Chapter 37: A Walk in the Park


    “It’s nice outside. Will you go on a walk with me?”


    As if my heart wasn’t already racing enough, it felt like it was going to burst out of my chest when Enzo


    asked me to go on a walk with him. I hesitated to respond, wondering if this was some horrible prank


    concocted by Lisa. But he seemed genuine, and I was curious to see what he wanted to talk about.


    Maybe he would tell me that he decided I wasn’t his mate and that he would leave me alone now.


    Maybe he would tell me that werewolves and talking skeletons weren’t real, that all of this was just a


    joke and that my skeleton bodyguard was just a normal guy wearing a costume. It was unlikely, but


    wishful thinking never hurt anyone, right? “U-um… Sure,” I responded, still clutching my bag tightly.


    Enzo smiled a real, genuine, handsome smile that made my heart skip a beat. I couldn’t deny that he


    was handsome.


    “After you,” he said, stepping out of the way and gesturing down the stairs. We walked across the quad


    and toward the entrance to the little garden that was located between the two dormitory buildings.


    Other students sat on the benches in the sunshine as they studied, read books, and chatted with


    friends. I liked toe here often in between sses to get some fresh air and look at the flowers.


    Right now, there weren’t as many flowers since it was autumn, but the fallen leaves on the ground and


    the fall decorations still made for a nice atmosphere.


    Our shoes crunched on the pebbly trail as we walked together in silence for a bit. I continued to clutch


    my bag nervously while Enzo walked casually with his hands in his pockets. Eventually, he stopped


    under arge cherry tree and turned to look at me. I swallowed, unsure of what was toe.


    Enzo stared at me with his soft brown eyes, which practically sparkled in the sunlight, for a few


    moments before speaking.


    “I really like you, Nina,” he said softly, taking a step toward me.


    I swallowed again and unconsciously took a step back, not knowing what to say. Wasn’t he back


    together with Lisa? This had to be a prank, and a mean one at that! What had I done to deserve this


    sort of treatment, other than to be so silly as to think that the school heartthrob Enzo Rivers would ever


    genuinely like me?


    Enzo stopped and looked at me with a furrowed brow, cocking his head a bit to the side.


    “Aren’t you going to say anything?” he said. “You do like me back… Right?”


    I blushed and looked down at my feet, biting my lip as I tried toe up with a response. If this


    interaction was being recorded from somewhere in order to humiliate me some more on Twitter, I


    wanted to choose my words carefully.


    Finally, I looked back up at Enzo again and my heart sank when I saw his painful expression. His


    normally stoic face, with his sharp jawline and stern eyebrows, was soft and sad now. I realized then


    that this wasn’t a prank. It couldn’t be. He did really like me.


    But he had slept with Lisa, and there was a hickey to prove it.


    “I can’t,” I replied, choking up a bit. “I know you left the other night to be with


    Lisa. And I saw you after the game with her, and I saw your hickey. I won’t be with a yboy who can’t


    evenmit to me for ten minutes.” Enzo’s eyebrows knit together for a moment, but then a smile


    started to spread across his face.


    “You really think I left you the other night to sleep with Lisa?” he asked, chuckling a little.


    I nodded and frowned. “Why else would you have just suddenly run away in the same direction as her


    and disappear for the rest of the night?” I said.


    “Because,” Enzo replied, ncing over his shoulder and lowering his voice, leaning closer to me so no


    one would hear, “there was a shifter out there. I had to take care of it.”


    My eyes widened. “That close to the party?” I said, temporarily forgetting about Lisa. “You don’t think it


    wasing for…”


    “I don’t know for sure,” he replied. ” But considering how the appearances of shifters in the area


    generally seemed to be localized to wherever you are at the time, it’s bing pretty obvious to me


    that they’reing for you.”


    “But… why?” I asked.


    Enzo shrugged. “I’m still trying to figure that out.”


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    There was a bit of a silence between us. A couple of students walked by holding hands, talking about


    what to do after ss today. For a moment, I wished it could be that simple for me; to just be able to


    openly hold hands with someone and casually talk about dinner ns, without all of the werewolf


    drama.


    “So,” Enzo finally said after the students walked past, “what do you say? I really like you, Nina. I want


    you to be my girlfriend.”


    My heart skipped a beat, partially from excitement and partially from sadness.


    “You say you didn’t sleep with Lisa,” I said quietly, looking at my feet. “But I saw your hickey. Even if


    you’re not sleeping with her, you’re sleeping with someone. I may not be the prettiest girl on campus,


    but I do have some self esteem, and I won’t lower myself enough to let a yer interrupt my studies.”


    Enzo went silent again, then let out a huge sigh.


    “Look at me,” he said quietly. I hesitantly looked back up at him to see him pulling aside the cor of his


    shirt, where the massive hickey had been earlier. I had been so big and dark that there was no way it


    would have healed by now, but it was gone.


    “I never slept with anyone,” Enzo said, sounding a bit ashamed. “I thought that… I don’t know. I thought


    that if I used some makeup to put a fake hickey on my neck, you would get jealous and want to choose


    me.”


    “Choose you?” I asked incredulously. I felt hurt and manipted, and released my death grip on my


    bag to fold my arms across my chest.


    “I saw you talking to someone after the game the other night,” Enzo said. ” I wanted to know if you


    would choose me over him.”


    “So you lied to me?” I asked. “Do you realize how maniptive that sounds?”


    Enzo looked down at the ground and didn’t say anything for a few moments. “I know it was stupid,” he


    said finally.” But I only did it because I really like you. And I want you to be mine so badly.”


    “Maybe you should learn that you can’t always get what you want, Enzo,” I replied quietly as tears


    welled up in my eyes. He snapped his head back up to look at me with that same painful expression on


    his face.


    “So this is a no, then?” he asked.


    I shrugged. “I don’t know. I like you too, but… I think it’s best if we just stay friends for now,” I said. “A


    rtionship would be toxic between us. You can’t deny it.”


    As if a switch flipped, Enzo straightened himself and stuck his hands in his pockets, nodding. “Okay,”


    he replied. “You’re right. Friends. I’m okay with that, so long as we can at least be… that.”


    I could tell that he wasn’t actually okay with it, but it was a relief to hear him agree with me and not


    threaten to kill me like K said he would. With a sad smile , I stuck out my hand to shake his.


    Friends I said.