As I stepped out of the firm that I worked in, I saw him standing outside waiting for me.

Why would he be here when he was the last person on earth that I wished to see right now?

Dressed up like that, all poised and stern he could rival any model; his height and muscles were drool worthy and the way his blue eyes sparkled in the sun made him look like a demonic angel. People were naturally drawn to him.

If it was our usual meeting, I would have already rushed to him and hid him in my car to stop other people vying for what was mine but now he wasn’t mine anymore was he?

So I just passed him like that, pretending that I never saw him.

I walked towards the station on my own, but Damian quickly caught up with me.

His werewolf, much powerful than mine, could catch me anytime. Earlier when we used to play he usually stalled and let me rein free, running in the fields as he followed me laughter echoing in the surroundings.

The past and present were different.

He didn't mention his time with Veronica, neither paid attention to whatever happened earlier and said, "Its Hector’s birthday today and we both are invited."

I stopped and looked at him. "I don’t care."

“Fiona don’t be unreasonable.” The stern expression made me furious thus I boarded his car without a single word.

The same car where I had made many memories with Damian but this time, I didn’t say a word and silence was all one could hear.

Earlier I used to be the chatter box and he- the listening type, paying much attention to each and every word of mine but now his iciness had even taken away my carefree liveliness and I didn’t bother initiating a conversation.

The wind blew in from outside the window, and I smelled a faint scent of roses

The scent of Veronica.

The aroma wasn't disgusting for me to bear but I couldn’t help but ask Damian this time.

“You must love the smell of roses.”

Damian looked at me before slowly replying "It's just fine."

"Is that so?" I thought, "But you have often smelled like roses whenever you came back home late at night?"

“Fiona, stop it.”

I didn’t utter a single word anymore.

We arrived at the agreed place, a cozy homestay cum hotel where everyone was gathered.

Seeing us together after our fight Veronica seemed surprised. As expected of them, they would have been much happier if I hadn’t come.

"Damian, Fiona! We were just waiting for you two."

I gave an empty smile and looked at Hector, “I was in a hurry so I couldn’t prepare a gift.” My words said that, but the attitude was simply like I didn’t care.

Hector is Damian and Veronica’s closest friend. Damian and I had often come to his place and soon became acquainted, yet we were never close.

"You need not worry. I have given him a gift from both our sides."

Damian guided me to their table.

The remaining two seats were opposite each other and not together, ah! so they wished us to sit apart.

It would be my pleasure.

I let go of Damian’s arm that was clasped with mine making me uncomfortable, even wiping my palm with my jeans before taking my seat.

Damian’s expression did not look too good, his feet frozen in place as he noticed my movements, yet he quietly took his seat beside Veronica.

I knew what they all were thinking at this moment.

When Damian found out that I was his mate, his friends weren’t too satisfied with the fact.

Before, I wished to be their friend too, thus I invested all my efforts in carefully selecting gifts for them and giving out parties that they would enjoy.

But they never really attended my events, often citing one thing or another. I was never welcomed in their group and was always treated like an outsider.

I was too naive to see such an obvious thing until now.

This time I didn’t make any effort to talk or even bother answering unless they specifically asked me and ate in silence.

Damian contrary to me talked to them with ease, he liked Hawaiian fruits yet cracking the shell was something that made him unwilling to eat it.

Earlier I often prepared a bunch of clean fruits for him to have which he would never eat if he had to do himself.

However, he didn't mind the trouble now. He carefully cracked each shell and placed it infront of Veronica to have. Ah the power of true love!

This was a treatment I never dared to dream of.

Seeing this, I felt hurt.

I decided to never cross paths with him yet seeing him like this made me feel betrayed.

He must have rejected me the moment we met.

It would have been much better.

Hector looked at Damian’s favors to Veronica and then saw my expression which contorted to that of cold emotionless state "Don’t you like Veronica just too much, what about your mate there?"

It was the first time Damian seemed to notice that my plate had been long empty, and I had stopped eating.

“What should I order for you Fiona?”

"Nothing.” I drank water trying to swallow down the bitterness in my throat.

"How about Pizza?"

"I don't like it."

Damian looked at the me slightly nervous "But you haven’t eaten much, a burger-"

"No need"

He looked surprised, seemingly not expecting me to outrightly reject without hesitation.

Meeting his eyes I replied without feeling the need to hold pretenses any longer.

“Anything from you is no longer needed.

The biggest thing you can do is to stop dominating me and making me uncomfortable. “

"Fiona please don’t be angry." Veronica said cautiously to me.

“Please eat this fruit and forgive Damian, he did not mean to do it.”

Her eyes teared and it almost looked like I bullied her when I didn’t even look at her from starting to end.

"I don’t know why you are crying when I didn’t even talk to you. I have some work so I will take my leave now.”

“Fiona, just sit down.” Damian looked at me nervously, his hand holding mine as he tried to reason with me.

“Look I was really busy when you dragged me here, since you are here you can enjoy but I am not free.”

With a calm smile, I got up not waiting for any of their replies or to see Veronica stunned.

“Don’t tell me you are still upset over that flower thing?"

Hector said with a smirk, trying to provoke me.

Hearing him bring up this, Veronica hurriedly said, "I'm sorry Fiona, it was nothing like that. I wasn’t feeling well, and Damian just wished to cheer me up.”

“What flower thing?” I asked pretending to be confused as if didn’t recall anything like that making Hector’s smile drop, even Veronica didn’t continue with her pity party.

“Then why are you angry? Damian quickly apologize to Fiona."

Damian frowned, seemingly distressed "They were just some flowers, I didn’t do anything wrong."

It felt like the temperature dropped notches with his one statement.

Veronica gave a slow smile directed at me, showing off that I was wrong to come between them in the first place. As if I was interested in fighting petty games.#

What a joke.

Damian didn’t even know what was wrong with him.

So, it was just like always where he would want to push it under the rug.

I guess he would give some flowers to me next and go on pretending that nothing happened.

How absolutely disgusting.

“You all are really making a fuss over nothing.” I gave a carefree smile this time which seemed to take Damian aback as he locked eyes with me.

“I actually loved the video. Also, the flowers and the atmosphere was breathtakingly beautiful, the way they were decorated and the emotions behind them. I never said I mind any of it, you people gossip a lot.”

I stood up with Damian calling after me. I ignored him not caring whatever transpired afterwards.

You want to hate me? Alright, do whatever you feel like.

The moment I closed the door, I heard Veronica’s voice “Damian, it is all because of me.”

“What are you talking about? Just eat, its nothing like that.”

“B-But did you saw how angry Fiona was-“

“Veronica, its okay. Leave her be, she will come around soon.”

“Hey dude, don’t you think you should go after her, it didn’t look alright to me.” A new friend chimed in trying to ease the tension.

"No need, she is not in her right mind, leave her be.”

It was like a dagger being pushed inside my heart, at this moment it hurt like hell.

During our relationship I must have been a pushover for him to not mind how awful I felt.

I walked around slowly, my mind all chaotic, passing to and fro at the same junction as if I forgot my destination at that moment.

The serene breeze was caressing my face gently, it was refreshing but it felt depressing and sad instead.

As I walked, I could see many couples, they were obviously mates, feeling for the other too strongly to hurt them.

Before Veronica came back, Damian and I were just like them.

We were passionate for one another in the beginning. Damian taking care of me so much so that I sometimes joked with him that he would spoil me rotten.

‘Ah then be spoiled rotten with my love Fi. ‘ Those were the cheesy words he said to appease me.

So, why did things turn out this way?

I felt short huffs of breaths leaving my lips. My lungs were burning with how my throat clogged up with painful emotions.

Seeing a chicken seller, I thought for a moment, I was really hungry.

I wanted to do something.

Anything to feel alive.

The moment I got the chicken, I suddenly recalled those worried words.

"You know you cannot digest it well baby, but you are still so stubborn to have it. Here the sauce is dripping, let me clean it up for you Fi.”

I took a bite in a daze, and it tasted like mud.

Awful like the state of my mind.

"Why does it tastes like that?" I said to the small owner, my voice barely leaving my lips.

The owner looked at me with pity and handed me a tissue. "Ma’am tears full of sadness would never let you taste the real joys of life.”

When I could no longer see the owner as his image became blurry, I realized that hot tears were dribbling down my eyes.

No wonder I didn’t like it.

No wonder my head was so heavy.

I cried hard before standing up, finally just wanting to go home.

I received a message from Damian as soon as I arrived.

[Did you arrive safely?”]

I didn’t bother to answer.

Why would he even care?

Soon, there was another [Hector’s party was spoiled, we didn’t enjoy because you left. How about inviting them at our place?]

I don’t care.

Just shut up!

Damian still receiving no response called me,

I switched the phone to silent and went to bathe to clear up my mind. Everything was silent now.

To distract myself I browsed through Instagram just to see Veronica’s new post.

By the riverside Damian and Veronica were sitting on a bench.

In the photo, Damian looked at the camera casually while Veronica tilted her body towards him, glancing at him with shy eyes.

The caption being: [So many seasons have passed yet I am still your first.]

I let out a mocking smile and tapped out a comment on the post, my fingers moving with deliberate detachment.

[Congratulations on being number 1!]

I hit send and decided to call it a night!