AN (and answers)
Hi everyone! I wanted to thank all of you so much for the reviews and follows, and to everyone who's just reading along, as well! It is honestly the best motivator to keep getting stuff out there, and I'm enjoying writing this so much.
I just wanted to address a review I received since posting the last chapter, about Seth not feeling sexual attraction for Daisy as of yet, and my reader asked if she could possibly be asexual, and therefore the imprint would be as well. I am using this story as a dairy in a small part, as I've been going through a really hard time and needed to voice my feelings, and I thought a FanFiction would be perfect for me to get it all down.
I struggled for a long time with not feeling attracted to anyone, and later in my life was informed of demisexuality. This is where you are not able to form sexual feelings for someone without an emotional bond, and it is aligned with asexuality on the entire spectrum. It takes me getting to know someone and figuring out their personalities for me to find them attractive, and I do write Daisy in this way, as well. I thought it fitting that Seth, who is known for his gentle and happy personality, would be the perfect wolf to imprint on someone who has a mind that works this way.
And it just happens that I dated someone who was incredibly tall, tanned and muscular for six months before I fell head-over-heels in love with him, so I take my personal experience into my writing with that, as well. Yay!
So, to ease anyone's mind who is hear for some steamy chapters, this story is rated M for a reason, and they are definitely coming. I've pretty much got the entire story mapped out in my head, and it will take a tiny bit more of these guys getting to know each other, getting some heavy background stories out of the way, and then I promise they won't be able to keep their hands off each other.
Sorry for the long note! Just wanted to get that out there, and hopefully clear up anything that was making people wonder.
Happy reading!
Work was a struggle to get through, yet again. I'd fallen into a deep sleep after showering, collapsing into bed heavily, unconscious before I could even adjust myself.
I'd woken up to a picture of Hugo, twisted in his sleep on his back, his tongue slightly hanging out of his mouth with his head on one of her white and gold pillows. I'd chuckled to myself and replied with a comment about how comfortable he looked.
When I got back to my truck after my shift, I sent her a message asking if she was still happy to come over. I got a thumbs-up in return. I couldn't help my smile as I started the drive home, speeding again with my eagerness to see her.
I got home early enough to shower and change into something a little nicer than my usual t-shirt and jeans. I wanted to make an effort of sorts, without looking like I was trying. I wore a casual buttoned shirt, pushing it up past my elbows, and a pair of comfortable brown pants. I didn't even consider shoes.
I organized a small plate of cheese, crackers and fruits and set it on the dining room table for her arrival. Leah usually spent Sunday nights out before returning to work tomorrow, and I wasn't expecting her for another couple of hours, at least. She would be happy if she managed to make it back before Daisy had left.
I pulled out my phone and sent her a message. I've got a surprise for you. She answered immediately, aggressively pushing for more information, but I ignored it, because said surprise was currently pulling into the driveway, beside my truck.
I met her at the front door, holding it open for her as she stepped out of the rain. She was in her usual ensemble of a dress and over-sized jumper, but this time the skirt of her outfit fell almost to her feet. She kicked off a pair of worn yellow Converse at the front door, emerald colored tights covering her feet underneath. I wondered if she owned any clothing void of color.
"So, what are we cooking, good looking?" she asked, looking toward the kitchen expectantly.
I chuckled, not allowing myself to read into her words past the thought that they were an expression. "I thought I'd show you my favorite pasta tonight. It's all just thrown in the pan together, you can't get it wrong."
"Excellent," she followed me to the dining room table, pausing for a moment to warm herself up in front of the heater I'd turned on for her when I'd gotten home. "You look nice," she commented out of the blue.
A surge of pride welled up inside of me, and I smiled. "You, too. I've got snacks, if you're hungry. We'll start the cooking lesson soon."
She asked me about my day, questioning me about the place I worked and what kind of food we offered. I told her about the people I worked with, and my favorite parts of the job. It was quite a popular restaurant in Port Angeles, and it was rare to have a quiet day. I told her about one irritated customer that simply hadn't wanted to be happy with anything about the service or her meal during our lunch period, and she laughed at my description of the woman and the things my co-workers had had to say about her.
She worked through the cheese and fruit as quickly as I did, until there was nothing left on the plate and we started cooking as if it was a routine we took part in every night.
"I want you to cut these, I like watching," she motioned to the onions and herbs I'd set out on the cutting board and held up the knife for me to take. I went ahead, showing off just a little bit, before telling her to dump it all into the pan.
"You take direction like a pro," I commended her as she stirred through our creation, asking me what she could do next.
It was simmering on the stove when I heard the sounds of Leah's car slowing to turn into it's usual spot, which was currently taken. She parked on the street, and I craned my neck to watch her jump out and walk quickly, excitedly, to the front door.
"My sister's home," I warned Daisy, not sure how she would take the news. Leah must have read further into my message than I'd intended, and she was home a lot earlier than I'd expected. I'd have to toast some bread to make sure there was enough food for everyone.
Daisy's eyes widened with nerves, looking toward the front door. "Leah," she said confidently, as if to prove she knew her name and wouldn't get it wrong.
"That's the one," I turned her back to the stove, handing her the wooden spoon and watching over her as she stirred, not wanting her to freak out about what to do when said sister walked through the door.
"Hey, Leah," I greeted her casually when she turned the handle and stepped inside, her eyes only on the back of my imprint's head, not even caring to look in my direction.
Daisy turned to her and smiled gently. "Leah, this is Daisy. I met her after work a few days ago and offered her some cooking lessons," my eyes held a warning not to say anything about her knowing exactly who Daisy was.
Leah threw me a smirk before she smiled at Daisy, her usual guarded expression vacant from her face. "Hi Daisy. It's nice to meet you," she said earnestly.
"You, too. Seth's told me a lot about you," Daisy replied, lying just a little. I'd been more wrapped up in getting to know her and tell her things about me than small details about my sister. "You're tall, too," Daisy commented as Leah kicked off her shoes and wandered into the kitchen to study the large saucepan.
"Perks of the bloodline," she smirked, taking in a deep breath. "You've done well, Daisy. It smells great."
There was a small blush on her tanned cheeks as she ducked her head. "I wouldn't have been able to do it myself, I'm just the stirrer. It's all Seth."
"You've done a lot," I disagreed, leaving her side to grab a loaf of thick bread and slice it up for the oven. I noticed her lean slightly in my direction as I moved away, and a small voice cheered inside my head. I made her comfortable enough to miss even the smallest of distance now that we were in the company of someone else.
"I'm going to get changed, did you guys want to eat in private?" Leah dropped her cardigan, all for appearances, over the back of one of the chairs at the dining room table and made a start for her bedroom.
I looked to Daisy, allowing her to answer. "Not at all, I'd never tell you no to dinner in your own house," she said happily.
"It'll be ready in five, Lee."
"Awesome," she disappeared into her room, closing the door a little too loudly behind her.
"She's nice," Daisy grinned at me, her stirring forgotten now that we were alone again.
"That's something I don't hear every day," I chuckled. "She's great, but she can seem a bit distant sometimes. Don't be offended if she doesn't join in on conversation with us, okay?" I knew my sister would be able to hear me through the walls separating us, but I said it as much for her benefit as I did my imprint's. I didn't want either of them to feel pressured into acting a certain way for me.
Her eyes trailed toward Leah's room. "I don't understand how someone as welcoming as you could have a distant sister."
I shrugged and pushed the tray of bread into the oven. "Leah's been screwed over by life a bit the way you have. Instead of running away, she bottles it up. She won't be mean to you or anything. I just wanted to let you know incase you worry she doesn't like you."
"Okay," she breathed nervously.
I couldn't have been more wrong. Leah talked the entire time we ate, asking Daisy about her recent move and how she found the area. I was the least talkative during the conversation, practically unable to get a word in, even if I'd wanted to.
My sister's eyes continually travelled to me as they spoke, throwing me small glances that told me she approved, or raising her eyebrows suggestively at inappropriate moments. Daisy didn't seem to notice, returning Leah's questions with just as much enthusiasm.
"So, do you help out with Jake's work around the area as well, Leah?" Daisy asked curiously.
Leah nodded, not missing a beat. "Yeah, I'm kind of Jake's right-hand man of sorts."
"It's nice that you guys all help out. Seth said he does most of the work at night so it doesn't clash with his job. I still don't know what exactly it is you guys are helping out with –"
"Ah, just boring old reservation stuff, this and that," Leah said quickly. "Jake just lets us know what to do and when to do it and we take care of whatever it is. It's pretty mundane work. What is it you do again, Daisy?"
"I own a little online store. I make things and ship them out to people. Wall art, or costume pieces, mostly."
"Oh, have you been doing that for long?"
"About six years," Daisy nodded. "I've slowly added to my collection of things I sell. It's nice to have variety and take commissions, I never do the same thing twice. It keeps it interesting."
"You should introduce her to Emily," Leah turned her attention toward me, and I almost couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth. While I knew she loved our second cousin deeply, there would always be a strained effort to their relationship. Leah wanting to share the new friendship she'd found with my imprint with Emily, of all people, was a shock to me.
"Yeah, I hadn't thought about that, actually."
"Emily was your cousin, wasn't she?" Daisy recalled from looking at the photos. "I can't remember what her husband's name was,"
"Sam," I answered quickly while Leah's mouth twisted. "Emily's really artsy, as well. She focuses on traditional art forms, and she teaches classes on the reservation. I think she'd love to have someone knew to teach, if you'd ever be interested."
"That would be amazing," Daisy leaned toward me with excitement. "I love weaving, but I only know what my grandmother's taught me, and she didn't have access to anything like a class. She learned from my great-grandmother, who's hands were too-far gone after I was born to do anything with them. Some of her work is still hanging in Peggie's house, and it's incredible."
"Well, we'll introduce you at Thanksgiving and you can question Emily all you want. Both of their kids are at school now, she has way more time on her hands than she did last year."
"Oh, we're calling it 'Thanksgiving', now?" Leah raised her eyebrows at me. For obvious reasons, our group of family and friends were not ones to traditionally celebrate the holiday, but we were always happy for the excuse to get together and eat more food than any normal group of people our size wouldn't be able to come close to finishing. "You're coming to the get-together?" Leah smiled gently. "I hope you're okay with crowds."
"Not really," Daisy admitted. "But from what Seth's told me, everyone seems really welcoming. I think I'll be okay now that I know you guys. And if I freak out and have to run away, I'll do it discreetly. I'm very good at disappearing without anyone noticing."
I chuckled quietly. "I thought bringing Daisy along would be a good excuse for Billy to tell the legends. We haven't heard them in a couple of years,"
Leah smirked despite herself and took a long drink of water. "Just don't go sharing all the tribe's secrets," she and Daisy laughed together, and I leaned back into my chair, smiling at how comfortable the two of them seemed to be together.
Leah excused herself not too long after dinner. I washed our dishes, and Daisy hovered over my right shoulder, drying them and stacking them to be put away. She told me she liked Leah, that I didn't need to give her a warning. She also told me not to feel like I had to bring her along to our bonfire at the end of the month, but I insisted I wanted to have her there.
"As I said, I like having you around," I told her gently, my eyes on the sponge in my hand and not on her face. "Besides, you'll be able to meet Nessie. She doesn't have any girlfriends outside of the wives and partners here, and her own family members. It'll be nice for her to meet someone new."
Nessie had been more distant than normal, giving me space to sort through my head with everything going on. I knew she was excited to get to know my imprint herself, though. I couldn't wait for the two of them to meet. Daisy would realize straight away there were absolutely no romantic feelings between myself and Ness, and she could make a girlfriend out of it. I wanted her to have more friends, to feel more at home seeing as she was so far away from everything she was used to. I knew the pack girls would welcome her with open arms and make her feel right at home, and that's what I wanted most for her.
It was almost ten o'clock by the time our conversation turned to the fact I had another twelve-hour shift tomorrow. Daisy was sitting on the couch beside me, the television not turned on, her feet on the cushion in front of her, her arms wrapped around her knees.
"I should head off. I have to pick Hugo up from Stacey's before they go to bed, if they haven't already."
"Okay," I followed her to the front door, holding it open for her. She raised her shoulders and tugged down the sleeves on her sweater to cover her hands, shivering audibly as the cold wind hit her. "Thanks for coming out tonight,"
"Thanks for having me," she turned her back to the door, looking up at me through her eyelashes. "I really liked dinner again, of course." She pursed her lips in thought for a moment. "I won't see you tomorrow,"
"Probably not," I admitted, trying not to look upset by this. We both kept a neutral expression as she nodded in understanding. I didn't have to patrol tomorrow night, but I knew it would look like I was too eager to see her if she was aware I'd worked a twelve-hour shift, and then visited after. Not to mention, I hadn't had the greatest sleep schedule since we'd been spending time together. I was usually asleep a fair bit earlier than I had been most of the nights we'd spent together.
"Well, don't work too hard. You finish early on Tuesday, don't you?"
"Sure do," I smiled, hoping tomorrow would be over and done with quickly, so I could have two and a half full days to fill with seeing my imprint.
"Well, let me know if you need someone to hang out with. You know I won't be doing anything," she grinned and took a step backwards, out of the door, though she hovered under the small cover instead of standing in the rain. "I hope you have sweet dreams, Seth."
"You too. Drive safely, okay?"
"I will," she promised, nodding. The small smile from the previous night was back on her face, and I felt it on mine as well. I was stuck painfully between wanting to tell her to get to her car, out of the cold, and wanting her to stay and look at me like that forever. "We should go to the beach again," she said quietly.
"Yeah, we'll do that. I'll have a look at what the weather's meant to be like for this week. Hopefully we get at least one day without rain."
"Yeah…goodnight, Seth," she didn't make a move to leave.
"Goodnight…let me know if you need anything, okay? Even if you're just feeling lonely and want someone to talk to. I have a whole hour's drive home from work, I could call you or something."
"Okay," her face was tilted up to me, and I kept mine lowered toward her, making a conscious effort not to lean my body. We both stood completely upright, only our small, shy smirks and angled faces giving anything away that there was something new flickering between us.
"Okay," I repeated after a few seconds. Her teeth had started chattering in our silence, and I sighed, knowing I couldn't keep her out there forever. "Go and get the heating on in your car. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
She nodded, the excitement in her eyes dulling a little as she finally took another step back, into the light rain. She murmured one more quiet goodbye, and turned to walk to the little yellow car in my driveway. I stayed in the doorway, waiting for her headlights to light up and waved as she began reversing, not stepping inside until she was out of the drive and well and truly out of my sight.
The next two weeks were spent much the same way. We would speak on the phone as I drove home from work, she would tell me about the work she'd gotten done through the day and ask how my day had been, from start to finish. The days I had my long shifts I made the decision to catch up on sleep and ignore the longing that filled me with the awareness I wouldn't be seeing her for over twenty-four hours. Those days were the worst.
The afternoons I had free I would see her. She would come out to visit me, or I would stop at her house and we'd make dinner together. The nights I patrolled I would keep a close distance to her house in between long runs on our usual path. The guys let me have it, and I listened to their jokes and snide comments with an internal grin. I didn't need them to tell me I was whipped, I was well aware.
Tuesday afternoons through Thursday nights were spent watching movies, listening to music, or at the beach, when the weather was good enough. She liked to walk the forest tracks, and pick up seashells to carry before placing them back on the sand when we were leaving. She never took anything from the beach, and something about that made me smile.
On nights that I didn't have patrol and wasn't feeling overly tired, I would watch from a distance in the woods, whoever it was on patrol telling me I should be past the stalker phase by now. It comforted me to see her sit in her bed and read, stitch projects, or talk on the phone. I never heard the other sides of the conversation, but I could usually pick up on what was going on. Her sister seemed to be up at all hours of the night, and their few conversations I eavesdropped on were strained in a way that made me feel Daisy was in a sort of parental roll with her younger sibling. She would ask how Noah was doing, check up on what her mother was up to, and asked if Nena had heard from their father. She'd told me once before they both doubted they were full sisters, but it seemed they'd come to a mutual understanding that they were not to discuss it.
There was one night where Daisy told her sister she was considering going home for Christmas, but she hadn't made any decisions yet. She hadn't told me there was any chance she'd be leaving for the holidays, but I didn't let my disappointment linger. She had no reason to inform me of her thoughts on the subject. I was her friend, not her boyfriend.
Every single night we spent together was full of light conversation and compliments to one another. There was no more heavy talk of her family, previous relationship, or the things that had led her to leave her old life behind and make the move. She would occasionally tuck her feet under my thighs while we sat on her couch, the same way she had the first night I'd visited. We would stare at each other in a way that normally would be uncomfortable with two people learning to understand each other, but she seemed comfortable to be doing so. She rarely touched me with her hands, but on a couple of occasions she would grab my arm as she laughed hard at something I'd said, always telling me she was worried I'd gone and gotten myself sick and had a fever.
And every single night, while I was leaving, we would stand on either side of the door, smiling at each other as though we both were sharing a secret we didn't want to speak aloud and saying multiple goodnights. It were those times I wondered how she was feeling, whether she was getting over her aversion to relationships. I couldn't see any other reason as to why she seemed so set on not wanting me to leave, as if we hadn't said a proper goodbye.
It was Wednesday night, the twenty-third of November, and though two weeks together should have been more than enough time to run out of things to say, but our conversation still managed to flow as easily as it had the first couple of days I'd spent time with her.
I was leaning against the back of her couch, my legs outstretched on the floor in front of us. Hugo had decided to take up an entire third of the space, his head on the arm rest as he snored quietly. He had his back legs extended onto Daisy's thighs, and she rested her head in her hand on the back of the couch as she watched me, listening to me tell her what to expect from the bonfire tomorrow night.
"I don't want them to think they need to tell the legends purely because I'll be there," she told me self-consciously. "They might wonder why I'm there at all."
"Nah, they're excited to share the stories," I insisted. "Ness can't wait to meet you, either. I think she'll be happy to have another girl around. All the other girls are native, and she's told me a couple of times she loves them like sisters, but she feels a bit separated from the rest of them." I left out the part that she was the only girl, beside my sister, that had supernatural powers.
"I hope she approves of me. I don't want her to be mad that I've stolen her best friend away from her."
I laughed, letting her know she had nothing to worry about. "Nessie is the least jealous person in the world. Besides, I feel like she would have been the one to avoid me; she and Jake have been making a few advancements, and something tells me that she wouldn't have the time for me she normally does."
"They're together now?" Daisy asked curiously. She hadn't commented on the age gap again, and I wondered if it still bothered her.
"I guess so," Ness had called me almost a week ago with some very obscure words. I know she was waiting to tell me what had happened in person, and I was interested to see if there was any noticeable chance between her and Jake tomorrow night. I hadn't had patrol with Jake since anything had happened between them, but a couple of the guys had said his thoughts were even more painful than normal, whatever that meant.
We fell silent for a while. I saw her fingers twitch a couple of times, out of the corner of my eye, until she finally moved her hand and traced from the inside of my elbow to a couple of inches short above my wrist. "What is this from? I always see it, and I didn't want to ask."
I lowered my eyes to her fingers, already knowing what she was referring to. The long, raised scar was a reminder of my first kill, from the battle before Bella had been changed and was being hunted by a red-headed vampire out for revenge. I'd managed to take down the other vampire, but his fingers had gotten a grip on me at some point, not that I'd noticed at the time. I had kept the scars, bringing them to my human form as well. Teeth and fingernails from vampires were the one thing that could leave a permanent mark on us, and it was something I didn't notice, having gone more than half of my life wearing it around.
"It happened years ago. It was just an accident from when I was a teenager. I don't even realize it's there, most of the time."
She frowned, her fingers gliding back and forth along it, and I sighed in contentment at the feeling. "You didn't do it to yourself, did you?"
I suddenly turned my head to look at her. "God, no." There was a strong amount of concern when she looked up at me, and I frowned at her, questioning silently why she'd asked.
"Sorry, it's always bothered me, but I didn't want to say anything…I've had someone in my life I'd had to deal with that kind of stuff with in the past, but I knew it was best not to push it. I didn't want you to feel like that."
"I'm okay, Daisy," I promised her. "Who was it, if you don't mind me asking?"
She smiled sadly and shook her head, looking down at my arm again. "It was a really close family friend. She passed away when she was nineteen." The finality in her voice told me I didn't want to ask the reason why she'd died.
"Hey," I caught her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. She didn't remove it from my grasp, but she didn't return the gesture, her hand relaxing into mine completely as I held it. "You're okay, aren't you?"
"I am," she told me quietly. "I'm actually happier now than I've been in a long time. I'm starting to feel like myself. It's nice not having to answer to people about why I'm not good enough," she gasped out the last part in a quiet laugh designed to tell me it was a joke, but I clenched my teeth and tightened my hand around hers, rubbing her wrist with my thumb gently.
"I wish you didn't feel like that," I sighed. "You know you're good enough, right? There's no one here to tell you otherwise."
"I could be better," she murmured, her hand squeezing mine back so minutely if I didn't have my acute senses I might have missed it.
"So, tomorrow," I changed the subject, trying to get her back to the bright and sunny girl I was quickly becoming more and more infatuated with by the day. "I have the whole day off. Everyone brings a few plates of food. Did you want to come over earlier and make a few things to take with me? We'll stick to simple stuff, usually it's cleared out faster than it's set down. We've planned to meet up around five o'clock, so we'll have plenty of time for you to gather your thoughts before you meet everyone."
"Sure," she agreed with a small smile, still looking down at the couch, her eyes focused on the fabric instead of our hands. Her shoulders were pulled back nervously, as if she wasn't able to fully relax. "Don't feel like you have to babysit me, though. I will know if I'm too anxious to go, or hang around once we get there. I don't want you to follow me if it happens, just stay and have fun. I'm going to try my hardest to not do the whole panic attack thing, but I thought I'd better prepare you incase it happens."
I didn't share her laugh. "If you don't feel up to it, let me know beforehand. I'd love to have you there, but I don't want you to go if you're uncomfortable just because you know it would make me happy."
"I want to go. I want to meet everyone. I feel like I already know them, from what you've told me. I'm excited. And Leah will be there, so it's not like I will be walking into a group of people not knowing anyone. I can sit with her if you want to mingle with everyone else and I'm not doing great."
"You'll be fine," I told her gently. "The guys are great. There's not one person there that thinks so highly of themselves that they won't want to speak to you. And they all know you're coming, so don't think you showing up will be a surprise to anyone."
"You told all of them you were bringing me?" she looked up at me, her eyes full of surprise. I remembered her telling me, weeks ago, that her ex boyfriend hadn't let her meet his friends, though they'd dated for a few years. I wondered if that was something she was thinking about now.
"Of course, you're important to me."
"Have you brought anyone besides your ex-girlfriends to these things before?" she asked curiously.
I shook my head. "I didn't actually take them to any of our bonfires, honestly. They never heard the legends or anything. They'd mostly meet everyone at birthday parties, or if we ran into them."
"Why me?" she asked in a whisper.
I smiled at her, as gently as I could. She was meeting everyone soon enough, and she was going to hear things that would, on our end, welcome her into the pack, though she wouldn't be aware of it at the time. I might as well be honest with her, even if it had the potential to freak her out and push me away.
"You're important to me, Daisy. I want you to be a part of my life. I value your company more than anyone I've ever met before."
She blushed deeply and chewed on her bottom lip. "You know, there are a million girls out there who are better than me, Seth. I don't want you sticking around now to realize I'm not as special as you seem to think I am."
"I disagree." I ended the conversation.
It was nearing midnight before we stood from our places. We weren't used to having such late nights together, and I knew she was usually in bed a couple of hours before this when she was by herself. The last hour of us speaking was interrupted by yawns and heavy heads, but our hands stayed linked together, neither of us adjusting our postures so we wouldn't have to let go. My thumb continued to brush against her skin at odd intervals, and her hand had shifted somewhere along the way to link our fingers, which had just about made my stomach do a back-flip.
I was the first to initiate our goodbye, as usual. I had taken it upon myself to leave her each time, knowing she was too nice to kick me out and completely aware that if I didn't do so, I'd stay with her forever. I helped her to her feet, grinning when she yawned so widely she had to cover her mouth with both hands.
"Wear something warm tomorrow. I can come out and pick you up, if you want."
She shook her head. "That would be silly, you live so close to the beach. I'll come out whenever you're ready. I don't have much work to get done in the morning."
"You shouldn't be working on a holiday," I scolded her gently.
She gave me a funny smirk. "Is it okay to say you shouldn't be celebrating said holiday?"
I threw my head back and laughed loudly. "We don't really call it 'Thanksgiving', honestly. We just look for any excuse to have a party, and if the majority of the country is doing it, it seems as good as any."
She chuckled and followed me to the front door. I raised my fingers to the handle, but she caught my arm as I did, tugging me to face her. And before I could register what she was doing, she closed the distance in between us, wrapping her arms around my waist as she rested her head on my chest. My own arms found their way around her shoulders and I held her to me, gentle enough that she would have been able to step away, but surrounding her so I could feel as much of her small frame as possible.
We stayed like that for far too long, neither of us wanting to end our hug. It was the second time she'd hugged me, and I knew she would be able to hear how heavy and quick my heart beats were against her cheek. I wasn't as embarrassed as I should have been though, because she was reacting the exact same way. There was definitely something she was feeling, I decided in that moment. I wasn't going to push her any further, not wanting to make the first move. She'd let me know a romantic relationship wasn't something she was seeking, and I would be patient until she did something to tell me she'd changed her mind.
When she finally pulled away, she looked up at me, her expression expectant, but her eyes guarded. The smile I'd come to expect as we parted ways wasn't here tonight, and I looked back at her with just as much seriousness.
"I'll see you tomorrow," she mumbled. I reached behind me to open the door, stepping out silently.
"Sweet dreams," I almost whispered on the porch. She nodded in response, returning the sentiment as she watched me walk to my truck, closing the door as I left her street.