I walk into Ellie's house ready to get movie night over with. Honestly if it wasn't my turn to pick a movie I would probably ditch. I know I'm being immature about everything but I can't help it. I want her and I am hurt she doesn't want us back. I understand her reasonings, I do but I don't agree with them. I think we could be great and our bond, our friendship would be stronger even if she isn't our fated mate.
"Hey Asher! Where's your better half?" Mr. Berk jokes when he sees me.
"Right here Mr. Berk." Alex calls has he walks in behind me, slapping my back. "Where's Ellie?"
"She's upstairs. How about I help you set up and Ash can go grab her?" Mr. Berk suggests and I grumble under my breath. He has no clue what's going on so to him it's completely normal for me to grab is daughter and our best friend from her room while Alex and he set up the movie projector.
I nod and head up to her room, greeting Mrs. Berk while I pass who's in the kitchen getting all the snacks together. I get to Ellie's room and the door is cracked open with music playing and I push the door open more and watch her. She's shaking her hips and singing to the song and a small smile forms on my lips. This is normal, familiar.
Then, still not noticing I am in her doorway, she drops her jeans and I get a glimpse of her perfectly round ass in a thong and internally groan while Alaric stands at attention and urges me to go in and pull her body to us, to touch her. He flashes images in my head from camping and I groan out loud as I start to harden which catches her attention and she whips around.
"Shit." She says as she quickly grabs the sweatpants on her bed and rushes to put them on. "Sorry, I-i didn't realize you were standing there. I-i was just changing into something comfy for the movie." She bites her lip and that action alone makes me want to pin her to the bed and make her mine. *But I can't she just wants to remain friends.*
I clear my throat, balling my hands into fists at my side. "It's okay, you're dad just sent me to get you."
She nods her head. "I'll be right down."
I turn on my heels and bolt back down the stairs before I do something I may regret, like marking my best friend against her will before telling her what I am and causing her to hate me for the rest of our lives. *It's going to be a long night.*
Ellie's POV
I am so embarrassed. I didn't realize Asher was standing there watching me. It use to be a normal thing for him to come up and get me and watch me dance around my room but now it's awkward, especially since I took off my jeans to put on sweats without even realizing he was standing there.
I would have been embarrassed before my birthday if I did that, mainly because he had never seen me naked but now that he has it somehow made it worse. Probably because before he would of made some stupid quip to ease the tension, but now he stood there with desire in his eyes and then bolted the second I said I would be right there. *yeah our friendship is ruined and I don't know if we will ever get back to normal.*
I walk downstairs to the living room, face flushed and head towards the couch. Alex smiles up at me when I enter the room and Asher doesn't even look at me. *great*
"Hey little wolf, everything alright, you look a little red?" Dad asks studying my face.
"Yeah, just embarrassed myself in front of Ash is all." I answer as honestly as I can.
Dad laughs, "Fall again? I'm sure he's use to it by now."
"Something like that." I mumble and dad laughs harder, not prying. He would never assume that I basically mooned my best friend after he had already seen me naked but I decided to keep us in the friend zone so now it's awkward between us.
I sit down in my usual spot right between the twins and I see Asher tense from the corner of my eye and he shifts further away making my shoulders slump. Alex leans in like his normal self and just squeezes my shoulder.
"Just give him time." He whispers and I just nod and fiddle with my shirt pulling my knees up to my chest and wait for the movie to start.
*How much time could he possibly need? It's been months and things are definitely not the same.*
Alex's POV
I can feel the tension in the room. Honestly it's so thick I'm surprised Mr. And Mrs. Berk haven't noticed.
Asher is pulling away from our girl. He's been putting more and more space between them since she decided to stay friends. I don't blame him, he's hurt, heck I'm hurt too but he's always been the more emotional one. I am more logical.
I understand Ellie's decision better that he does. Even though we were both there in our wolf forms as she talked out her thoughts, I was able to fully understand where she was coming from, maybe because I know that we have a mate out there and if Ellie isn't it then we will break her heart because ultimately we will leave her for another and she's trying to protect that heart. She would rather keep our friendship intact than lose us completely. One day Asher will understand but he needs time. More time than any of really understand but I know my twin he will eventually come around.
I keep trying to comfort Ellie, to let her know he will come around but I can tell his distance is hurting her. I'm sure it doesn't help that we have been more busy with Alpha training this year as well. She thinks it's college preparation but we can't tell her the real reason why since she's human.
When she comes downstairs with a flush face, I know something happened. The way Asher is not looking at her and trying to sit as far away from her as possible without alerting her parents that there's something different between us, makes me believe whatever it was is making him want to pull even further away from her.
So I do what I always do, I lean in and tell her he just needs time because he does. He needs time to move past his desire for her, to realize that having her as a friend is more important than that desire to claim her and to remember we have a mate out there and that Ellie's decision was the best for all of us in the end.