Transition - Beta's Omega

( 7 )

( Kayley )

I wasn’t even sure why I was nervous to see Decker. He had looked absolutely spectacular last night. I had never really taken notice of the members of the pack in wolf form, but I most certainly enjoyed seeing Decker. I had a million questions, but I wasn’t even sure how to ask them and that was why I was feeling nervous. He wasn’t stopping by my house to pick me up for a date and I hadn’t been invited to his house and yet, here I was. Standing on their porch, contemplating whether to knock on the door or make a run for it before anyone noticed me. I would be transitioning in just three weeks, and I wanted to use that as an excuse to see him. Wyatt had given me fair warning before I had left about Decker now being able to find his mate and that he didn’t want me to get hurt. Heartbreak was a part of life though, right? I knew what I was getting into and admittedly it worried me, but I didn’t want to not see him just because of that. Right? I would be going against how I felt, and I did have feelings for Decker. He was super smart, extremely cheesy and so very funny. I liked him, more than a friend. I like, liked him.

“Honey, are you going to stand outside all morning, or are you coming in?” Tara questioned when the door suddenly opened. I gasped in surprise but managed to nod as she stepped back to give me room to enter.

“Thank you,” I whispered as I heard her close the door behind me.

“I couldn’t help but notice you standing there and as much as I want to ask you why you are here, I have a feeling you want to see Decker…” once again, I simply nodded. For some unknown reason, I couldn’t find my voice. “You are afraid to see him?” she asked, and I nodded. “May I ask why?”

“Wyatt told me to be careful now that Decker had transitioned and that I needed to keep in mind that he could find his mate at any time and that I could be facing heartbreak, and then I thought, yeah, I know, but I wanted to see him anyway because I like him and when I say that I like him I mean that I really, really like him-”

“Woah, slow down there, honey,” Tara interrupted, and I squeezed my lips tightly together as I stared up at Decker’s mother.

“I am ruining this,” I muttered, more to myself, but she laughed softly as she took my hand and pulled me along as she made her way into the kitchen.

“You aren’t ruining anything dear, Decker went for a run earlier, but he’ll be back in time for breakfast,” she said as she hurried over to the stovetop. The smell of bacon frying finally hit my senses and I also noticed that the kitchen window looked out over the porch. No wonder she had seen me standing there like an i***t. “Have you had breakfast yet?” she then asked over her shoulder, which forced me to use words.

“Not yet, no,” I had rushed out before Aunt Yolanda had even gotten up.

“Great! You can have breakfast with us!” she sounded excited about that, so I suppose that meant I was welcome. “I haven’t seen you around before though…well, not until yesterday at the party, but I didn’t think anything of it. My apologies, but when did you and Decker become…ah…friends?”

“Oh, a little over a week ago,” I said honestly. “He didn’t mention where he was going every night?”

“OH!” she screeched so loudly that I flinched as she turned to look at me. “You are that friend,”

“That friend?”

“The one he has been taking around town,”

“Yes, that would be me,”

“Huh, he didn’t mention how cute you are though,” she said with a wink. “Take a seat and make yourself comfortable,” she added before she went back to cooking, and I was grateful she didn’t see my blush as I sat down at the kitchen table. “Reed is out with Marric so it will just be the three of us,” she remarked and even though she couldn’t see me, I nodded. I had briefly met Reed last night, but he hadn’t paid much attention to me. Rightfully so. I had been thankful to Seff though and Luca as they had been around to keep me company. Luca and I had waited around for them to return but when Decker’s parents had come back alone, we decided to call it a night and head to our respective homes.

“Was Decker excited when he finally got home last night?” it was a safe and comfortable topic for me to bring up and, despite my little outburst at the front door, it was part of the reason I had stopped by. Yes, I nodded to myself, that was my excuse, and I would stick to it.

“He was exhausted, poor thing. He was ready to go to bed but when I mentioned food, he perked up!” she laughed as I slowly relaxed as I watched her move around the kitchen effortlessly. She reminded me of my Aunt. I wasn’t all that confident in the kitchen, especially since the cooking lessons my mom had been giving me had ended so abruptly. I shook that thought away as I turned back into the conversation. “He was quite adamant that his mate had been around the house last night, but due to the sheer number of members, he couldn’t pinpoint who she or he was,” she turned to me, and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. Decker had already sniffed out his mate? “Isn’t that exciting?” she then asked me and while I simply sat there and stared at her, I wanted to be excited but suddenly being here felt like a dreadful thing. I stood up so quickly that the chair stumbled backward, hitting the tiled floor with a loud thud.

“Ah…” I scrambled around as I got the chair back on all fours while Tara watched me curiously.

“Oh, honey…I am so sorry…I didn’t even think…” clearly, I had upset her, and the panic was slowly rising as I considered my options. “Calm down please…” she whispered as she carefully approached me. “Take a seat and let’s just talk about this for a minute,” she closed her eyes and nodded once before she sat down and gestured for me to do the same. “Decker isn’t quite on his way yet,”

“Um…” I hesitated but as I continued to stare at her, I relaxed enough to sit back down.

“So, you really like my son?” the question sounded silly to me, after all, I had blurted out my feelings earlier, but I nodded regardless. “And then I went ahead and opened my mouth about Decker catching the feeling that his mate was around,” I nodded once again. “And now you are freaking out about that, and I was being insensitive, and I am sorry, Kayley…it is Kayley, right?”

“Yes,” I whispered as I shifted my gaze from her to the surface of the kitchen table.

“And when you say that you really, really like him…I’m going to assume that means you have quite a crush on him?”

“Yes,”

“And do you think that if he does find his mate that he wouldn’t want to be friends with you anymore?” she was doing that thing, that fishing thing, and it made me feel uncomfortable.

“Well…” I took a deep breath. It wouldn’t be in my interest to lie about how I felt, and even though I had only spoken to Wyatt about my feelings, it couldn’t hurt, to be honest. Right? “I don’t think Decker would just push me aside. I am sure that we would remain friends, even though this is still fairly new. Besides, I wouldn’t want to get in the way of his relationship with his mate. Not at all. As I said earlier, I am more than aware of the fact that I could have my heart broken. I just wasn’t expecting it to be this soon…you know?”

“Understandable,” she smiled softly as I met her eyes and I blushed before I quickly looked away. “I think that whatever friendship you and Decker have is safe at this point. I wouldn’t suggest you invest any more in your crush on him to avoid getting hurt,” it was a harsh thing for her to say and it stung, but it was completely understandable, plus, she was looking out, for me. “And, besides, a beautiful friendship can be just as rewarding as a relationship…to some extent of course,”

“Right,” I agreed, even though I didn’t agree. Of course, my own inexperience could be the cause of me not quite agreeing with that statement, but regardless, Tara seemed to think that everything was all right. She stood up and started moving around the kitchen once again. Pulling out plates, glasses, and cutlery before placing them on the table. I wanted to offer my assistance, but I was numb as I just sat there and watched her. I felt his presence before I heard him and my whole body stiffened when the front door opened and closed. Tara started to bring the bowls and plates over and I held my breath when she glanced up as Decker entered the kitchen.

“How was your…” her voice broke off and I quickly diverted my gaze from her to my hands. They were clearly having a moment, judging by the silence that surrounded us. It was extremely uncomfortable, and I once again thought about how this was a bad idea. “Run?”

“Good,” Decker said as he sat down across from me. “Hey,” he greeted me, but his voice was tense and strained and now I wanted to make a run for it. I was tempted to excuse myself and do exactly that – leave. “This is an unexpected surprise,” he then said with a soft smile, and I felt myself relax. He wasn’t angry that I was here, in his kitchen, ready to join him for breakfast.

“Sorry,” I apologized anyway.

“No, don’t be,” he said as Tara sat down.

“Dig in, before it gets cold,” she said, and I noticed that even her stature had changed slightly. Whatever private conversation they had had, wasn’t good. I didn’t think so anyway. I waited for Decker before I slowly dished up some of the scrambled eggs and bacon. My nerves didn’t help, and I ended up over plating and the mountain of food looked horrendous.

“Hungry?” Decker teased and when I looked up, both he and his mom were staring at me. There was no way I could sit here and eat. Hell, there was no way I could be here right now. The tension was so thick and uncomfortable, and I wasn’t sure what I had done that was so wrong to warrant this level of unease. This time I got up slowly and I avoided their gaze as I pushed the chair into place.

“Sorry,” I whispered before I turned and hurried out of the kitchen and out the front door. My hands were shaking as I descended the steps and, even through my haze of embarrassment and shame, I did notice that Decker didn’t stop me. He didn’t come after me and I wasn’t sure what was worse. My actions or his. By the time I got back home, I was an utter wreck, but I was grateful that Wyatt wasn’t around and that my Aunt was too busy in the kitchen to notice my trembling form. Even my Uncle wasn’t around. I ran to my room and closed the door as I finally managed to breathe through my panic.