SIMON POV
I’d had a skip in my step ever since last Sunday. My whole being had been different since I had that wonderful yoga session and everything that came after with Miranda. But that didn’t mean I was expecting her to come today.
I could tell our hot wolf sex was more of a one-time thing, and that was actually okay with me. It was physical lust that we needed to explore before it got the better of us. It was our wolf sides that connected, and that was something we just needed to get out of our systems.
One thing it did show me, though, was that I was finally able to move on from what had happened to me in the past. Losing Kat had taken a big chunk out of me, apparently more than I had realized. I might have dated and messed around a bit since my wife was killed, but it was never anything serious. It was never going to be anything serious and I knew that deep down. I wasn’t ready for any of that at the time.
But now I felt like I was ready for something more, and that was a truly uplifting feeling. A really great one that made me feel lighter than air. If Miranda ever came back to me for some more tea, I would make sure to thank her for that. For absolutely everything she had done for me.
I spun around at the sound of my door opening. I was not expecting that. I truly thought I’d be doing yoga alone. My eyes widened when I saw an all too familiar smile beaming back at me. Had I been mistaken about everything?
“Miranda, hi!” I didn’t really know what to say now that she was face to face with me. “I didn’t know that you were going to come today. How are you?”
“I hope you don’t mind.” She bit down on her bottom lip sheepishly. “I like yoga, and I don’t have anyone to do it with but you. I hope that’s okay.”
The thick sexual tension that clung to the air the last time she was here wasn’t there. There was just a cool, calming, friendly vibe between us. It made things so much easier and more pleasant. We could just be.
“Yeah, of course, that’s fine.” I grinned. “Yoga is always better with other people.”
I admired the curve of her body as she laid down her mat, but it wasn’t in the same way as before. The connection wasn’t as overwhelming as it had been. I could only imagine that we had crossed paths for a reason, but not for a happily ever after type of thing.
We didn’t talk much before or during the yoga session. We focused solely on centering ourselves and giving our bodies exactly what they needed. The silence was far from awkward though. It seemed more like we had been in one another’s lives for a long time, and that we had managed to build up this bond easily. Another reason I knew Miranda and Kat would have been friends. Hell, Kat had probably sent her to me from wherever she was now to make sure I wasn’t alone and that I found a way to move on for real.
“Hey, would you like to take a walk with me?” Miranda asked me once we had come to the end of our session, both of us calmer now with our hearts beating slower in the magical way only yoga could achieve. “Take some tea out with us for a walk around the park? It’s such a lovely day. We should take in some nature, maybe talk about some stuff.”
I nodded slowly, knowing that there was plenty I needed to say myself. I had to explain why things weren’t going to progress with me and her. I could tell she felt the same way, but I figured it’d be better to put it all out in the open. Open communication worked best.
“Sure. I will go make the tea.”
Miranda worked on some breathing exercises as I brewed, which had me wondering how things would be after we talked. Would our friendship be able to survive in this way? Because I liked it like this. It was nice to have another wolf to talk to in Twin Lakes. As long as there were no residual feelings between us, I didn’t see why not. As long as we both accepted that it was just a one-time thing, then there shouldn’t be an issue.
I would bring it up as we strolled around the park. It would give us something else to discuss other than the crime spree, which it seemed everyone in town was obsessed with. Fear was running rampant and the gossip train wasn’t making anything better. People were just getting other people upset and making things so much worse, altering details as the information went from person to person. It was hard to know what was the truth anymore, and I was drained from discussing it.
The sun wasbright and hot as we stepped outside. Twin Lakes was a beautiful town, beloved by everyone who lived here. Which why everyone was so confused that someone wanted to ruin it all for us.
“So, I guess there is something I need to tell you,” Miranda said tentatively as we reached the grassy area of the park. It was gorgeous here with all the flowers blooming. I kind of wished I could shift so my wolf could run around, but I was in the middle of a conversation. Even if Miranda was a wolf herself, and an understanding one at that, I wouldn’t be rude. “It’s a bit awkward, but things have been…progressing.” I could tell she was doing her best to choose her words very carefully. “With Cole and Ivan.”
“Oh!” I wasn’t sure why that surprised me, but it did. I knew she had been on the awkward date with them that turned in to a fight, but that was it. I could see it, though, and I had no reason to doubt that it would go well. “That’s cool. I’m happy for you.”
“You are?” Miranda’s lips twisted up into an awkward smile. “Because you don’t have to say that if it isn’t the truth. I do feel a little shitty about it all. Like I’ve just dropped you.”
I reached out my hand and took hers to squeeze it lightly. “I don’t feel that way at all. I promise you. It kind of feels like we were meant to come together for a brief moment, like two cosmic forces on a collision course. But just because the fire is now just embers doesn’t mean we need to end things between us. We can still be friends.”
“Friends.” She squeezed my hand right back. “I would like that. Because I really do like you. I think you’re a great guy, and your friendship would mean a lot to me. With everything that’s going on, I need all the friends I can get.”
“Well, you have me for life, that I can assure you of.” I pulled her in for a hug. “And I want to thank you as well. For enlightening me and making me feel amazing about myself. You really did unlock something within me that I had locked away for far too long.”
She cocked her head to one side and examined me closely. “Because of the picture of the beautiful woman on the wall in the apothecary? The one with the bright eyes?”
“Ah, you noticed her?” I chuckled. “It’s hard not to, I know. She was my wife.”
“Was? Do you mind if I ask what happened to her? Only if you want to tell me.”
I didn’t usually like this topic of conversation because it left me in a dark place, even if I only focused on the good parts of my relationship with her, but now I wanted to let everything out because I knew Miranda would get it.
“She was killed five years ago on New Year’s Eve.” I swallowed hard. “By a stray wolf who had severed himself from his pack. A desperate wolf who I guess can’t fully be blamed for what he did.”
“No, don’t take the blame off of him,” Miranda insisted. “Don’t do that. Because these wolves make the decision to go rogue. They make their own choices and they need to be held accountable for them. They have to.”