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We had a match.
I finished up in the bathroom and kept my earbuds on while I made my way to the kitchen, my stomach already squeezing inside me. After waking up, the thoughts of breakfast ruled my world—that and coffee.
While I cut up the makings of a veggie omelet and put the coffee on, I plucked my earbuds off and sighed, letting what I’d seen that morning come to the forefront of my thoughts.
The female Collyn and I matched with would’ve knocked me on my ass if I had been standing when I saw her picture. Immediately, the differences between her and Sela shouted at me. Sela kept her dark-brown hair at a length that hung right below her shoulders. Our match had long, flowing fiery curls that took over the picture. The tips of my fingers itched to reach through the screen to feel their softness, let the tendrils curl around my hand.
Guilt shot through my veins at thinking of another female in that way. Collyn and I waited for Sela, yearned for her touch every moment of every day, and now, here I groaned, wanting to feel another.
Forcing myself to put the phone down, I finished cooking breakfast, complementing the veggie omelet with some oatmeal, and portioned myself out half. The sound of water running caught my attention, letting me know that my friend was up and about and would be down shortly. While I took my time getting ready, he was a shower, brush teeth, run out the door kind of guy. He would only slow to eat breakfast.
My gaze flitted to my phone over and over while I pretended to concentrate on my breakfast. But, Haven’s icy-blue eyes captured my full attention. Completely different than Sela’s green ones and yet, my chest constricted, knowing that I had to tell Collyn about her.
I couldn’t not tell him about her.
“Morning,” he grumped as he entered the kitchen. He beelined straight for the coffeepot and filled a travel cup before adding creamer. No sugar for him.
“How’d you sleep?” I asked, postponing the inevitable. Finding a match, a mate, on an app should’ve been exciting, a happy thing, but instead, I worried about telling my friend about the one we had been matched to.
He would question it, as had I. Honestly, I was still questioning the whole thing.
My wolf? Not a doubt in his mind.
“Same as always. Thanks for the food.” He sat across from me but perched on the edge of the chair as though he was ready to go as soon as the last bite was taken. Same as always meant he slept like shit.
I relied on supplements to help me, but he refused them. He wore not sleeping like a badge of honor. If he had insomnia, then that showed his dedication to mourning our mate—at least, that’s how I interpreted it.
“We have a match on the app,” I blurted before I chickened out.
He jerked in the chair. “Already? I thought you said it would take time.”
Shrugging, I reached for my phone. “I thought it would. We were matched over shared interests, I suppose.”
“What shared interests?”
“Not sure. Do you…do you want to see her?”
Pictures were worth a thousand words, so Haven had to be a damned millionaire word-wise. I hoped at least one of those spoke to my friend.
Because I was ready to message her—now.
Sure, guilt remained, and my wolf still whined when I thought about Sela, but more powerful than his memories was the hope of someone else.
He pushed his empty plate aside and sat back, scrubbing his hands over his face. “Yes.” I opened the app and pushed the phone toward him once I got to her picture. “Haven,” he breathed.
“She’s gorgeous, right?”
Collyn swallowed and nodded. “But just because she’s matched with us doesn’t mean she will accept the match or we…it’s not guaranteed.”
“No,” I responded. “Doesn’t mean that, but what is your wolf saying?”
He and I both sat back in our chairs and paused. This was a lot to think about, but that was all we’d done for the past few years. Think. Regret. Think some more. Overthink. Dissect said thoughts until they didn’t make sense. Rinse and repeat.
Now was the time to act. No more standing still.
“What’s the next step?” Collyn asked, surprising me.
“You like her? He likes her?” I referred to his wolf. Mine had already made the choice earlier that morning.
