Page 32 of Her Former Bear Mate

“But you don’t want that.”

“I want to be with you.I’ll do anything so let’s just go.”

“No.”Aditi reached for her shirt, determined to cover up.She didn’t feel warm anymore and this conversation was somehow worse than all their fights.

“No?”Lena let out a sigh.“But this is what you wanted.”

“Itwaswhat I wanted, six months ago.I don’t want it as some sort of appeasement.”

“It’s not.I changed my mind.You said that was allowed.”

Aditi let out a frustrated growl.“No.Yes.No!”

“Great.”Lena kicked her side of the blanket away and turned as far away as the bed allowed.She muttered the last bit under her breath but it was definitely loud enough for Aditi to hear.“Should’ve just gone fucking home.”

NINETEEN

Lena

Lena didn’t lookat Aditi when she accepted a mug with tea.“Thanks,” she muttered.She might be upset but that wasn’t a good enough reason not to say thank you for a cup of tea.

She took a sip, humming when it had just the perfect amount of milk in it.She didn't know why, but tea always tasted better when Aditi made it.Maybe it was about how long she steeped it, how hot she boiled the water.Maybe it was just because it was made with love.

"So you don't want to go into the lake?"Lena checked, deciding that there was no point in making idle small talk.This was something that they needed to sort out once and for all because it kept coming back to this.

Aditi was pacing back and forth in the kitchen."I do."

"But not with me."

"No, I do want to go with you."

"But you don't."

"But I don't," she confirmed.

Lena rubbed her forehead, her fingertips warm from her mug."This is giving me a headache, Adi."

"Take some painkillers then."

"Wow.Are those the same bed manners you use in the hospital?"It was an unfair remark but it slipped out all the same.

Aditi glared at her."You know it's not."

"Sorry."

"I'm just tired of going round and round and round on this."

"Me too.That's why I'm trying to break the cycle.Let's just go into the bloody lake," Lena said, exhausted with the whole thing already.Why were all her answers causing a fight?

She refused to go.Fight.

She agreed to go.Fight.

This really was doing her head in and she wondered if the walls were getting tired of their arguing.

"See.This is why I don't want to go."Aditi pointed one slender but angry finger at her."I don't want to go because you're just placating me.You have to believe we’re fated mates.Otherwise, what’s the point?”

Lena wanted to pull the hair out of her head."I do believe it.I mean, if it’s not you, it’s nobody!"

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