Chapter Four
1622 Words
Fleur-Then
Noah was acting odd.
He had been acting strangely for weeks, ever since Christmas. And I just couldn’t understand why.
He was meant to be my best friend, so why was he doing everything in his power to avoid me.
Well, I wasn’t going to take it anymore. If he didn’t want to be friends anymore that was fine, but he was going to have to tell me to my face.
He owed me that much.
We had always been close. Inseparable since the moment I had been born. What had changed in the last few months I didn’t know. But I sure as hell was going to find out.
“Why the frowny face Flo?”
I smiled as the hulking figure of my father stepped into the reflection from my vanity mirror. He was such a handsome man. Ancient, sure because he was a dragon but good looking for an old-timer.
“Less of the old-timer, daughter.” With a chuckle, he flopped down on my bed and grinned at me. I couldn’t help it I grinned back. There was always something so comforting about my dad. Maybe it was because I was a daddy’s little princess and he doted on me. We were close.
Laughing I turned in my seat. Running my fingers through my blonde hair. I had most of it cut short over the summer, in an attempt to look older and I liked it. I liked the way the feathers frame my face. It made me look more mature.
“So why are you in here moping Flo?”
“I’m not moping dad.” It was pointless arguing with a creature who could literally pluck thoughts out of my head but I di it anyway. He raised a blonde eyebrow at me. But didn’t say a word. He just waited for me to spill whatever it was I was thinking. Although I knew he had already heard Noah’s name echoing around my head.
“Noah’s still acting like a colossal d**k… oops sorry dad.” I apologised quickly, searching his face for any sign that he was mad at my language. His face was unreadable.
“Noah is still acting strange.” I amended quickly.
A shadow passed across my father’s face. “Still? Have you spoken to him?”
Frowning, I stood. Smoothing down the dress I was wearing. It was probably a little short for my father’s approval, but I liked it. And it was perfect for a girl who was about to turn sixteen. “That’s the plan for tonight.”
“Flo maybe tonight isn’t such a good idea. Maybe wait until tomorrow, I am sure there is a perfectly good reason for the way he is acting.”
“What aren’t you telling me, dad?” It was pretty clear he wasn’t telling me something. It hit me then. “He’s brought a date, hasn’t he?”
My father's silence answered my question. He didn’t even have to open his mouth,
Noah, my best friend had brought a date to my birthday party. It shouldn’t hurt but it did.
“That’s not the point Flo, Noah is doing what he thinks is best right now.” Climbing to his feet, Requiem offered me his arm. “Just talk to him tomorrow and don’t let anything spoil your party.” He patted my hand as I slipped it between the crook of his arm. “This is your day princess.”
I knew it was my day, and there was no way I was going to let some overgrown wolf pup spoil it.
***
Noah was making out with some skank in the corner. My eyes found his wide back easily and I had to swallow the bile that rose in my throat.
I had seen him make out with girls before, he was my friend, not my boyfriend but this time it hit me differently.
As if he could feel my eyes on him, his head lifted. A smile almost quirked up the corners of his mouth.
I stood there frozen at my father’s side, not hearing the happy birthdays coming from the people who gathered around me. All I could see was him as he walked towards me.
He filled my entire vision.
“Happy birthday kid.” He bent down, brushing his lips against my cheek. They were sticky from another girl’s lip-gloss, and I stepped back without thinking.
“Not a kid Noah,” I growled out.
Something swept through his eyes as they drifted down my body. “Yeah, I know.” Noah locked his lips for a second before he physically shook himself. Yanking on the hand of the girl he was with he drew her forward.
“Annie, this is Flo. It’s her birthday today.”
The blonde smiled at me; she couldn’t have been more than a few years older than me but she was looking at me like I was a child.
“Happy birthday Flo, it's great to finally meet you. Noah has told me all about you.”
I could do nothing but stare at her.
She looked like me I realised with a start. An older more beautiful version of me. Suddenly I felt like a kid playing dress-up at my own sweet sixteenth.
“Are you a wolf like Noah? I bet you are seriously cute. I mean how could you not be.” She gestured towards my outfit. My body. Me in general. She meant it as a compliment, but I felt the anger bubble up.
“I’m not a wolf, “I felt my eyes change. And her overly painted lips fell open. “And I’m definitely not what anyone would call cute.”
“Fleur.” My father warned. “Control yourself.”
Control myself? I didn’t even look at him.
“I’m a dragon Annie, not a damn wolf. Why don’t you run along and go suck face some more, I don’t even know why Noah introduced you to me. I won’t see you again. Noah changes girlfriends weekly.” I watched as her face fell, and the first niggling guilt took hold in my stomach, “But hey, you all have one thing in common. Easy.” Dragging my arm out from my fathers I turned on my heel and walked off. My back ramrod straight.
I had just got to the staircase when Noah caught up with me. His hand closed around my bicep and spinning me around.
His eyes blazed. “What the hell was that Fleur?”
I glared at him and didn’t say a word. What right did he have to ask me that? Or expect me to act like the girl’s best friend just because he was sharing his bed with her this week. I shrugged and tried t yank my arm from his grasp. His fingers tightened.
“No, Flo. You need to tell me what the hell just went through your mind.” He growled.
“Nothing.” Suddenly I didn’t feel so strong. I felt like a child who was about to be scolded for an outburst.
“You were a total b***h to my friend Flo, that’s not like you.”
“Not like me?” my voice rose to a screech and his eyes flashed again. Holding tightly to my arm, he dragged me towards one of the offices. Making sure it was empty before he closed the door.
My back was trapped against the wood, and even though Noah didn’t step into my space it was like he was crowding close.
His scent enveloped me.
“That was really badly done, Flo. Annie is a sweet girl. You would like her if you gave her a chance.”
“A chance? I don’t want to give her a chance Noah, you seem to like her enough for the both of us.” I didn’t even try to keep the bitterness out of my tone.
Noah took a step back, running his fingers through his dark hair. “Flo don’t be like this. We are meant to be friends.”
“Friends? You have barely spoken to me for months. How is that friendship? And when I do see you, you always have another girl on your arm. All of them are blonde and kind of look like me .. anyone would think….”
“I know.”
His words took me by surprise. I swallowed hard. He knew? If he knew it meant he had been doing it on purpose.
“Noah.” I reached out; my anger suddenly gone. My fingers came to rest against his chest and for a moment he stared at them.
“I know they look like you Fleur, that because …” He shook his head. “s**t, this is not the way I wanted this to go. I was hoping you would feel it and then we could... I was waiting for it to happen to you as well. That spark, the need. Now your sixteen it will… hopefully.”
“Noah.” My mouth was suddenly dry. My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. “What are you saying?”
Suddenly he was closer. His chest brushed against mine with my hand trapped between us. “I wanted you to feel it too, Flo. Before I said anything. And I wanted to give you some space to find who you were before I declared myself. Yes, my girlfriends look like you, of course, they do. But they aren’t you.” His blue eyes closed softly and when he opened them, they were blazing with fire. “They aren’t my mate.”
- Writer
