“And would you take away my hopes and dreams and just stay with me? Take my hand and my heart and soul, I will only have these eyes for you.” Ed Sheeran. One.
“You have my mate´s scent all over you” Daniel said glaring to Alejandro as the younger boy entered the TV room where Andy and Ricky, the wolf siblings, were playing video games
“And you smell like wet dog. Do you see me complaining?” Ale said glaring back. Daniel had just taken a shower
“You don’t have to insult me”
“You don’t have to sneer and glare at me every time you see me” Ale retorted
“If Olivia thinks of us, of me as a dog it´s all your fault. You know you shouldn’t…”
“If Oli thinks of you like a dog- Ale had interrupted Daniel- I´m doing you a favor. What do you think she´d prefer, wild wolf or trained dog?” Ale glared and Dani scrubbed his face. Ale had made sense with that; it was less threatening for people to think of a dog than a wolf
“You just think of yourself. You don’t listen to her. You people are so arrogant” Ale had said before Daniel could reply. Both Andy and Ricky stopped playing and were staring at Dani and Ale, waiting on Dani´s cue. Reluctantly Daniel bit back his venomous reply and sighed instead
“Can we talk without insulting each other?” Daniel counted up to ten and back and once again. Ale rolled his eyes
“Yeah, whatever” Ale adjusted his grasses
“Are you alright?” Dani asked Ale once they were outside siting on a bench in the Covin´s large patio. Like Olivia´s the house garden touched and joined the woods
“I´m fine” Ale removed his glasses and cleaned them on his black band t-shirt
“That back in the house, I think you´re upset about something else” Dani said trying to untangle the scents that Ale had displayed earlier
“That was about you being arrogant…” Ale made a face
“Yeah, I guess, but you are resentful about something”
“Fuck that, stop sniffing me… that resents me” Ale had glared
“No, well… it´s not resentment, it is but you’re hurt- Dani blinked at his own words, he hadn’t been trying to discover all the scents that emotions brought to Ale´s particular scent but they came in waves which only meant Ale was really upset- I know we´re not close or anything but you´re family if… anything´s happened you know we’re here for you. You´re one of us” Dani said and he believed it. Ale scoffed, he didn’t believe it
“I´m not and you know that. It´s not how it works”
“You´re part of the Woodhills clan, a brother, no… –Daniel stopped- more like a cousin but still family” he smirked
“As if I´d want to be your brother –Ale adjusted his glasses again- and the whole big brother act doesn’t suit you, quit it and stop smelling me. It’s creepy and annoying. Listen” Ale ad widened his eyes for emphasis
“Can’t help it your emotions roll out in waves from you at the moment –Daniel explained- you know it´s not like I´m reading your mind thought, just your bitchy mood” he teased
“Look who´s talking -Ale looked at Daniel over the rim of his glasses and then, with a sigh, at the distant trees- Martin, Enzo, took another chance to prank me” Ale confessed
“What did he do?”
“Point out how Karen and I don’t belong… it doesn’t matter. I don’t care” Ale sneered
“We could prank him back. He´s been getting on my nerves too” Daniel offered with a growl, Ale snorted
“Did you really had something to tell me or did you just want to bring me out here to sit with me or something, ´cause I don’t like it” Ale said looking at Dani over the rim of his glasses
“I don’t like your company either –Dani replied but it was playful, it didn’t have real meaning- it´s about Olivia … Alejandro, you know she´s my mate…” Ale´s heavy sigh interrupted Dani
“There you go, so arrogant, you people make those things like they are fact, like just because you feel it everybody else is supposed to get it and accept it”
“Ale, it´s a fact, it´s not to be arrogant or to impose on you or Oli, it’s just how it is”
“Well, whatever. Think about the rest of us, ok? About Olivia, at least. She comes to me for answers and I have to tell her I can’t tell her… you are supposed to tell her stuff and you are not doing it”
“It´s not like she lets me. Tell her to ask me”
“I have told her but she doesn’t trust you, can you blame her for that? –He looked at Dani reprovingly- but you people, you, make me keep your secrets and I can’t tell her stuff and now we´re talking about her. I don’t think she´d appreciate to be discussed this way”
“I want to tell her everything”
“Well do it! Don’t just give fragments of information and leave me to pick it from there, especially about shit I don’t even know about!”
“I don’t want to give her a history class or to overwhelm her with information” Dani got defensive
“Well, go tell her the freaking basics then. You can’t go on and on about alphas and houses and clans and bonds if you don’t tell her what the hell that is or who the hell are you”
“Did you tell her about that?” Daniel frowned. It was his job to do so, even if he´d done it bad so far
“She´s your mate, isn’t she?” Ale made a face and a derisive sound. Dani observed him for a second catching something in his scent
“Alejandro, do you have a crush on my mate?” Daniel tried to bit back the venom in his words and to stop glaring, to keep himself from baring his teeth and to keep his fists at his sides. It wouldn’t do to kill Ale in his house or anywhere else. Joel would be furious, Ale was Karen´s brother, his dad would kill him and Oli wouldn’t approve of him killing her friends but his protective and possessive nature screamed for him to behead Alejandro
“Can you blame me?” Ale had sighed
“Alejandro, you are aware of the covenant…”
“I know, shut up about that, she´s out of the market. You wolves ruin everything. Oli’s a cool girl, pretty, smart and funny. I saw her first but no –Ale widened his eyes- you had to make it so she was out of reach for the rest of us. I wonder what she´d say about that particular information” Ale smirked making Dani´s eyes widen
“You wouldn’t…” Dani quickly narrowed his eyes. Ale was someone who could kill whatever he could do to gain Olivia´s trust. Ale was her friend, she trusted him. Dani had started on the wrong foot, there would always be that stain
“Ale… please –Dani had sighed -I´ll tell you something but keep it between us. Please” Dani pleaded Ale groaned
“There you go again making me keep secrets for you….”
“Just… listen, ok? Listen to me…”Daniel told him the one thing that had prevented him from going after Olivia that morning after she´d disappeared from his sight
“Wow –ale said with slightly wild eyes when Dani had finished- so that´s true? I mean the story”
“Yeah… it wouldn’t be on you but you could push me into that…” Dani untied and tied his pony tail. Ale sighed
“Relax, it´s not like I’m in love with her. I like her but I’m not making marriage plans. I don’t know what I´d do if she asked me out though…” Ale laughed and Dani groaned
“Alejandro, I´d kill you”
“I´m sure Oli would love to know you did that –Ale smirked, Daniel sighed heavily- but again, relax, you´re some kind of brother, no, wait, like an obnoxious cousin I can’t stand and … well… I know I can’t go after your crush even if I saw her fist… but you better start explaining her stuff or I will tell her what I know and damn the consequences, damned the family honor… I don’t care about that…stuff”
“I´ll try, I´ll do it… Thanks for pointing out I haven’t really been thinking from her perspective”
“It´s my pleasure to point out you´re a jerk –Ale grinned but his eyes had no humor- I can’t believe I have to tell you these things… thought you knew how to deal with girls” ale said with a raised eyebrow
“Werewolf girls or girls who didn’t need to know about me, yes but not when it´s about a non-shifter who´s the last one of a supposedly lost family and that…”
“Ok, ok, stop there or next time you see me you´ll want me to do your make up and talk about your latest crush and feelings” Ale wrinkled his nose
“You could help me dye my hair next time. I´ll add highlights to yours” Dani said with mock excitement
“We´ll play house, too? –Ale said flatly- it´s not a wonder Oli doesn’t like you” Ale smirked
“That was low” Dani narrowed his eyes, Ale shrugged, stood up and walked back to the house leaving Daniel to his thoughts about Olivia and even some about Alejandro and what might have happened to him. A few minutes later his mom had called him in for their usual weekly family dinner.
“How short do you want it, Daniel?” Mr. King asked; the man had cut the man-wolf hair since before he´d stopped getting a ‘decent’ haircut back in high school. Daniel sighed silently. He wouldn’t regret it.
“It´s time to get rid of it, make it short” Dani shrugged
“Ah, so, you´ll finally get a manly haircut” Mr. King, the owner of the barbershop joked, Daniel snorted as Mr. Kind tied his long hair in a low pony tail
“I guess I can donate that to one of those wig places… should be useful…” Daniel mused mostly to himself
“Gotta work for something…maybe a mop” Mr. King joked taking a pair of scissors
“Stop! -a voice interrupted Mr. King and a strand of hair fell to the floor but the rest stayed intact --what are you doing?” a clear voice said with a gasp to Mr. King who was startled. Daniel didn’t have to look to know who it was. He could recognize his mate´s scent and voice anywhere.
“I´m sorry…?” Mr. King turned to Olivia in confusion, it was not every day that he was randomly stop from doing his job
“What are you doing?” She ignored the older man and talked to Daniel who had stood up and was facing her
“Getting a haircut?” he knitted his eyebrows upward
“Why?” Oli frowned as if he was insane for even thinking about it
“Shouldn´t I…?” Dani smiled as he tucked behind his ear the shorter strand of hair that brushed his cheek. Oli shrugged with a face that usually came with the expression ‘duh´. He chuckled and felt something moving in his chest that made him tug at his collar a little
“I won’t be cutting my hair Mr. King but thank you” he told the man paying him anyway and rushed after Olivia who was walking out the barbershop asking herself what was wrong with her; she couldn’t believe she had gone in that shop to prevent him getting a haircut. She shook her head as her cheeks turned red. Had she gone crazy?
“Where are you going? Can I join you?” The man-wolf caught up to her. Like Alejandro had said, he was the impersonation of a human puppy. Olivia wanted to slap herself; she´d placed herself in that situation
“Grocery shopping” Olivia murmured hoping her blushed cheeks went back to normal. ‘Some head banding on a hard surface is in order’ Oli thought as the man looked at her profile resembling more and more some kind of curious puppy
“I’ll join you –he decided- I´ll help you carry the bags” he offered, she considered. Ale usually joined her to her grocery shopping, not that she bought much but the drive way was a long way to walk…
“You don’t have to…” she said with a weak smile, she didn’t want to say yes but the truth was that she could use his help
“I was heading to your place after the haircut so it´s ok” he smiled his lopsided smile
“Ok” they walked in silence the ten minutes that took them to get to the store
“How was your week?” Dani tried for conversation once they were inside the store. He was carrying the basket for the shopping
“Pretty good… I put oil to my creaking door like I saw you do to the others and painted that one but I think I over did it with the oil” she shrugged, took a pear and smelled it and then put a few in a bag.
“Can’t be that bad” Daniel smiled
“You haven’t seen it –there was humor mixed with disdain in his mate´s voice. She picked some green and red apples- are you going to pick anything from here?” Oli motioned to the fruits, he hadn’t been paying any attention to where they were in the store, the fruits held no interest for him even less when he was busy being fascinated by her unconcerned answers and the fact that she was talking to him, normally, like they knew each other
“Do you like oranges?” he picked one
“Otherwise I wouldn’t have planted an orange tree –she tilted her head a little to a side and laughed a tiny laugh in the end- if you’re going to get those I could make orange bread” again she spoke as if they were some kind of friends
“What else can you do with oranges? I mean, what other recipes do you know?” he picked a few, more than what they could possibly need, she picked some bananas
“Fresh orange juice?” she teased with a little laugh, he gasped mockingly
“No! I could never do that myself!” he widened his eyes
“I know –se nodded- but you could do a salad, or chicken, beef, fish too, salmon goes well with it… Chinese food–she moved to the side and picked butter and milk- mmmmh I should make that tonight” she said to herself reading the label on the milk carton
“You mentioned beef…” Daniel hinted as they keep walking, predictably meat was his favorite
“Yeah, that can be done too”
“For tomorrow perhaps?” he hinted again as she stopped and picked a can of tuna and started reading the ingredients on it, the nutritional facts
“Yeah…” she said absentmindedly placing it back and taking another
“And maybe fish the next day” Daniel ventured curious if she´d realize that she´d been agreeing to his suggestions for food that she´d cook and he´d eat
“You´ll get bored of oranges” she tilted her head up to him for a second and picked two cans of tuna of the same brand that she´d read last
“It could be like a theme” he shrugged
“You put themes to your meals?” she furrowed her eyebrows but there was humor in her scent
“Err… nope… I like the smell of them thought, the oranges –he confessed cautiously, she nodded as they walked thought the aisle- but… You´re reading every label of everything that you take” he observed as she grabbed flour and sugar
“I didn’t read the nutritional facts on those two –she narrowed her eyes- but… it´s something more people should do, you ought to know what you´re eating” she shrugged and he thought she was adorable
“What’s your favorite ice-cream flavor?” Daniel asked stopping at the fridge
“Pistachio and vanilla” she said absently taking a bag of frozen fries. He grinned taking a pint of vanilla ice cream
“Can you make anything with oranges and vanilla ice cream?”
”I guess… perhaps the orange bread could be eaten with ice cream on the side or I don’t know; sweet crepes with oranges and tangerines as filling” she raised her eyebrows as if in question
“You know how to cook –he commented- I bet you know a lot of recipes, where did you learn it?”
“I like it, yeah, my dad, well, my grandpa but I called him dad, he had a food truck and sometimes I went with him to help”
“Sounds cool”
“Yea, it was…. Grandma sold it when he died though there was no one to take care of it and we needed the money…” she shrugged and a side of her mouth went downward, her scent laced with sadness
“I’m sorry. I think you´re a good chef. You cook better than Gil” he chuckled, Gil was one of the cooks at his aunt´s restaurants where Oli worked, Oli laughed quietly
“Ale says that too” she said as they got to the cashier. Something bubbled inside him at that, something like cold heavy liquid in his veins
“Oh! I forgot the cereal –Oli turned around, Daniel was right behind so they collided- Oh!” she exclaimed flushing. He held her arms helping her balance and helping himself to balance his temper. She moved pass him quickly walking to get the cereal.
“You don’t have a problem if we go there, do you?” Oli pointed to the gardening store across the street- I want to get some pots for some herbs I want to plant” she looked up at him expectantly with the cutest tilt of her head
“Let´s go” Daniel watched at his watch checking he still had a few hours before the pull of the moon made him shift to his wolf form
“You like gardening too” he walked next to her
“I guess… -she said-… I mean, I´ve always wanted to have one of those nice gardens that you see in magazines or on T.V, you know, the ones with flowers everywhere and trees in shapes…” she chuckled at herself “now that I have the land I thought I could at least try, I hope I don’t kill the plants thought …”
“What do you want to plant?”
“I saw on TV this show where they taught you to make like your own herb garden and I liked that, it´d be cool to have fresh herbs for whenever I cook… if what they hinted is true, herbs are easy”
“I think the clay one´s better than the plastic one” he gave his opinion, she´d been comparing two pots of different material
“Yeah but the other will last longer… specially if they fall down”
“Where are you planning to put them?”
“I was thinking the kitchen window but I don’t know if they’ll fall from there”
“If you put them there you might not be able to close the window either…” he observed
“That too…”
“You have time to think about where you want them” they had gone back to talking about the best place to put the just bought herbs as they got close to the house
“Yeah, I guess…-she agreed- it´d be so cool if I could have one of those herbs gardens that I watched on TV” to Olivia to be talking of things like that felt too familiar as if they were friends. She didn’t like it but she couldn’t deny that he was very willing to help and hadn’t attempted anything in the past months, it had seemed that besides the annoying floor scratching when he was his dog self he tried his best to keep out of her way but he was there when she needed help with things around the house.
Another thing that Olivia didn’t want to admit was that it was nice to have some company. It had been hard for her to live alone after her grandmother had died. It was not that she wanted someone to be talking all the time but it was nice to have someone thinking about her for a change, one that wanted to please her by doing little things, not that the repairs he´d done were little but still it was something not just anybody would do to be on her best side but she couldn’t forget that easily who she was, what he was and what the circumstances in which they had met were. She couldn’t let her guard down that easily even if it had started to feel like it was way too easy to do it. If anything that was a good reason to not let my guard down Olivia thought.
Daniel had been outside, in the garden all the while after they put the groceries away and she started their usual early dinner, she´d grown increasingly weary and uncomfortable since they went inside the house, as if they grew distant when the number of people and open space lessen. It made Daniel sigh heavily but he had to be patient and give Olivia space even if all he wanted was to be right next to her, to make sure they had a bond, to strengthen the bond he knew they already had.
Olivia wanted a herbs garden, she´d bought some herbs and pots for it but still didn’t know where she wanted it, she´d mentioned what where the designs in the show she´d seen. She wanted it and that made him want it for her. He considered where it could go based on what she´d told him. He took measurements of the spaces where it could go, she wanted it near the kitchen window but it didn’t have to go there, she´d said. The man wolf made a list of the tools he´d need to go home or have his dad bring them, better the second one he thought.
Olivia called him for dinner with a “I´ll leave your food on the kitchen table” he asked her if it was ok to use the old furniture that couldn’t be repaired
“Sure, if you can do that… it´d be really nice… but you know you don’t have to do it” she smiled politely
“It’s ok, I like building stuff –his mouth tilted with a smile- I´ll ask dad to borrow me some of his tools thought, if that´s ok by you, I mean, him coming…”
“Oh… if it´s fine by him…” Oli hesitated, the man was the chief of police, would he be available to bring his son tools to build her something just because she´d seen it on some TV show? She wondered but then she thought that she had to go out of her way to keep an eye on the chief´s son, not that she had that much going on but still, she didn’t to help them so, the chief could do this for her
Daniel nodded and took a seat “this smells really good” he smiled that smile of his that show how his front teeth were bigger than the rest which was funny because if he was a wolf his canines should be the prominent ones. Oli inclined her head at the compliment and to hide the smile tugging at her mouth at the sight of his smile and her thoughts of it
“There´s more –she pointed to the pan on the stove- if you want, you can have some more…” she said with a light shrug and exited the kitchen; a moment later he heard the sound of the TV and her flipping channels to what sounded like cartoons. He sighed and started to eat, it was a nice meal with the ingredients he had suggested, it was good except that he did not enjoy eating alone.
“It was really good!” Daniel complimented Olivia when she came back with her empty plate; he was on his second serving
“Thanks….” She gave a little smile and proceeded to clean her plate, he noticed se was taking her time to dry it
“I´m sorry about earlier” she turned around and then averted her gaze
“Mh?” he tucked the shorter strand of hair behind his ear, she pointed to his head and he still didn’t get what she was talking about
“Your haircut –she blushed- I… I don’t know why…” she stammered
Daniel chuckled a little “Thanks for saving it. I don’t think I really want to get rid of it”
“Then…?” she felt her cheeks getting warmer as she remembered his last letter
“I thought you disliked it… -he cleared his throat when she paled slightly- and everybody seems to be against it –he took his dish to the sink- because of the future job and because it makes me look like a slob, not serious or something” he shrugged as he cleaned the dish
“Oh… yeah… appearances, dress codes and all that, respectability…blah blah” she wrinkled her nose
“Exactly…I don’t like that besides if they can’t see my work, see who I am because of some hair then I don’t want to be there” he shook his head and she stared at him for a moment
“Nice” she nodded with a half-smile.
If only it wasn’t so painful, the werewolf thought as he shifted from a shape to the other. Yet he had never wished to be different. He knew it´d stop, the agony would stop eventually and it would only leave the strength of the more animalistic side, the heightened sense and the honesty that only a wolf encasing a more or less human shaped mind had. All of these was good, the surge of energy and freedom that he usually felt right after the change was complete unfortunately he was locked but he knew he wouldn’t go out even if he wasn’t because if something was enhanced more than all the other things it was the need for his mate, the need of the company of the pack and the want of the support of his alpha. The lack of all those almost made him dislike being in wolf form and express it in a howl. Olivia was so close yet so far, the wolf thought. Alejandro had been right, the wolf huffed; he was admitting Ale was right… another disadvantage of being in wolf form. Daniel would’ve laughed if he had been able to, instead he sniffed closer and quiet through the cracks of the floor boards as he remembered the conversation he´d had with Alejandro. How it must be for Oli to come into a new world within the world she knew so suddenly, maybe it´d be like not being werewolf from one day to the other, he thought and wondered as her scent told him where downstairs she was and how she was doing.
“Saw you happily walking your dog out this afternoon :p” read Alejandro´s text that had just been sent. Olivia wrinkled her nose
“haha very funny… Couldn’t help it” she typed quickly
“Excuses, excuses, excuses” came Ale´s reply less than a minute later
“We bumped as I was going to the grocery store” she rolled her eyes as she went upstairs to her room
“The wicked wolf was stalking red riding hood” Oli could imagine Ale had a slight smirk as he had sent that
“It was kinda my fault” she threw herself on her bed and covered her eyes. Ale had just sent a question mark as reply
“Talked to him first… sort of” she explained
“You did? Really? So he’s growing on you, huh?”
“No! it’s just… I don’t know what I was thinking”
“That you wanna talk to him?”
“I didn’t exactly talk…”
“You wanna tell me but you’re not telling me. So just tell me, ok?” Ale texted
“I went in the barbershop and stopped the guy that was about to give him a haircut” Oli felt like she really needed to get it out of her system. It felt like by saying it to someone she could just laugh at it and forget it
“Red riding hood likes the shabby wicked wolf. Got tangled in his hair?” Ale´s reply had taken longer to come; Oli had brushed her teeth and gotten ready for bed in the meantime
“Movie reference as well? And no, don’t like him”
“Had to think of it for a moment ;) then?”
“He said everybody told him he should get rid of it, I felt bad apparently I was the drop that filled the glass on that”
“So, you´re into long manes of black hair?” was Ale´s reply and it made her giggle for some reason
“Won’t say I don’t like it”
“You´re right, the bastard wears it well” was the reply she got, it made her laugh
“Do you like the guy?” she teased in her reply
“He´s fit, even seen how easily they all get rid of their clothes? Too bad he´s a damn dog and of course… he´s yours :p” Ale teased back
“You can have him, you seem to like him lots”
“Nah, I bet you had a lot of fun taking him out for a walk, I can’t take that from my bff”
“NO way! I couldn’t look at him after that!”
“A ‘stop talking to me’ would’ve done it” Oli could hear Ale´s flat tone on the reply
“I can’t just say that to people! Besides I kinda used him to help me carry the stuff… couldn’t be rude”
“At least he saved me that chore” Ale replied, he usually went shopping with Oli since they had started to walk home together
“Which is why you´re not getting theme dinners”
“Lost me, Red”
“I kinda agreed to make all sorts of recipes that include oranges for meals during his stay” Oli groaned
“Wow and I just get a thanks. No fair, Red”
“Couldn’t say no. Too embarrassed and he bought the stuff. Won’t ask your help anymore btw”
“I´ll help anyway” was his reply followed by another “or go get a haircut”
“You idiot!” Oli exclaimed and the wolf immediately stopped the soft whine but focused on the threat of humor in her scent, it didn’t match her words. He wondered what she was doing. She´d been going from embarrassment to laughter to surprise to sadness and all over again in different order
“Should I let my hair grow?” Ale replied to her insult
“With your curls your head would look even bigger” She it sent and laughed quietly wondering what he´d say to that
“Ouch. Only long straight black hair then *sights* how much do you think straightening it cost?”
“Blond :p I don’t know ask advice from your wolfie friend”
“You know him intimately, I see, what else do you know?”
“Psssh if we´ll talk about guys now let´s talk of some other guys, yeah?”
“Sure, red, who´s caught your eye?” she laughed, she could tell he´d rolled his eyes like how he did when she and Mai said a guy was cute yet he usually joined them in the talk
“Walter, I think, blond, gray eyes, asks for the same dessert all the time” she wrote about the first person that had crossed her mind only to annoy Ale
“Regnoir. Wolf. Your puppy’s cousin” Ale replied quickly
“Ugh. Really? Ok… idk his name but he wears the fancy school uniform but lives here”
“Isn’t that too young for you? –Ale teased- Canagan Bertrand. Wolf. Next”
“Pssshhh don’t need to be certain age to say someone´s cute and ugh again. Let me see…. Sits always on table 2 to drink coffee and read?”
“Grandpa Martin? Wide variety of taste, girl and wolf btw”
“No! not the old man! The guy with the curls, blue eyes” it was not about cute or not but about how many wolf were regulars at her work place
“Kurt Landry. Wolf. Seems like you like doggies a lot”
“Is there any guy in this town that is not a mythical creature?! So scary!”
“I know at least one”
“Who?”
“Curls, glasses, amazing sense of humor, not dog, not scary, brown eyes, makes great music”
“Carbonell” she laughed as she sent the reply
“Yeah, let´s talk about him”
“Idk, he can be a pain…”
Daniel kept feeling the changes in is mate´s scent every few minutes, even fear and annoyance had sipped in but the dominant note had been humor. Her playful laughter and giggles proved it. She kept at it for a while longer and then they all vanished as she went to sleep and so did he lolled by the scent of her dreams
Fresh orange juice and pancakes with soft orange flavor were Daniel´s breakfast the next morning. He could’ve laugh of joy that his mate had done as he´d suggested. A while after breakfast Covin came to the Belcourt house to bring what he had asked, after greeting Oli and thanking her for continuing to help Daniel as they had agreed, as he´d asked, his dad had gone around the house to the yard and after a while Oli started to hear the sounds of a sawing, hammering and nailing and other sounds she couldn’t identify but knew were made as Dani worked. She wondered if she should be worried about the man and his power tools, he could use them to harm her but if he had wanted to harm her he´d had more than enough opportunities -she told herself- and he definitely didn’t need any weapons to do that.
After another citrus themed meal Olivia followed Daniel to the yard where he showed her his work. She couldn’t help but smile at what he´d done.
“You made me a vertical herbs garden” his mate looked at him with a smile that showed all her teeth and after a second she looked down and back at the boxes that hung from the wall at different heights, old wood and pieces of iron that he´d twisted artistically in shapes to look like old forged iron
“The herbs are still missing” Daniel smiled back relieved that she hadn’t mind the boxes nailed to the wall instead of being separate and movable
“Yeah but this is so cool, like the one I saw on that show I told you. Did you watch it?” she tilted her head and he chuckled tucking the shorter loose strand of hair behind his ear
“I might have seen it”
“That´s lucky… -she turned to the side- you made me a bench too?!”
“There was enough wood -he shrugged- it opens –he opened it, it was like a trunk- for you to keep the gardening tools”
“Wow –she blinked, her scent all surprise and gratefulness- thank you… you´re very skilled at building things” she said looking at the inside of the trunk which had the few tools she owned
“Thanks ….Are you putting the plants today?” he inquired
“Yeah –her scent laced with excitement- I´ll go change, be right back” she said already walking back inside
Olivia changed her dress for a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and kept her bangs out of her face she put on a hairband on her head. By the time she came back he´d brought the bag of soil and had the pots and herbs they had bought the day before ready to be transplanted. She smiled at him and knelt down and between the two of them they changed the herbs from their original bags to the pots. Oli noticed he was not afraid to get dirty, she wore gloves but he just took the soil with bare hands
“Where do you want this one?” Dani asked with a pot of rosemary in his hand
“On this side of the window” she pointed placing two pots in one of the boxes
“Could you put this one up there?” She passed him the mint pot. The highest box was near the center of the window
“It looks good right? We did a good job” she smiled at him taking a step back to look at the garden. He raised his and in a high five motion and she clapped hers against his and laughed quietly “You did most of it though, thanks, really” she said taking off the gloves
“Can I help you with anything” the man wolf offered once he came back from washing himself. The scent of the orange zest on the table filled the room
“It´s ok- she smiled politely- I got it” once again, he thought, she didn’t seem comfortable to be near him when it was closed spaces so with nothing else to do he went and sat on the kitchen table, in her line of vision and tried to relax which was both easy and hard to do. He liked being there in the same room but he didn’t want her to grow uncomfortable if he watched her but he didn’t really have anything to do or anything else he wanted to do.
“What are you doing tonight?” he ventured as she squeezed the orange
“Szechuan orange stir fry” she looked up at him noting he put his rubber band between his fingers as he raised both his arms up to tie his hair in a high ponytail; she went back to what she was doing quickly
“Chinese right?”
“Yeah –she started to mince some ginger- but we’re eating it with pasta instead of white rice” she shrugged mixing ingredients in a bowl
“Is that… sugar?” he couldn’t help but ask. Oli looked up with raised eyebrows
“Mh, it´ll be good, don’t worry” she mixed the contents and started to slice the beef and placed it in the bowl “Do you mind broccoli?” Oli looked up “it doesn’t have to have that so it´s fine if you don’t like it” she turned to boil the pasta, she´d seen he avoided saying no to food even if he didn’t like it. The man wolf grinned
“Broccoli’s fine”
“Cool”
Daniel watched her chop the vegetables and then turn to the stove checking on the pasta and fry the meat. He was sure that if he had wanted to learn the recipe from TV, not that he liked cooking, he wouldn’t have paid half of the attention she paid to Oli cooking. She was focused and relaxed doing that, even with him there. It relaxed him to focus on her and to sense how the fire and the different ingredients mixed changed the smell in the air and around Olivia. He noticed she nodded to herself when satisfied with the taste
“Smells really good” he stood up to take his plate
“Even with the sugar in” she said with humor and taking her plate she walked out but paused before exiting completely “there´s more if you want”
“Ok, thanks” he replied and she was gone. The man wolf sighed. He did not enjoy eating alone.
Cherished Olivia,
I am thinking of you. A lot of things have reminded me of you today, from the morning ‘till a few hours ago when I had Chinese, can you guess what the dish was? It was interesting to have themed meals. You were like one of those chefs on TV when they´re challenged to use one ingredient to make many dishes. You were successful
I know I’m imposing on you, I’m sorry about that but I really had fun with the herbs garden, it´ll be cool when you get to use them. I have to say again that you could be a better chef than Gil, aunt Leah should hire you instead (don’t tell him that, though)
Oli, I´m sorry for making you uncomfortable with my staying but I want you to know that I´d never intentionally harm you. I know I left a terrible impression that first time and as I´ve said before I truly regret that. I wish you could give me the chance to explain … there is so much I want to tell you.
Yours always,
Daniel Covin
******
A/N: ha! so there´s that! I was dying to post something and I was finally able to do it. I was thinking that I could tittle this one "Blossoms and Vanilla" but idk...
ah! I hope it wasnt such a weird post... Ale talking... that wasnt supposed to b in this one, it was something I had written but that was not going to use and then it felt like it fit
Links:
herb garden -not exactly what he did but quite like it
hair -I couldnt help but to show you how he looked doing that lol -in my mind-
song: I was listening to music and this one felt perfect for this one "use somebody" by kings of Leon. This one´s a cover that I like a lot.
Saku:
First of all, thank you for providing the pix for this one and also, thx for the suggestion on the last post title.
sorry I didnt say anything about your last comment, thx for it, I was waiting for this post to say something.
-about your question: there´s a word missing there...haha but yeah, he´s thinking about her, he´s wishing she´d let him explain what happened that first time. Makes sense now?
-Thank you for understanding both of their povs, I also felt bad that he was locked but I also feel bad for her, I think she´s taken it pretty well haha
-The tree: ha! that was intentional haha that is why that one is visible from the window
