon her features. “You look very young,”
“I’m twenty-four,” she announced proudly, and I flinched. She caught on to that and her smile faded as she eyed me. “Why? How old are you?”
“Years older,” I said before I turned away and headed into the living area, and sat down. Amani followed and sat extremely close to me despite the size of the sofa. It gave me both a pleasurable tingle as well as made me feel awkward.
“I figured, but like…how old?”
“How old do you think I am?” I asked instead. I felt suddenly ashamed of my age, even though it was natural. I was, after all, a warlock, and warlocks barely aged.
“Well…” she started thoughtfully, and her nose did this little scrunchie thing that made her look absolutely adorable. “You look like you are…twenty-eight…but I’m guessing that you are older than that,”
“Yes, I am,”
“Like…ok, so…like I know witches and warlocks don’t age the same way…so…” her hand came up and she touched my cheek. The warmth was intense, and the mate bond ignited sparks that gave me goosebumps. “I’m going to take a wild guess here…are you in your forties?” I shook my head and she frowned. “Hmm, older than that?”
“Yes,” I whispered, but for some reason, I couldn’t look away. Her facial expressions were too cute to ignore.
“Oh woah, older than forty…so like…fifties?”
“Getting warmer,” I said, and she brightened as she removed her hand from my face and snapped her fingers.
“Sixty-five!” I scowled at her guess, and she giggled. Like, she straight up giggled, and I don’t think I had ever heard such a sound before in all my years. “Ok…so not that old but close to that, right?” I nodded as I watched her closely. “Sixty…two?”
“Sixty-three,” I finally revealed my age, and she gasped in delighted surprise. I was taken aback by her, and it was my turn to frown. “Don’t you think that’s…gross?”
“No, why? Should it? I mean, you don’t look sixty-three and you are a supernatural being that has been around a bit longer than I have, that doesn’t mean anything,” she had the typical attitude of a wolf shifter, and I eased back against the sofa as I studied her closely. “So, mate…what now?”
“What do you mean, what now?” I asked curiously. She was strange and I found her to be rather entertaining.
“Well, I mean, we are mates…and I’m so happy I have finally met you,” she remarked softly, and her cheeks went that adorable shade of pink again.
“I never thought the day would come,” I heard myself admit.
“Why is that?” she asked, and I was still getting used to her sitting so close to me. We weren’t touching but I could feel her body heat and it was distracting.
“I’m sixty-three and I guess I gave up hope that I would ever meet my mate,” I revealed. I didn’t want to tell her about my past, but I also didn’t want to hide it from her.
“Well, are you happy though? That we finally met, I mean?” her question was serious as she inched closer, which made her leg press up against mine. I breathed in deeply and her scent hit me so hard that I jumped up from the sofa and stood on the other side of the coffee table.
“Yes,” I said truthfully. I couldn’t lie. I was happy that I had finally met my mate, but I had no idea what that meant. I wasn’t sure what was supposed to happen next even though I had read about it. Even though I had seen it. Zack and Mato. Sierna and Grayson.
“Are you scared?” she then asked, and I had no idea how to answer her. Was I scared?
“I don’t think scared is the right word I would use,” I said. “I’m surprised and…honestly, Amani, I have no idea how this is supposed to go…I don’t know what is supposed to happen next,”
“Well, I’m in no rush. Are you seeing anyone?” she demanded, and her tone of voice changed so unexpectedly that I found myself laughing as I shook my head. Although I found my reaction strange, she didn’t, as she smiled. “Good, me neither,” for reasons unbeknown to me, I was relieved to hear her say that. “So, how about we start slowly, then hmm?” once again her tone of voice changed. I may not have experience in this department, but I didn’t miss the way her voice had gone softer, lower, and sexier. I didn’t miss the way she looked at me, with such heat in her eyes that I could feel my pants grow tight. I also didn’t miss the way she crossed her legs and, of course, the smell of her heat, the smell of her arousal filled the air.
“S-sure,” I managed to say, and she hopped off the sofa.
“Great, then we are officially dating, ok?”
“Um, ok,” I agreed, even though I wasn’t sure what that meant. Not exactly.
“Well, I’ll be going now…but here is my number,” she took out her phone and I hurriedly removed mine from my pocket. Within seconds, she had her number saved in my contacts, and mine in hers. “I’ll be waiting for you to plan our first date,” and then she leaned up and kissed me on my cheek before she left my house. I stared at the closed door as I tried to wrap my head around all of this.
“I need help,” I muttered as I finally snapped out of my daze. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to talk to Zack about this, but I could talk to Grayson and Sierna. The young couple had been through their own nightmarish drama but I didn’t know anyone else I could turn to. It was time for me to learn how to date and how to be a mate.
- Writer
