Chapter 11 - First Date

Aubrey

"If you get hungry - oh, well, Aubrey at least - there's food downstairs. I'll be downstairs in the meeting room. Don't be afraid to get me if something is wrong," Aaron rambled, flitting around the room; he reminded me of a hummingbird.

I almost wanted to laugh at how he kept tripping over himself and how he had to retie his shoes three times because he kept messing up. It was really cute. I could tell Evander also found our mate to be an adorable sight.

"I'll be back in a few hours, hopefully. These kinds of meetings can take a while. I'll try to be quiet if you're sleeping or something."

I quickly put a hand over my mouth to hide my smile. Aaron got flustered easily from what I'd noticed and I didn't want to upset him. Evander didn't even try to hide the way his lips teased at an amused smile. Even though I tried my best to hide my amusement, Aaron still caught on and his ears burned red.

"I'll go now. Uh, have fun, I guess," he mumbled awkwardly, turning to open the door.

I quickly leaped off the bed to hug him from behind, burying my face into his back and inhaling his natural scent. "Good luck in your meeting," I mumbled against his shirt.

"Thank you," I heard him answer back.

I let go and watched Aaron as he closed the door a bit too loudly. I heard him mutter something outside before leaving. It felt weird seeing him go. We'd been inseparable since they rescued me. But I could handle a few hours without one mate, right? I still had Evander around.

"What do you want to do, Aubrey?" Evander asked me, and I realized I'd been staring longingly at the door in front of me.

"Um, I'm kind of hungry," I offered.

He nodded his head, standing up. "Let's go then. I'll make you something if nothing downstairs is to your taste."

I smiled widely. "I'd really like that."

Walking over to the vampire, I reached out to grab his hand, smiling wider when I felt the surprising warmth of it. We walked downstairs to the kitchen we'd passed on our way through the cabin. The fridge was filled with leftovers from what was cooked earlier, but none of it really appealed to me.

It felt so weird choosing what I ate. The choices seemed almost overwhelming. All my life, I'd been fed what was given to me - whatever it may be - and I couldn't say no unless I wanted to starve for who knew how long. I wasn't allowed to choose anything in my life except for how I was going to behave.

"Is there anything you want?" Evander asked from behind me.

"Um...I'm not really sure," I admitted, closing the refrigerator door.

"Why don't I make you something? Is there anything you'd like?" He continued to question me.

"I like fruit," I offered weakly.

Evander hummed. "I have an idea, but you'll have to trust me."

"I do."

I didn't have to think about that. I trusted him and Aaron with my life. Aaron saved me and Evander saved us both. They were my mates, the people I'd hoped would rescue me only in my dreams. And they did. There was no doubt in my mind that they wouldn't have my best interests at heart.

Evander told me to sit down so I did, watching him from the island counter as he went around the kitchen grabbing random things. He had to keep looking into multiple cabinets because the kitchen was unfamiliar, but eventually, he had a basket packed with things he'd gathered. "What's the basket for?" I asked him with a small frown.

"We're going out. We'll hopefully be back before Aaron finishes his meeting, don't worry."

The idea of going outside made me excitedly jump off the stool I was seated on, a grin nearly splitting my face in half. "Let's go!"

Evander smiled, offering his arm to me. I internally pouted when he didn't offer his hand, but I looped my arm with his nonetheless. We left the cabin and were greeted with the cold night air. I inhaled deeply, loving the smell of the forest. We walked down the path leading to the cabin for a bit, passing by small campsites with people chatting idly or laughing. Then, Evander took us off the path and into the forestation surrounding the little clearing. We walked for a few minutes before we found another small clearing filled with flowers.

The urge to get down on the ground and feel the earth became overwhelming as I let go of him to fall into the flowers, sighing happily. I could feel the energy of the earth beneath me, a dull hum that comforted me more than few other things could. The whisper of the wind carrying through our surroundings was like a sweet lullaby. My eyes closed before I could stop myself, a sigh leaving my body as I was finally home.

Even if I was allowed to be around nature back in the Home, it was never real. Everything was controlled and left a bitter taste in my mouth. I never felt like I was connected to what I was doing. I wasn't allowed to be.

The sound of Evander sitting down next to me caused me to open my eyes again. He was watching me carefully, the basket set in between us. Once he realized I was watching him, he turned away to open the basket and lay out its contents. After they were set out, Evander turned his body to face me as I sat up, reaching out to grab a piece of strawberry from a container of fruit salad. I ate happily, pleased that I could spend any time at all with Evander like this. If only Aaron was here, too.

"So..."

I looked up at Evander as I popped a blueberry into my mouth. "Hmm?"

"I want to know more about you," Evander admitted, running a hand through his short, red hair. "But, I'm not quite sure how to begin asking."

A small giggle escaped me. He was really cute. "Well, you already know my name, how old I am, what I am, what kind of place I came from," I listed off. "What else do you want to know?"

"Let's start simple. What's your favorite color?"

"I like green," I answered. "But I think all of the colors are pretty." Evander listened to me intently and his attention made my stomach flutter happily. "What about your favorite color?" I asked back.

"Hmm, well, I've always liked the color blue," he mused.

"Oh, like Aaron's eyes?" I piped up.

Aaron's eyes were beautiful: a clear blue color that I knew I could get lost in. When he was talking with his friends earlier, they sparkled with joy even though he acted like he was annoyed.

"Yes, Aaron's eyes are quite lovely, and so are yours," Evander pointed out.

A blush made its way across my face at his compliment, but I ducked my head down to hide it. "They're not that nice. They used to say it looked weird," I mumbled.

Evander didn't need to ask who I meant. Instead, he scooted closer and slowly put his arms around me. His actions were hesitant and careful as if I were fragile glass he had to handle with care. I was definitely a little shocked he voluntarily touched me, but I happily hugged him back, pressing my face into his shoulder and humming happily.

"Let's eat so we can head inside. It's getting colder and I don't want to worry Aaron if he finds us gone," Evander suggested.

I reluctantly pulled my arms away from him but remained close to him, our thighs touching. We chatted as we ate, and I found myself quickly falling for Evander past our mate bond.

"Are you serious?" I asked with a laugh, trying my best to contain it but failing horribly.

"Yes," Evander confirmed with a chuckle. "Elvira almost had a heart attack when she realized I was missing. I felt so embarrassed when I had to explain to her that I'd fallen asleep on the public bus and ended up on the other side of the city. I had no clue how to get home and I had no money. I was a grown man, I should've been able to plan ahead."

Our laughter died down as we realized we'd finished eating. I looked up to see that the moon was bright in the sky. My eyes closed as I listened to the flowers whisper to me. It felt nice to be outside like this. Time seemed to pass by so quickly when I was with Evander. We'd been talking nonstop. I was surprised he was so chatty. When we were at his apartment, he was so closed off. I wasn't an idiot; I knew he was uncomfortable around us, but I wanted to spend as much time as I could around my mates. I hoped that if I continued to initiate contact and remain friendly, they'd both open up and accept me.

It seemed to be working with Evander so far.

"We should head inside soon. It's getting late," Evander piped up.

I sighed. "I don't want to," I admitted with a pout.

My head turned to look at him and my cheeks darkened when I realized he was already looking at me with a gentle smile. "We can come out again soon, preferably with Aaron," he offered.

"Yes!"

We both cleaned up our mess and stood up. I stretched my arms over my head before looping one through Evander's free arm. As we walked back, I couldn't help but think about how lucky I was. Here I was, walking in the middle of a forest with one of my mates, safe and free. It was something I could only ever dream of and now it was my reality.

"Thank you," I whispered, knowing he heard me.

"What for?"

"For rescuing me, and for taking me out like this. I don't think I've ever shown how thankful I really am. It was...so horrible being in that place. I could only ever dream of living freely like this. You and Aaron are my heroes," I explained softly.

Evander remained silent for a bit before he said, "There's no need to thank me. All I did was be in the right place at the right time. Aaron was the one who saved you. But, I hope I can continue to be a hero in yours and Aaron's eyes. You two are going to be the people I spend the rest of my life with one way or another. I want to be something to you both."

We quickly entered the cabin again and while I hurried upstairs, Evander unpacked the basket. By the time he got back, I was already in bed with one of his shirts and a pair of shorts the people here had given me. He saw me snuggled in the bed and smiled, walking over to sit down by my legs. "If you wish to sleep, I won't bother you," he said.

"Can you maybe sleep with me? Or at least lay down by my side?" I asked shyly.

He nodded, standing up to remove his shoes and take off his shirt. I looked away bashfully but sneaked a peek anyway - how could I not? I knew Evander was a large person, but seeing him without his shirt on showed me just how big he really was. I noticed that his skin was covered in reddish freckles that I fought the urge to kiss repetitively. They looked too beautiful not to!

When he began removing his pants, I looked away fully to give him complete privacy, hearing him pull out some different pants for sleeping. Soon, he slid in next to me and pulled the covers over both of us. He sat up and leaned against the headboard of the bed, a book in his lap. I scooted closer, boldly resting my head in his lap as I closed my eyes. I felt him tense for a moment at first, but he quickly relaxed and placed a gentle hand in my hair. I sighed, letting sleep consume me as my mate ran his fingers through my hair.

Finally.

~~~

Geez, finally got a chapter out! Luckily the story is slowly picking up, so maybe I'll stay on top of things. I hope you all enjoyed  Evander and Aubrey's lil' date. I like to think that Aubrey brings the softer side of Evander out of hiding, while Evander comforts Aubrey like a safety blanket. Aaron meshes in there nicely as the kind of person that will make them both smile and come together. They're all so cute XD

Anyway, the next chapter is back to Aaron's pov. We're gonna see how Wren's dream connects to Evander ;)

Stay tuned for more insanity and thank you so much for reading!

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