Chapter 8: Reassuring Promises

(Mentioned her in Chapter 2 as a friend of Vinnie's and Ashley's)

Francine's POV:

The song Sweater Weather began playing over the speakers and I groaned, taking another swig of root beer from my cup. Not too long ago, I loved this song but at this moment, it couldn't be any more awkward. I was forced to go to this party because Ashley wanted to go but didn't want her brother Alex the only one with her. She was in the same grade as us despite being a year younger, but made up for it by acting like a total bitch sometimes. I sighed and glared at Ashley as she rolled her eyes at my obvious distaste, but continued to scope out the place for someone who could be her mate. I told her that I didn't want to come if Alex was going and yet here he is standing next to me and showing me cat videos. I mean I'm enjoying them but his presence was distracting. With his blond hair and... beautiful light brown eyes. I loved his eyes and he probably knew that by the smug smile tugging at the corner of his perfect... soft lips. He knew he attracted a lot of girls' attention and he always had to act like a dick about it. I turned away from him and headed back to the snack table. I poured myself some blood instead since I was getting a bit irritable and didn't want to snap at anyone. I could see Alex looking in my direction and I groaned internally.

These mate parties happened our senior year for each high school since we were almost eighteen and always happened on a full moon at midnight as it started to set. They said the moon helped bring out the mate bonds laying dormant but that could've been a myth. As I walked back to Alex I saw him perk up like a puppy and couldn't stop my smile. If I found my mate at this party, I didn't want him to be here. He wasn't my mate and it was a fact because there were no tingles when we touched and there's no pull towards him. Alex is one of my closest friends too, and I wouldn't want to hurt him if something ever happened between us. Ashley knew I had a crush on him and maybe that explains it but she promised to never tell. She was good on her word, however, that didn't mean she wouldn't pull something to bring us closer together and I had a feeling she did this on purpose.

I stared at Ashley for a while, narrowing my eyes slightly. She seemed to be in deep thought about something so I took this opportunity to study her face, trying to think about what she was so focused on. Maybe about this party. A lame one at that. Hell, the child's birthday parties I've been to have been better than this. She's probably thinking "This party's lame, oh my god. I hope I don't sweat in this stupid frilly dress I wore because I'm a princess." I rolled my eyes as Alex started laughing next to me. I widened my eyes and elbowed him in his side, forgetting he could read minds. Ashley narrowed her eyes at us but went back to surveying.

I don't even know why I bothered to put my hair into a neat ponytail and put on this black jumper with sunflowers for this. A few weeks ago, I wouldn't go near makeup with a ten foot pole. But now, my hair's dyed black and I wear eyeliner sometimes. Vin and everyone else kept wondering why I changed my hair and my clothes and I couldn't tell them it was because of Alex. A girl at school had said Alex liked girls who had black hair and since I have natural dirty blonde hair, I thought it was worth a try. I thought back then when I liked Alex, I could get his attention. Wrong. Alex hates this look but, I couldn't change back though. I didn't want him to think it was because he didn't like it.

"This is stupid, can we leave now?" I huffed. Ashley blinked and it seemed like she returned to earth. She glared at me, but I only looked at my nails.

"We've only been here for twenty minutes! You have to give it time. I'm sure... the party will..." I raised an eyebrow. "... it will get better! At midnight which is in four minutes. Then you'll see if your mate is here Francine." Ashley smiled at me. I only scoffed but couldn't stop my face from heating up. Alex frowned.

"Shut up." I mumbled, crossing my arms.

"Come on Alex, tell her how fun it is. You might even meet your mate." She winked at him. He visually stiffened and his eyes widened. I cocked my head and looked at him, waiting to hear his response.

"I... I don't think she goes to our school. Or lives in the area." Alex's eyes flickered to Ashley's watch then back up to her face.

"Um... okay." Ashley frowned.

Alex was always super weird about mates, so his answer didn't surprise me. I began to drum my fingers along my arm as I looked over the crowd of dancing bodies. I saw Vin had made it to the party after all and from the looks of it, she had bumped into Jake Rein. She spilled his drink all over his shirt too from the looks of it. I hoped he wouldn't be too harsh with her. He was known for his rudeness at school which labelled him the most closed off guy. I could see Vin had a look of recognition as she looked up at him, apologizing furiously. He just stared at her and I swore a smile crossed his face for a few minutes before he leaned down and kissed her. I grinned. Who would've guessed?

"It looks like Vin found her mate." I laughed and Ashley and Alex looked over.

"Jake Rein? Really? Ugh, she could do so much better." Ashley smiled. I shook my head, knowing she was only joking. Although, Vin could do a lot better. He was cute though, I had to admit.

Ashley cleared her throat and smirked, showing her watch. It was time and yet I didn't feel any different. I raised my eyebrows at Ashley as she held up her hand. She started to count down on her fingers and I sighed. Five... four... three... two... oh just fucking kill me... one...

My heart let out a beat and then another two seconds later as the most mouthwatering smell hit my nose. Blueberries and coconut. I gasped and looked around, holding onto Alex's arm to steady myself. While I internally groaned, tingles were beginning to tickle my palm. I slowly turned to my side to see Alex with his eyes closed, inhaling and exhaling in content. A low growl reverberated through his throat. The smell was coming from him. No way. I carefully brought my hand down to his hand and the tingles exploded throughout my skin more clearly. I jumped back, yelping as Alex's eyes popped open.

They turned black and before I could even blink, he was holding me to his chest and running his fangs against my neck. The last time we were this close, was the time we kissed last summer.

*Flashback*

I knocked on the door to Ashley and Alex's house. It seemed everyone was busy today except Ashley. Of course when I needed someone to study with, my first choice was Vinnie but she wasn't picking up her phone. Then I tried swinging by Danny's but it seemed she was dealing with some family matters. So that only left Ashley. She wasn't really a good person to study with because she always checked her phone and soon, she'd be texting away. It was honestly the most annoying thing ever and it didn't help when she started complaining about other things not school related. I considered doing this by myself but I'd definitely start procrastinating. I haven't tried studying by myself since... who wants to? I've passed my tests with good enough grades before, but now it was beginning to catch up to me.

I knocked on the door again, this time listening with my super hearing. A thud came from upstairs which was followed by hurried footsteps, but other than that, no one came to the door. Was she avoiding me? I moved some of my hair behind my ear and sighed, knocking once again. Just answer the door already! It was hot as hell outside today and of course the sun was burning more skin than usual because of me wearing denim shorts with a black crop top to cool down. I still hated the sun despite the myth about vampires burning to death being untrue nowadays. It was still a pain in the ass. I moved my hair from my neck and fanned it. No one was coming to the door. I groaned and started to leave. I'll just study by myself. As I walked down the steps, the door opened. I huffed.

"It's about time you opened up! I'm here sweating and everything while you lay in bed looking at god knows what! What the fuck were you-" I turned around and instantly closed my mouth.

Instead of Ashley, Alex stood there, in a pair of gray sweatpants and nothing else. I didn't want to look away but I knew I shouldn't be drooling over him like this anymore. He wouldn't like it. I lifted my eyes from Alex's toned stomach to his face. He seemed surprised to see me here as his eyes ran up and down my body. I covered my mid drift with my textbook, suddenly self-conscious. I coughed awkwardly and he looked up, then away.

"So, uh, what brings you here... Francine?" Alex asked.

"Is Ashley here? I wanted to study with her." I replied, cracking my knuckles. He looked back into the house and sighed.

"No, she's not here. She went to the mall. Again." Alex rolled his eyes the same time I did. I didn't like going to the mall. Too many people were there. Not to mention all the food smells muddled together was a big sensory overload.

"Well then... I'll just... go home." I waved at him and walked down the porch steps. Alex groaned lightly. It sounded like he was in pain.

"You can study with me. We all do have the same class ya know." Alex called after me.

I cursed internally but turned around with a forced smile on my face. I nodded and went back up the steps, walking past Alex. Our skin brushed slightly making him flinch. He closed the door and went upstairs. I stared after him, confused. Should I go up there too or is he just going to get his textbook? I decided to sit down on the couch and laid mine on the table, flipping through it until I found the page I was on. I took my pencil out and held it in my mouth so I could open my blue spiral notebook. I heard Alex come back and stop a few feet away instead of coming straight to me. I frowned slightly but ignored it as I read over the lesson in the book. Alex sat next to me and I moved over a little to give him some room. I took the pencil from my mouth and looked up at him. Alright, let's get started. He nodded. A few minutes later, we began.

He kept asking me questions. Some I knew the answer to and others I didn't. It was the same with him. I looked up at Alex as he started writing down notes. I wondered what he was doing up there before I came. There was an awfully loud thud. Did he fall? Did he just get out of the shower?

"What were you doing up there when I knocked? It sounded like you took a hard fall or something" I blurted. Alex accidentally made a line in his journal. He cursed and started erasing it..

"Sorry. I didn't mean to... nevermind."

"I was just... taking care of something that happened when I was thinking." I saw his cheeks turn pink.

"Like?" He hesitated before answering me.

"It's a guy thing." He moved away from me an inch. I frowned.

"Oh." I didn't know what he was talking about and shrugged it off. As I was writing, I figured out what it was and gasped, almost laughing. He was mas-

"Oh..." My cheeks heated up. He reddened even more and I laughed, making him roll his eyes.

"Please don't." He groaned.

"So... who were you thinking about? Teresa Flint?"

I raised an eyebrow as I nudged his shoulder. He shook his head and kept writing. I put my pencil down and picked up my pen, tapping it against my lips. I held my chin as I thought about all the girls at my school and hoped it wasn't any of them. I moved my hair back and felt my strap fall down but I was too hot and too lazy to fix it. I bit my lip and looked at him as a sly smile formed on my face. His eyes darkened and I could see black creeping up in his scleras.

"Was it... Victoria Ebert?"

"No." Alex's voice was huskier than usual.

"Ginger-"

"It was you." His lips captured mine.

I widened my eyes and realized what this meant. He got a boner while thinking about... me? Holy crap, I feel so proud of myself. I closed my eyes and kissed him back. He growled and pushed me onto the couch. I smiled into the kiss and ran my hand through his hair, stopping at his neck. His hair was softer than I imagined. I always dreamed about running my hands through his hair and now it finally happened. Although I could have done it at school, I couldn't bear to see Ashley's smirk.

His tongue slipped into my mouth and I moaned as it touched mine. By this time, Alex was practically laying on top of me. One hand was by my head and his other hand picked up my thigh and rested my leg on his hip. His fingers slowly went underneath my top and as he rested his hand on my breast, heat pooled in my stomach. He moaned and squeezed, causing me to gasp.

The jingle of keys broke me out of the trance I was in and I pushed him off of me. I fixed my clothes and my hair as best as I could before the door opened. Alex sighed and gave me a final kiss before leaning back and putting a pillow on his lap. I caught a glimpse and my face burned with embarrassment and curiosity. The door unlocked and Ashley walked in with about five bags on each arm. I deadpanned and shook my head, while sighing.

"Hey." She huffed and closed the door with her foot. When she turned back around, she stared and came closer.

"Why do you both look like you're guilty of something? And why are you blushing like a nun in a whorehouse Frannie?" She put all her bags down and frowned at us. I started laughing and so did Alex.

*End of Flashback*

"You're mates." Ashley laughed and I glared at her. Alex narrowed his eyes at her and Ashley frowned, hitting the back of his head. He hissed at her and rubbed it. I would have laughed if I wasn't in complete shock. Ashley rolled her eyes, giving him a look. His eyes reverted back to normal and he sighed.

"Sorry, it wasn't intentional." He flashed a small smile before turning to me.

"You're my mate. You're finally mine." Alex whispered, nuzzling my neck.

I don't know why but my eyes filled with tears and my lip started to tremble. I sometimes wished for this, but now that it was here... what would happen now? I tried to pull away from Alex but he only tightened his grip.

"L... Let go." My voice cracked. Alex shook his head, making his bangs fall into his eyes.

Instincts suddenly took over and I pushed him away. Alex slid a few feet away from me. He frowned and stared at me in shock. Some people looked over at us, whispering. I ran out of the house, tears running down my face. I wasn't sure how I would make him happy now that I was his mate. That kiss happened over a year ago and we never talked about it again. We have a lot of fun together, but what happened if he got bored of me or if I wasn't what he really wanted? Would we still be able to be friends if things came to an end? I didn't want to disappoint him nor did I want things as they are to end.

As I stepped outside, I began to cry even more. I could feel what Alex was feeling. Hurt, sadness, anger, and happiness. With every step I took away from the house, the harder it was for me to breathe. Something in the back of my head kept screaming. Get back to your mate! I covered my ears and kept walking. The voices only got louder and soon I was having a full on panic attack. My hair clung to the back of my sweaty neck and the side of my face. I took deep breaths but it only made it worse. I was so close to my car but I couldn't reach it and my legs Would we still be able to be friends if things came to an end? I didn't want to disappoint him nor did I want things as they are to end. I had to go back to Alex. It must be too early for us to be separated right now. There was a loud voice before everyone backed away from me, and I turned to see who it was just as arms wrapped around my waist. I could finally breathe. I took deep breaths as the tingles ran all over my face. Alex's smell filled my nose and I couldn't stop inhaling it.

"I... can't even... be twenty feet away from you... without having a fucking panic attack." I sniffled. Alex's chest rumbled with laughter.

"The bond's still new. It should wear off in a few days." He said.

"I... I don't think I can do this." He pulled away and frowned.

"What are you talking about?"

"I always wished for this to happen you know. For us to be mates because I had a major crush on you. Now that it's come true, I'm scared. You didn't return my feelings and... what if I enjoy this more than you? What if I'm not a good mate for you?" My voice was barely a whisper and stared into Alex's eyes as tears streamed down my face.

Alex's eyes widened and turned black as I said my last word. He shook his head and growled, pulling me close again. My heart was on fire from all the tingles tapping against my skin. As Alex pulled away, his eyes turned back to normal.

"Francine, I do like you. I always have even before the bond and I would've been fine with rejecting my mate if it meant I could be with you. But, you're my mate. This is all new to me too, so it's okay if you don't understand what you're supposed to do. I'm sure it's just like a normal relationship. Only if you break up with me, it's going to be physical torture." Alex moved my hair away from my eyes and I whimpered. His eyes shined with a new determination as he smiled

"It's okay Francine. I'll be here to remind you that I like you... well, love you. And I promise I'll keep showing it until you never have to question it." He whispered and kissed my forehead.