His Sunshine Baby

Where your heart settles

I can’t believe my best friend. Of all things, why did he choose to remind me of my ex right now, this is so unfair! I throw a cushion at him, annoyed.

“Seriously, Danny? Why do you even have to mention that damn jerk, I just spent one night with a guy, that’s it!”

“It’s not just one guy, Elena, we’re talking about the brother of this City’s Alpha King, and he’s probably just as dangerous,” he replies right back, frowning.

This time I’m the one rolling my eyes. Why does my best friend have to act overprotective now! 

“And I’m never seeing him ever again, Danny, ok? Seriously, it was a one-time thing, that’s all it was, we made it clear from the beginning! He could have been any guy of Silver City, it would probably have been the same! And I’m not making the same mistake twice, Danny, I’ve learned my lesson, trust me.”

He stays silent for a while, considering me. I’m done mentioning my damn ex, he better not bring it up again!

He takes a long sip, and I wish I knew what he’s thinking. Daniel is my best friend, but sometimes, I can’t decipher him. After a long minute, he sighs and puts his cup down on the table.

“Alright, I get it. A one-night stand. Ok, babe, your call. Just promise me you are never seeing Nathaniel Black or going to that Nightclub ever again. Promise me you won’t go near his territory, Babe.”

I sigh.

“I won’t, Danny, I promise.”

I never intended to go there again after that anyway.  I know what Danny is scared about, but that just won’t happen. A single night between strangers, that all it was…

“...Seems like you had a good time.”

I blush. How could he read my mind right now! I growl, annoyed, but he shakes his head.

“Don’t get mad at me, you’re the one having dirty thoughts so early in the morning! So, you want to tell me about your wild night with Blondie?”

“You do know you’re blonde too, right?”

We bicker for a few minutes, but I end up telling everything to Daniel. Well, not the details, of course, but just enough for my best friend to have a general idea. He listens to me while preparing some breakfast for the two of us with whatever’s in the fridge. I’m not really a good cook, and aside from a few family recipes, I’d rather leave the cooking to Danny. 

When I’m done talking, back to when I left the Hotel, he brings me a bowl with a mix of fruits, cereals and a bit of almond milk. 

“You know, babe, that sounds like an awesome night of s*x, but… Are you sure that’s all there was?” He asks while sitting next to me, our knees touching.

“What do you mean?”

He sighs and takes a spoonful of his bowl.

“I’ve had my share of one-night stands, you know, and this doesn’t sound like one. I mean, from my experience, men usually do their business quickly and go, especially one who says they don’t want to get attached. But here, your guy took you to a suite, stayed the whole night, asked for seconds, was gentle and all…” 

“He owned this suite, for the reminder. And men are not all beasts, Danny. Besides, the s*x was really good, so doing it… Well, more than once was probably just about enjoying it. That’s all.”

He shrugs and makes a smug face before filling his mouth again.

“Well, you were lucky then. The guy was a gentleman… Never happened to me.” 

I feel a bit sorry hearing this. Daniel has one-night stands too, but I never saw him in a relationship that lasted longer than a couple of weeks… Of course, my best friend is the sweetest, most adorable guy of Silver City, but sadly, all he ever went out with always turned out to be jerks, stupid boys testing their curiosity or even married men. Moreover, Daniel is so busy with his studies, except for our Friday nights, he barely has any time to look for a companion. I just wish he would find his own man already, but I feel like he’s half given up. Guess one heart can’t take too many bruises… 

I put my hand on his knee. 

“Come on, Danny, I bet we’ll find you a nice man. The nicest, most committed guy in all Silver City.” 

He scoffs.

“Thank you, honey, but that only happens in TV shows. Wait until you realize they were just testing the waters with you.” 

This time, I give Danny a slap on his leg. He groans in protest, but I don’t care. I won’t take his pessimism today! 

“Don’t say that! There’s got to be one gay gentleman out there for you, and we are going to find him! Tonight, we are going to Pepe’s, and you get laid!” 

He raises an eyebrow.

“Who are you, and what have you done to my Babe? Get laid? Girl, one night with Black and you start talking like me!” 

I laugh. Well, I do feel like I broke off a few barriers. I feel a lot better, enough to be the optimistic half of our pair for the day. 

“You know what? Ditch your work for today. We clear our schedules, and we have fun, just the two of us!”

“Elena, I have to go to the Uni check on my experiments, and you have a whole bunch of bustling teenagers to train.”

“You can call and ask for one of your colleagues to take over for one day, Danny. You spent the whole night working your ass off! And the kids won’t die from a day without training either. Come on, just for today.” 

He opens and closes his mouth. I can tell he’s tempted, so I give him a flicker of eyelashes and act cute while he’s still hesitating. After a while, he smiles and takes out his phone. Yes! 

“Sylviana? It’s Danny. Do you think you could do me a favor and… Oh, well, yeah. Really? Are you sure? ...Thank you, girl! I’ll buy you lunch next week. See you.” 

I have a bright smile on. Danny’s off the hook and all mine today! I want to ask him what he wants to do, but before that, he hands me my smartphone.

“You call Chris and tell him to do a self-class with the kids. It’s always better than having one of them tell your uncle you never showed up.” 

I sigh and obey him, calling my cousin. Thankfully, Chris is already more than able to train himself, and so are most of my usual trainees. He laughs when I tell him about my plan to just enjoy myself with Danny today.

“I approve of that! Have a good day, you two, and don’t worry about my dad!” 

And with that, he hangs up. I smile at Daniel, but to my surprise, my best friend grabs my hand and takes me to my room. Without a word, he just pushes me on the bed and lays beside me. 

“I’m not going anywhere before I take a long nap,” he says before closing his eyes. “And you could use one too.”

I laugh at his adorable yawning face, but he’s not wrong… I only slept a couple hours at best last night. I sigh a close my eyes too, trying to ignore the volatile memories of blue eyes, a warm embrace, and a fancy suite while finding sleep. 

A few hours later, as promised, Daniel and I are hanging out without a worry on our minds. We woke up right before lunch and decided to eat at home before heading to the heart of the White Moon territory. It’s a beautiful sunny day like I love it, with the sun warming up my skin and shining in my hair. I’m glad I decided to wear my denim shorts and a simple off-shoulder white top to enjoy it twice as much.  

The Latino neighborhood is as lively as ever. I grew in those same colored streets, hearing the music coming from the windows, and all the mamás shooting to one another. Like all the other werewolf pups, I would run on the uneven stone paths to test my speed or escape the baker after we stole a couple of conchas. I know by heart all the corners where I could hide as a kid and the shortcuts from one place to another. I could walk around with my eyes closed, and recognize each shop only by their smell.  

Those people adopted me as if I had been born there like any of them. I know all the families living there, each person by their names. It never mattered where I came from, this was a place of immigrants anyway. Like we say here, your home is the place your heart settles in. 

Daniel and I walk around arm in arm, commenting on the shop stalls we love most or what childhood memories we have here and there. I’m trying to leave behind the remnants of last night as I walk with my best friend, but no matter what I do, flashbacks keep coming to me. 

The way he touched my skin. His voice in my ear. His warmth. His bright blue eyes, fixated on me, burning with desire. I shiver, and I’m not the slightest cold. What am I getting all heated up in broad daylight?

“Elena!”

I turn my head and see Daniel sigh. He’s handing me a pretty box full of miniature seashells. I take it, trying to remember what he was saying.

“Uh… Thanks,” I blatter, a bit ashamed. 

We stopped in front of one of those little cheap bazar shops, where you can find pretty much anything for creation hobbies or kid activities, like paint, colored paper or glitter. 

“You’re welcome, but I was just asking if you think my mom could use it for her hobby stuff,” he says while rolling his eyes.

Oh, right, his mom Caroline makes jewelry out of these… She usually sells her creations online or to young girls and women of our neighborhood, and they are quite popular too. I already have a pair of necklaces and earrings she gave me. I nod, feeling a bit dumb.

“Totally. Didn’t Caroline mention she was doing summer-themed ones last time?”

“She did. Glad you were listening at that time. Babe, what were you thinking about?”

I mumble something, but my blushing pretty much gives me away. Danny pinches me, making me squeak loudly.

“Hey, that hurts!” 

“I’ll do it again if you keep thinking about your dirty you-know-what with you-know-who again, you little p*****t!”

Why does he have to blurt this out in the middle of the street! I growl at him, but he ignores me, pretending to pick some other materials. The shop owner, Maria, a young woman about our age, obviously heard him and is looking at me with a little smile. Great, the whole street is going to know about my activity last night. Now I’m really embarrassed!

Suddenly, I hear someone's heavy steps running towards us.

"Elena! Elena, this time I'll definitely make you my mate!"

Ugh, Moon Goddess mother, not that i***t again... He will never learn!