Chapter 54 - Just A Coffee - Part 1

Half a week later, Ryan managed a miracle. Instead of Evan hiding at home again as soon as he could, Ryan took him out for coffee. Just the two of them in North Hallson at a small coffee shop near the Saunders' house.

Evan was nervous about this, even though it wasn't a date, but with him alone with Ryan in public, a lot of things could go wrong. Angie convinced him to wear something other than his typical black hoodie, and since it was cold outside, he opted for a ribbed velour sweatshirt with a small logo on the chest instead. It was unusual, but he was still wearing black, so not that much.

Ryan planned to pick him up at the bus stop, but after he texted him that he wanted to go for coffee, Evan texted him back saying they'd meet there. It was pointless for him to take the same route twice, and Evan managed to entertain himself for those few minutes that the walk took.

Moreover, today was a little better than the previous ones. Lola gave him a small smile and even exchanged a few words with him in the corridor. Clara took the same bus to school as him and sat next to him, although she had headphones in her ears as she did most days. But the biggest success was that he failed to avoid Kieran for the first time, and they passed each other in the corridor, and Kieran looked a little better than before. Evan could only hope that the fact that he had seen him didn't deject him again.

He got lost in his own thoughts again and had to quickly bring himself back to reality. To the one where he was in North Hallson and not Marwell. Here he still had reason to be unhappy, such as his relationship with his family, but at the same time, his problems were smaller and easier to forget than at school, where he was constantly being watched.

He was in quite a good mood, better than he had been in the last few weeks, or rather he had been able to maintain it longer. Knowing that he had four close people on his side (yes, he counted Michael as well) reminded him that all was not lost, and he held on to that.

And so now his steps were lighter and his stance more even as he made no attempt to hide.

He arrived at the cafe in a short time and thought for a while whether he should go straight in or find out how Ryan is doing, but then he decided on the first option. After all, he was in North Hallson, where everyone knew him anyway, and he had nothing to worry about.

A small bell above his head announced to everyone that someone new had entered, and he quickly looked around the interior for an available seat. He didn't have to look for long as his eyes quickly landed on the raven-haired boy in the corner by the window. He waved at him, and Evan's footsteps moved in his direction.

"Hi." Ryan immediately gave him one of his signature smiles before he could even settle down.

"Hey," he greeted back, taking a seat across from him. Ryan seemed to be in good spirits, but Evan hardly ever saw him unhappy.

"I wanted to order for you since I can guess your order, but in the end, I decided to wait for you," the black-haired boy admitted, fidgeting with his hands as if he wasn't sure if it was the right thing to say. Only now did his true nervousness show, and Evan felt a little better that he wasn't the only one unsure of being alone in the other's presence.

"You could order for me too, I wouldn't mind," he admitted with a small smile. He assumed that Ryan remembered his order from that one meeting at the Rock Pop Diner, and since Evan always ordered the same thing, it wouldn't hurt anything.

"I'll remember that." Apparently, his answer encouraged him, and his fidgeting stopped.

Before Evan could answer that, a waitress came to take their orders. As usual, he ordered a strong black coffee with a lot of sugar, and Ryan ordered a plain one with milk but without caffeine. And although Evan found it odd, he chose not to comment on it. However, his expression clearly gave away more than he thought, and Ryan noticed his surprise.

"I try to avoid caffeine as I tend to get migraines, and caffeine only makes it worse," he explained to his curious look. Evan nodded, though it felt even weirder. Wolves weren't used to being susceptible to common human diseases, and it was more common to see a werewolf with 5 broken ribs than a regular cold.

"Do you get them often? Migraines," he decided to ask.

"It's kind of complicated. I'd say it's a wolf thing, but it's not. I always have them before I have a vision. Sometimes a whole week before, sometimes just a day. There's no pattern to it, honestly." He shrugged, and Evan immediately understood why it was complicated. He had never heard of anything like that before, and he had heard of witches or vampires. This was a whole other level of the unknown.

"I don't know what to say," he said to fill the silence that had come as he really had no idea how to react. Ryan surely knew himself that this was not something common for wolves, so it was useless to bring it up, and at the same time, Evan was thinking that if Ryan got another migraine, it would be his fault. With each delay of the conversation about what they really are, Evan could be indirectly causing Ryan pain.

"Don't worry, I'm used to different kinds of reactions. No one around me has ever experienced anything like this, and we don't have anyone in our family that I can inherit it from. I must be an anomaly or something," Ryan said as if he'd had this conversation countless times before, and Evan had no doubt that it was true.

"Even so. It must have been horrible to experience," he countered. He didn't want him to accidentally downplay his experience because of him.

"I don't mind that much. If it means I'm closer to my mate, so be it." His smile widened, and the moment he said the word, he looked Evan straight in the eyes as if he wanted to send him a secret message. Evan tried to control his reaction, but he couldn't stop the blush from flooding his face.

Even though it wasn't Evan's preferred topic, and he was afraid of Ryan's response, he decided to take a step in his direction and find out something he should have known a long time ago. After all, Ryan knew his opinion.

"I never actually asked you about your opinion on mates," Evan admitted with bated breath. If the boy across from him was shocked by his question, he didn't show it.

"I've always wanted a mate," he began, and right after that statement, Evan knew their opinions would differ greatly. "I've always liked the whole concept of it. Eternal and true love, you know. When I was younger, I was quite shy and had trouble speaking in front of people, but I always told myself that if I met my mate, it would be different. That there would be no reason to be nervous in their presence." He paused for a moment as if he was ashamed of what he had said, or at least it seemed that way when he lowered his gaze. Evan wanted to reassure him that it was okay but then remembered the words he had just said and decided to wait for what he had to say next.

Eventually, his silence was interrupted by the waitress who brought them coffee, so it seemed more natural that they didn't talk for a while. They both thanked her and focused on the cup in front of them. Ryan grabbed a small jug of milk while Evan struggled with the sugar bags.

"I can't imagine you being shy," Evan decided to interject just before putting the cup to his mouth. Not that he didn't want to give Ryan space to express himself, but it was starting to look like as much as he was waiting for Ryan's next words, he was waiting for Evan's reaction.

He obviously made the right choice as his comment got a chuckle from Ryan.

"Believe me, my dinosaur phase brought me enough negative attention to make me think twice before I said anything." His words sounded bitter, and Evan felt sad at the thought of little Ryan being misunderstood. He automatically reached across the table and touched the back of Ryan's hand like he had done before.

Ryan's dark eyes immediately searched his, and it was clear in them that he was surprised by his action. Nevertheless, he turned his hand around, and Evan's fingers touched his palm. They weren't holding hands, not really, but they had never been this close to that. Even this little extra touch sparked sparks in Evan, and he had no doubt Ryan had a similar experience.

Evan decided to stop pretending he didn't know Ryan knew for a moment and decided to blurt out the information he didn't know from Ryan. Well, at least not directly from him.

"Is that why little Ryan decided soccer would be a better idea?" he asked, and Ryan blinked in confusion, obviously realizing that he had never discussed soccer with Evan. Well, at least not like something he's done since he was a kid. He almost asked him how he knew, opening his mouth to ask, but then stopped. Evan was watching him close enough to notice.

It seemed almost like a game where both were cat and mouse. They both gave each other hints and waited for the other's reaction, watching his every move.

"How long do you think I've been playing?" Ryan asked him, and on the surface, it sounded like an innocent question, but Evan could see the second meaning. He saw Ryan playing football in his first vision, so that was the very first information he knew about him.

"I don't know, maybe since you were 11?" His answer sounded more like a question, but it still served the purpose. Something changed in Ryan's eyes, and he couldn't identify it.

"Actually, I've been playing since I was 8," he elaborated but kept his eyes on him. His gaze was intense, but Evan was determined to bear it. Not that it would be difficult, since as he had described a million times before, their eyes acted like magnets in close proximity. They wanted to be connected all the time.

"Do you play at North Hallson too?" he asked. Evan doubted it himself since Ryan almost always waited for him after school, so he had no idea where he would find time for training.

"I don't," he answered as he expected. "I decided to take a break while I'm here. I'm not trying for a sports scholarship, so it doesn't matter that much. Plus, I get enough exercise from running with Michael." He shrugged.

"Michael must be thrilled to be spending so much time with you," he assessed. He knew the two were practically inseparable. Even when they were kids, Evan often saw them together, he just kept his distance as he didn't really make friends with the kids in their pack and spent most of his time with Riley and Angie anyway.

"I'm excited to spend so much time with him," Ryan corrected him with a chuckle. Evan smiled at his answer, thinking that he would once have thought that the only person who could say such a thing was Ryan. Now he couldn't help but know that he no longer minded spending time with the boy he once hated.

"He can be nice," Evan remarked, shrugging his shoulders for effect. It worked as Ryan laughed and almost spilled the coffee as he put it to his mouth at the same time as Evan said that.

"Talking to you two about each other is always a treat," he remarked, and Evan immediately wanted to know more. Did Michael talk about him? He wasn't sure if he wanted to know what he was saying, especially since they had been getting on each other's nerves just a few months ago.

"What did he say about me?" Curiosity got the better of him. Ryan pretended to think and did it so theatrically that Evan punched him in the arm to get an answer out of him sooner.

"Okay, okay." He raised his hands briefly in front of him in surrender before placing his palm where Evan had hit him. Evan's gaze turned impatient, and even as he took a sip of his coffee, his eyes continued to follow the boy in front of him.

"I have to admit, when we first met at the pack meeting, and he introduced us, I was quite confused. He never talked about you before and never after. I knew he didn't have many friends here, and then he introduced you as if you were, but when I asked about you later, he only knew the basics like where you lived. It was weird, and I had no idea how to make sense of it," he explained.

"Okay, when exactly did he tell you I was annoying?" Evan asked the obvious. He was one hundred percent sure that the basics included Michael's opinion of him, which was definitely not positive.

From the way Ryan laughed, it was clear to Evan that he was right. He raised an eyebrow as if inviting him to expand on the idea, and Ryan decided to cooperate.

"He didn't say annoying," was the first thing Ryan said. "Rather irresponsible and insufferable, but he didn't mean it that badly. I knew he liked you in his own way, or he wouldn't have talked about you at all." Ryan tried to make it sound better than it really was, but Evan knew the truth. Moreover, he couldn't defend himself against it since he too used to have a certain opinion when it came to his cousin.

"We never got along very well, but we always ran into each other as if on purpose," he elaborated on their situation. However, he decided to leave out the theory he and Angie once had.

"I can imagine," Ryan stated. His whole face betrayed his amusement, and Evan felt a sort of satisfaction that he was the source of his good mood.

"But now I think he's pretty cool," Evan admitted, but then quickly decided to add, "but if you tell him, I'll deny it."

"Even though you say you don't like each other, you two think quite alike," Ryan immediately replied. It took Evan a moment to understand what Ryan meant, but the moment he did, his eyebrows shot up to his forehead.

"I'd ask if that means we're friends now, but I'm afraid of the answer," he responded sarcastically, though he knew the answer to that question himself. Michael was there for him when he needed a friend, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't comforted by his presence. Not that he would ever say it out loud.

"He's great when you get to know him. I'm really sorry he hasn't had any luck with a mate yet, but I figure that means there's someone just as great waiting for him." Ryan's words were honest and hit Evan where he was most sensitive. Right in his soul. He was defenceless against Ryan's caring side.

However, he didn't let it show and answered characteristically for him: "I hope so. There are mostly idiots in our pack anyway."