Chapter 4 - Close together

When Julius stops his motorbike in the college parking lot, all his friends are already sitting in the park.

- Finally you have arrived. Did you forget that we agreed to have breakfast together in the canteen? – one of the girls asks, with a pout.

- I didn't forget. What are you waiting for to move? Let's go. I'm hungry.

- Who bit you first thing in the morning? – who among them was his best friend asks.

- What? – Julius asks.

- You're in a bad mood. I've known you for years and the only time I saw you in a mood like that was when you were flirting with the head of the royal guard's son, and he discovered that he was my sister's mate.

Julius looks at his friend with anger in his eyes, and he raises his hands in surrender, continuing the journey in silence.

At the usual table, the biggest in the canteen, the friends sit after picking up their trays of food.

- This is unbearable. – one of the girls says. – Didn’t you sleep at night? What is up? The environment is cold as if we were surrounded by leeches.

Julius shudders. Fuck, why did they have to talk about vampires? To remind him that he had one as a mate?

- I slept badly at night, yes. When I finally fell asleep, it was time to wake up.

- Take advantage of your lunch hour to take a nap in the library.

Remembering the library didn't help his bad mood improve either. He needed to put the whole situation behind him, before everyone realized what was going on.

The friends decide to leave the subject behind and start talking.

- Do you know what happened last night? – one of the girls asks.

Julius flinched. He hoped they weren't talking about his meeting with Romeo by the lake.

- What happened? And why are you always the one knowing all the news? – one of the others asks.

- Contacts. Good contacts.

 - Puff, she's fucking Dean's assistant, of course she knows all the news. – one of the boys says.

The girl blushes and Julius looks at her with raised eyebrows.

- Is your mate human? – he asks.

- No. Goddess, no. He's just really cute.

- What will happen when you find your mate? - Julius asks.

- What happened? Nothing. No one is a virgin nowadays. And what is that shit about having to have only one man in my life? I need to have fun before finding my mate. - she says, proud of herself.

- Let your father know about that. - one of the other says.

- Are you telling him? - she asks with frowning eyes.

- What news were you going to tell us? – one of the other girls asks, to end the subject.

-Oh! I almost forgot. One of the humans complained about a girl from the witches' group.

- Did he find out she was a witch? This is bad.

- No. He says he was drugged by her and forced to participate in an orgy for her and her 3 friends.

Everyone laughed.

- And the guy complains? He fucked 4 women and complained? – Julius’s best friend asks.

- Have you seen the witches I'm talking about? – the girl says, laughing. – everyone will complain.

- Why? – Julius asks.

- They must be the 4 ugliest witches I've ever seen. He is the quarterback of the football team. He would never participate in an orgy with them willingly. But no one discovered traces of drugs in his blood. – she laughs – magic cannot be detected in blood. His father is a government guy. The board doesn't know what to do, because they deny it.

- Their coven will be happy with this. Forced sex with other species, even if one of them is human, is forbidden, even when it is a black coven. – another girl says.

Julius gets up.

- I'm going. I still have to go to the stationery store to find out if one of the books I'm missing has arrived. Shall we meet at lunch?

- In this same place at noon. – the best friend says, winking at him.

Romeo stops the car and identifies Julius's motorcycle in the park. This sends an unwanted shiver down his spine.

When his friends see him, they get closer.

- Hi Romeo. You look like you've barely slept.

- I slept badly, but I'm OK.

- I hope you sleep better tonight. I'm full of hunger. Have you already eaten today?

One of the girls takes an apple out of her suitcase and throws it to her friend.

- Don't feed yourself but fill your stomach.

- The boy grabs the apple and pouts.

- Just what I wanted. – he says, making a face.

Romeo's eyes never leave the green apple that his friend takes to his mouth and bites into it, perfuming the air with that smell that makes him salivate.

- Do you want one? - One of the girls asks, when she realizes that Romeo was licking his lips.

- What? Oh no.

- You looked like you were salivating for one. – she says curiously.

- I wasn't salivating. I wasn't even looking. I had a blank mind. I slept poorly, do you remember?

- Okay. If you change your mind, I have some apples with me. It's a way to control hunger, even if it doesn't satisfy you.

Romeo waves his hand, clearing the matter. How could he say that it wasn't the apple that made his mouth water, but rather the smell of it, which reminded him of such a mutt that some god decided to make his destined companion.

- I have to go to the bathroom. Will we meet in the break?

- Sure. Have a nice time at school.

Romeo walks away and goes to one of the bathrooms authorized for his species, next to the stationery store.

He enters and when he is about to close the door, a hand pushes it, making Romeo move away and look.

Julius enters and locks the door.

- What the hell are you doing? This bathroom is off limits to your kind.

- I'm going to leave soon. Just listen to me first.

- I don't think it is safe for us to talk here. If someone sees us...

- If you let me talk, I'll be quick and no one will see us.

Romeo sighs and gestures with his hand for Julius to hurry up.

-I don't think it's wise for you to take a Tesla to the mountains. It's too conspicuous.

- What do you want me to do? Call a taxi?

Julius hesitates, but says.

- You can come with me on the motorbike.

Romeo laughs.

- Me? Hanging behind you on the motorbike? Have you drunk?

- Where is the problem? Aren't we going to the same place to solve our problem?

- And after the problem has been resolved? Are we back from hanging out as two friends? – Romeo makes a ridiculous gesture.

- Look, this pleases me as much as it pleases you. But the less we show, the fewer problems we will have in the future. I already told you that what we're going to do is a crime to my kind, and I bet yours won't be too impressed either. – Julius's eyes glowed a shade of amber, clearly his wolf's eyes.

Romeo looks at those eyes, as magnificent as Julius's. After a few seconds, he sighs and says:

- OK. Catch me at the entrance to the forest around 11 pm.

Julius nods, and prepares to leave.

- Wait. - Romeo says, advancing towards him, which makes Julius shiver in anticipation. But Romeo passes him, opens the door and peeks out. – leaves quickly. There is no one around.

Julius hurries, disappearing between the buildings.

- Fuck. Besides this being dangerous, why do I feel divided?

- Divided by what? – his best friend asks, entering the bathroom.

- None of your business.

The companion narrows his eyes, but shrugs his shoulders and enters a private cubicle. Romeo takes the opportunity to get out of there. He ended up not doing what he was going to do, and ran to another bathroom closed to werewolves, finally peeing.

When 11 pm arrives, Romeo enters the forest with the Tesla and parks the car as hidden as possible.

- Do you need help? – Julius asks.

- Fuck. You scared me.

- Puff, don't tell me you thought it was a ghost. – Julius says, laughing.

- Don't be an idiot, you mutt.

Julius frowned.

- If you're going to continue insulting me, I'm going to do the same, bloodsucker.

Romeo clenches his fists and hisses. Then scoff and cover the car with branches again.

Julius shakes his shoulders and picks up some branches in his hand. Romeo looks at him.

- Don't make that face. I still want to sleep today. If you're going to stay here for hours hiding the car, we'll never leave here again.

Romeo sighs and says nothing more.

When the car was well hidden, Julius hands Romeo a helmet.

- What do I need this for?

- It's a helmet. It is necessary to ride a motorbike.

Romeo takes his helmet and smells it. Then he makes a face and stretches out his arm, returning it.

- It smells like a wet dog. I don't want it.

Julius rolls his eyes and hands him his own helmet.

- Supposedly, this one won't have the same smell.

Romeo takes it and smells it and the magnificent smell of green apples and cinnamon that had surrounded him since Julius arrived was concentrated in the helmet.

Romeo blushes and Julius smirks.

- What are you laughing at? – Romeo asks, annoyed.

- At anything. – he puts on his helmet and hits the bench behind him. – sit down.

Romeo puts on his helmet to hide the heat he felt on his face, and sits down, without touching Julius.

- Don't be afraid, I don't bite without being provoked. – Julius says. – Have you ever ridden a motorbike?

- No.

- Then lean against my back and hold on to me. The path will not be smooth, and I don't want to lose you along the way.

Hesitantly, Romeo moves forward until Julius's warm body is next to his, and places his hands on his shoulders. Crossing his arms, he holds Romeo's hands and forces him to hold him around the waist, then starts the motorbike and takes off towards the waterfalls.

Romeo closes his eyes in fear. Not from falling off the bike, but because that contact with the man who was his destiny was making him excited, and he didn't want Julius to realize it.