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“No. Because I like you too. Even before I found out you were my fated mate. I want to know more about you. Will you tell me about your ex?”
Andrew flinches and I rush to apologize. “No,” he says, a sad smile on his face. “It’s okay. Yeah, I’ll tell you about him.” Exhaling slowly, he runs his hands through his hair. “Carlton was generally happy all the time. Not as happy as you,” he mentions with a wry smile, “but always had a pleasant attitude. I thought we were good together. But I worked a lot. Advancing in my career was important, but I didn’t think I took anything from our relationship. I thought it was still good. It wasn’t until I proposed to him on Christmas Day two years ago that I realized how wrong I was.” Andrew turns more towards me, holding out his hand. I place mine in his palm and his warm hand envelopes it, making me smile. “You don’t remind me of Carlton in looks or your drive. He wanted to be a house husband, raising kids. There’s nothing wrong with that, but that’s not you. I can tell. Initially, you may have reminded me of him because of your love of the holidays, but I don’t think you’re like him at all. You couldn’t be more different if you were an alpha.”
“I mean, I could,” I joke, squeezing his hand.
We smile at each other, my cheeks hurting from how it hasn’t slipped from my face.
“What now?” my Scrooge asks.
Shrugging, I put my Winny’s down and slide closer to him. “I’m not sure, Scrooge. Maybe we should … see what this fated mates thing means.”
He sucks in a breath, and I smile, knowing where his mind is. “What do you mean?” His voice takes on a husky quality.
“Well,” I drawl, sliding my hand from his and trailing my fingers up his arm. “We could …” I slide over more and put my face close to his. I watch his pupils dilate and he nervously licks his lips. “Find a movie and get some takeout.” I move away and grin mischievously.
Looking dumbfounded for a moment, Andrew’s mouth breaks into a big smile and he chuckles. “You’re going to be trouble.”
“Maybe.”
Shaking his head, he opens an app on his phone, and we order some food. While he’s finalizing the order, I grab the remote and turn the TV on. I see him tense out of the corner of my eye, but I ignore it. I have no intention of making him uncomfortable when I know things he doesn’t like. After scrolling through the streaming apps, I find what I’m looking for—the latest vampire movie. I’ve been wanting to watch it since I saw the previews last month.
“This okay?” I ask, turning to him.
“Yeah. I thought you’d want to watch something … snowy.”
I bark a laugh and shake my head. “Nah, we can give it a break for a bit. I watch holiday movies all year round, so I’m not missing anything.”
Quietly, he says, “I watched one last night. I liked it.”
“But you don’t want to watch more,” I finish his thoughts for him.
He blows out a breath. “Not right now, no.”
“All good.” Testing the limits of what he’ll let me do after teasing him, I pull my feet from under me and drape them over his lap. Andrew doesn’t even look at me as he pulls them higher and rubs them lightly. His eyes are focused on the TV, absorbing the movie while I take subtle glances at him.
He’s so relaxed, which is surprising since we don’t know each other very well. But he’s trusting this fated thing. Hell, why not? I’ve heard about the legends of fated mates and there has never been a case of abuse or mistreatment. From what the stories of old say, fated mates would never intentionally hurt their mate—it would be like hurting themselves. I hope that holds true for Andrew because I already feel that way about him.
Fated mates are weird.
We watch the movie in silence, only moving when the food is delivered. What I find strange but comforting is how fluid Andrew and I move. There’s no hassling over the food or how we move around each other. When I think back to how we worked together to set everything up at the booth, we moved seamlessly, not really talking when we were decorating, seeming to know what the other wanted. The most we did was discuss how we might want things, then let instincts guide us from there.
I should have guessed there was something going on.
After we eat, instead of putting my feet back in his lap, I lean over, cuddling close. After a moment’s hesitation, he wraps his arm around me and I sigh, more comfortable than I’ve been in years.
The movie ends and I stretch, turning to face Andrew with a smile. “How was that?”
“Good. Do you want to watch something else? Or do you want me to leave? Or …” his voice trails off as his cheeks turn pink. “I probably should have asked if you wanted me to leave first.”
I shake my head. “I don’t. I’m having a good time.”
“Me too,” he mumbles, putting his arm back around me. Then he yawns wide enough for his jaw to crack. It seems to take him by surprise. “I haven’t been sleepy during the day in a long time. I should probably head home and take a quick nap.”
I’m shaking my head before he can finish the sentence. “No, stay here. I can use a nap myself.”
His eyes peel wide. “Sleep with you?”
Despite my best efforts, I curl in on myself, not sure what I’m feeling. I don’t like the sting of rejection, but it feels harsher with Andrew. “Yeah, if you want,” I say barely above a whisper.
