Page 14 of Finn's Solace

Now, if only I could find a way to ask Levi about this whole mate thing. I didn't think I could bring it up myself, though.Because what if Greta biting me had been just that? Either I'd look like a fool, or Levi would think I wanted to be with him. Which...I wasn't sure what I wanted.

I'd looked up to Levi in the months we'd been held together, and maybe I'd had a bit of a childish crush on him too. Maybe that was why I was clinging so hard to the idea that he might be my mate, because I wanted him to be. The best thing to do would be to leave the ball in his court.

Of course, Neel's solution was a lot more straightforward. And a lot scarier. "You need to talk to him."

Levi

Finn was my mate.

It was all I'd thought about since our coffee shop meet-up two days ago, and the longer I spent, the more I regretted not telling him right then and there.

I was quite sure now that he hadn't sensed our bond yet, and I had to assume it was somehow related to those glasses he wore and whatever problems he had with his powers. Either way, he didn't know, which meant it fell on me to tell him.

I had no idea how he'd react. Would he be happy? What if he wasn't interested in pursuing a relationship right now? Would I be okay with waiting until he was?

Yeah, I would be. When I moved to Mistvale, romance hadn't even been on my list. All I'd really been looking for wasa change of pace, a change of scenery, and I'd gotten all that and more. Much, much more.

What did it matter if we spent the next however many years as friends? We'd been friends before, and I would enjoy being Finn's friend again. If he did want to try a romantic relationship, I'd be up for that too.

I'd dated a bit in the last ten years, but I'd never been able to open up completely with my partners. I had a feeling things would be different with Finn because he already knew about some of my darkest days.

Greta chirped at me from her spot on my chest, and I sighed.

"Yeah, you're right. Enough thinking."

Grabbing my phone from the coffee table, I sent Finn a text, glad we'd exchanged numbers before we parted ways.

Me: Hey, wanna meet up again? There's something I need to tell you.

The three dots bobbed on the screen for a whole minute before Finn replied.

Finn: Of course. When and where?

Me: You tell me. What's good in Mistvale?

Finn: Hmmm... do you like tea?

Me: I'm always up for a good cuppa.

Finn: Then how about we meet up tomorrow at The One Stop Shops? There's a wonderful bakery and tea shop there.

I was sensing a theme. Was my mate a fan of baked goods?

A faint memory of whispered conversations about what we wanted to eat the most once we got out slithered through mymind, and I remembered the light in his eyes as Finn described a chocolate cake one of his foster moms had made for them once.

If Finn liked cakes, I'd take him to eat all the cakes he wanted.

Me: Sounds good. Does 6 p.m. tomorrow work for you?

Finn: Yep. See you at 6!

Well, we had a date. Nope, not a date. A meet-up. A friendly, platonic meet-up where I was going to tell Finn we were mates.

"This is all your fault, you know," I told Greta, but she ignored me completely as she continued snoozing.

Like most things in Mistvale, TOSS wasn't too far from my place, and had everything from clothing to grocery stores, a food court, a movie theater, an arcade, and more 'in the works.' I'd shopped for most of things I needed when I moved from there, and I was glad I had because who knew how long it'd have taken us to cross paths otherwise?

Greta woke up after a few minutes, and I decided to go out for a walk. I wanted to look around the town some more, and check out the place I was supposed to start work at next week. The interview had been a breeze, especially when the contractor—a wolf shifter by the name of Caleb—confirmed I was a supe and my powers would be helpful.

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