Page 21 of Tainted Romance

‘Why, scared I might ruin your chances?’

‘You haven’t and won’t ruin anything.’

‘Then you won’t mind if I stay and listen in.’

“Zane, what are you going to get?”The brunette batted her eyelids at him and what she said ran through his mind twice before he riddled off an answer.

He had been kind to me in Math. Hell, it had taken me by surprise. I thought for some crazy reason things were going on the right path - that maybe us being friends could actually work. What had changed?

“I’m going to go home.” I looked at mom. There was no way I was staying here, watching him flirt with that woman all night.

“You are going to walk?” Mom looked at me with disbelief. I hated walking and made any excuse to get out of it.

“Yes, don’t make such a big deal out of it.” I pushed the chair in after me. “See you at home.”

She would normally argue with me and tell me to sit back down. I then, of course, would ignore her and leave anyway so I was surprised when she didn’t put up a fight and just nodded her head.

I wasn’t going to hang around for her to change her mind.

‘Leaving so soon?’Zane’s voice flooded my mind.

‘Didn’t want to ruin your date.’

‘Don’t give yourself that much credit.’

‘Ok, can you just tell me what the hell changed?’The restaurant door closed behind me, and although I was talking to him in my mind, I couldn’t look at him. I didn’t even steal one last glance.‘Come on, Zane, tell me what the hell changed!’

I wanted to know. No, I had to know what had changed.

‘When were you going to tell me you were leaving?’His disappointment stained the words he spoke in my mind.

I paused on the footpath, closing my eyes briefly. It was about that? He was acting all stuck up and mean because of that?

‘Just because I plan something doesn’t mean it was going to happen.’I pushed the words into his mind.‘So, instead of trying to convince me not to leave, you thought you would just hook up with the next one in line?’

I had heard numerous tales of mates, about when you find your soul mate, nothing can keep them apart. I suppose just like all tales, they are far from the truth.

‘Are you planning on leaving?’His words filled my mind harshly.‘Do you not want to stay in this town?’

It would be better if we were face to face as I could read his reaction then, but, instead, I was alone on a footpath. God, it was chilly out.‘I don’t know.’It was the honest truth. I wanted more than anything to leave, but another part of me, a part that was getting bigger much to my anger, wanted me to stay.‘It depended, I guess, on what happened between well, umm, us.’

Why couldn’t he just come out and speak to me, face to face! His mind was silent.

‘Well, the decision got easier for you. I’m done, this isn’t going to work.’His words were a low hiss in my mind, and it bounced around a few times. I repeated the words over and over - the reality of what he said hitting me hard.

‘You’re done?’I repeated in complete disbelief.‘So, what does that mean?’

He didn’t say anything back. I searched his mind it was hollow and empty. It didn’t make sense.

‘I can’t have you as my mate.’His words were hard, and, as much as it killed me to admit it, they hurt. ‘You don’t want to be here, and I’m not planning on being the one who trapped you here.’

‘Do I get a say in this?’

‘No.’

‘Fine, reject me. I don’t give a damn, but you and I both know you can’t reject me for another five months so, until then, I’ll keep my distance,’I hissed the words into his mind.

When you find your mate, a six-month clock starts. You can’t reject your mate under six months. It just isn’t possible. The mind link won’t break, and the pull you feel won’t ease. Some say it is in place so nobody rejects their mate too quickly, but it didn’t matter. Zane didn’t want me, and now it meant we would be stuck together for another five months.

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