ke


    Nora''s mother, Ste, is talking on the phone with Nora. Leo''s angelic powers somehow teleported her there. There is no exnation, but it''s a relief to hear that Nora is fine. I''m not sure what I would do if she was injured...


    Lily res at me from her seat. "Can you put up that private conversation spell again?"


    I arch an eyebrow. "You got something to say?"


    "You bet I do."


    Rolling my eyes, I lift the barrier around us again, and Lily immediately looks ready to attack me.


    Her mouth opens, and the venom spills out...


    "I can''t believe you asked my sister straight out if she likes you. You put her on the spot and made her ufortable for no reason! No wonder Leo''s powers teleported her away from here-Nora must have felt threatened, and her future mate saved her!" Future mate, huh?


    I snort, tired of it all. "I asked Nora that question because I wanted to hear the answer. Not because I wished to hurt her. Believe me, hurting Nora is thest thing I want. It would be like hurting myself, no, wait, it would actually be worse than hurting myself." Confusion hits Lily''s features as she processes my words, but her expression remains angry. "Well, it was an insensitive question and not something easily answered!"


    Laughter sips out through my lips, and I can''t stop it. I''m in inner turmoil and pain. Confused beyond relief.


    "I know it wasn''t the best question to ask Nora, okay?" I snap at Lily and rake my fingers through my dark hair. "Nothing I can do about that now, though... Nora makes me stupid, and sometimes I act without thinking around her. All my rational thoughts disappear around that woman..."


    Lily widens her eyes. "Oh-my-god," she whispers. "You like my sister, don''t you? That''s why you wanted to know how she felt about you. You''ve caught feelings for her, ke..."


    There is no point in denying it. "You''re right," I show Lily a glimpse of my teeth with a pained smile. "I like Nora more than a friend... I''ve fallen for her."


    "But why?" Lily stares at me. "You know Leo is probably her mate, while you belong to Erika!"


    That''s right, Nora belongs to Leo, and I belong to Erika; I drop my head to avoid thinking about it, but it haunts me.


    I''ve spent six years by Nora''s side. In her eyes, we might just be best friends, but we were so much more in mine.


    "You don''t choose who you fall for," I smile because it feels like I now know the true meaning behind the words. "I fell for Nora... And it was pretty much game over from the beginning..."


    My words cut underneath my skin.


    Damn it.


    It gets harder to breathe when I think about Nora. She is a beautiful girl with ming red hair. In each and every memory, I see it, wild and long. Surrounding her face, spilled out on myp and in my hands whenever I brushed it for her.


    We grew so close, and now as her twentieth birthday is approaching, I''m hurting all over because I know I will lose her. It''s hard to force a smile around her, but I''m doing it.


    Love is patient, and love is kind. It doesn''t boast or brag. That''s why I''m sitting back and letting fate happen. I want Nora to be happy. And the original n was to hide my emotions.


    I thought I might forget about Nora once I met Erika again, but now I''m panicking inside the car because my heart wants to fight. I don''t want to give up on Nora.


    "You fell for Nora... Well, of course, you did! Have you forgotten about Erika?" Lily asks. "ke, are you listening to me right now-"


    "How could Erika possiblypare to Nora when all she ever did was reject me while Nora has been by my side for thest six years?"


    "But Erika was your mate!" Lily exims.


    "And so what?!" I bark out. "Erika was a closed-off shell, and she hurt me more than anything by not opening up to me. I had to fight for that mate, but Nora is different. She trusts me. She believes in me. She is my friend. She makes meugh."


    Lily stares at me after I''ve snapped and raised my voice. I feel terrible, but I can''t bottle things inside me anymore. Things need to get out of my system, so I continue.


    "I''ve spent six years being Nora''s best friend. At first, it was innocent, but I''m not a superhero, Lily. How do I prevent myself from falling for a girl who opens up and trusts mepletely?"


    She stares at me. "Uhhh-"


    I continue my rant. "For six years, I''ve slept beside Nora in my fairy form to keep her nightmares away. Did you know that Nora used to cry every night because she thought she had f****d up the timelines? Do you know that thought still worries her? Did you know that she is afraid of the damn dark?"


    By now, Lily''s anger has faded. Her eyes are glued to me, and I sigh before continuing to talk.


    "It would have been impossible to not fall for her, Lily. Especially when Leo stopped replying to Nora''s messages, and I had to step in and spend MORE time with her to cheer her up... Erika might be my mate, Lily, but the mate-bond isn''t something set in stone. At least, that''s what I believe. Sometimes we fall for people we aren''t fated to and reject our mates. And rtionships can function without people being fated mates. Take humans, for example. I don''t see them marrying each other because of a stupid mate-bond." Lily inhales. "Holy s**t, ke... This is a lot to take in. I didn''t know you liked Nora that much..."


    Iugh in bitterness. "Well, I''m trying not to, but it''s pointless..."


    Lily gives me a sad smile, and the car ride continues. I stare out through the window, wishing things were different.


    How do you stop loving someone?


    My head feels like it might be ready to explode, and my heart is bleeding inside my chest. I''m a mess, and I don''t know what to do about my feelings for Nora.


    Do I just find Erika and try to forget about Nora?


    Ha.


    Even I''m not stupid enough to believe that will happen. No, because Nora has the kind of brightugh that can stain your soul and make you beg to hear it again. Most of my memories are of us messing with each other.


    I was there for every graduating party, lying to Nora''s friends that I was her boyfriend and making their eyes bulge out of their sockets. Nora med in red, of course, andter, I would hear a piece of her mind, but it was okay because I had her attention. If only we could have pretended for a while longer...


    I might just be a chapter of Nora''s life, someone she will forget once the mate-bondes to life between her and Leo. But I know I won''t forget about her. I''ve got more of her in veins than blood.


    So what now?


    Do I fight, or do I just give up?