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Isaac had followed her home, after.
She knew he didn't have anyone, really, that he'd been staying with Scott most of the time, and that before that, Derek's abandoned train station had been called home, and lived up to the name more than his own home had, in so many ways. That wasn't why she'd offered for him to come with them, just because he had nowhere better, or out of pity.
She liked him. It was different than it had been with Scott. So much of the relationship had been held together by the enforced secrecy of it, how her parents had disapproved of him, and how they'd had to sneak around to keep seeing each other. There'd been more to it than that, genuine affection and caring, and she still loved Scott. She imagined that in some way, she always would, holding a place for him in her heart, but it wasn't something she could go back to.
Isaac was different. He was vulnerable, in spite of the claws and the fangs and the enfolding protection of the pack. The aggression he sometimes put on, that hard shell, was all for show, to keep him safe. She'd seen inside that protective barrier enough to know that that was what was real, the softness of his eyes, and the fear that all too often clouded them.
They'd been sitting on her bed, the last several minutes spent in silence, awkward conversation having all but fallen away. She still felt cold, even after all that had happened after, but it wasn't entirely physical. It was a lingering coldness, that lingering feeling they'd been warned about, a darkness. She wrapped her arms more tightly around her knees, glancing over at Isaac, and then thought better of it. She shifted, scooting a little closer, and leaned against him purposefully, the kind of gesture that said she didn't want to sit a ways away from him any longer, she was bridging the distance. She rested her chin on his shoulder, offering a little smile when he looked at her, and then slipped an arm around him, rubbing over his lower back, and she murmured, "Hey. I'm okay."
She was trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince him.
She knew he didn't have anyone, really, that he'd been staying with Scott most of the time, and that before that, Derek's abandoned train station had been called home, and lived up to the name more than his own home had, in so many ways. That wasn't why she'd offered for him to come with them, just because he had nowhere better, or out of pity.
She liked him. It was different than it had been with Scott. So much of the relationship had been held together by the enforced secrecy of it, how her parents had disapproved of him, and how they'd had to sneak around to keep seeing each other. There'd been more to it than that, genuine affection and caring, and she still loved Scott. She imagined that in some way, she always would, holding a place for him in her heart, but it wasn't something she could go back to.
Isaac was different. He was vulnerable, in spite of the claws and the fangs and the enfolding protection of the pack. The aggression he sometimes put on, that hard shell, was all for show, to keep him safe. She'd seen inside that protective barrier enough to know that that was what was real, the softness of his eyes, and the fear that all too often clouded them.
They'd been sitting on her bed, the last several minutes spent in silence, awkward conversation having all but fallen away. She still felt cold, even after all that had happened after, but it wasn't entirely physical. It was a lingering coldness, that lingering feeling they'd been warned about, a darkness. She wrapped her arms more tightly around her knees, glancing over at Isaac, and then thought better of it. She shifted, scooting a little closer, and leaned against him purposefully, the kind of gesture that said she didn't want to sit a ways away from him any longer, she was bridging the distance. She rested her chin on his shoulder, offering a little smile when he looked at her, and then slipped an arm around him, rubbing over his lower back, and she murmured, "Hey. I'm okay."
She was trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince him.
