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“So you’re saying I have to be in a romantic relationship with you? Because of fate?” Ollie wanted a relationship with Dante, but he wasn’t ready and didn’t want it because he was destined for it. If it wasn’t a choice, he didn’t want it at all.

“No, Ollie. We’re destined to be mates, but the bond is still ours.

Most mates are romantic partners, but that doesn’t mean we have to be.

If Luc hadn’t shown up on that beach, we would have grown closer over time and built a unique bond that suited us.

We’d have had time to figure it out. Being close to each other—whatever that looked like—would have naturally led into creating the mating bond.

It would have made sense and felt right. ”

But it had felt right, even if Ollie hadn’t known why.

“This is why I didn’t say anything right away. It’s too much to go from not knowing these things exist to accepting that something special was always meant to grow between us.”

“But how do you know? What if you’re wrong, and there isn’t anything between us but magic?” Ollie hated that idea, but Dante was right. It was hard to accept without a doubt that they would have had this beautiful connection when they hadn’t gotten there yet.

Dante smiled sadly. “If there wasn’t anything between us, I wouldn’t have been able to save you.”

“Oh.” Ollie’s heart ached. “But are my feelings all because of the magic? ”

Dante shook his head. “Your feelings are your own. The magic of the bond affirms them. It predicted them but didn’t create them.”

Ollie found it hard to see the difference. If it was meant to be, how did he know his feelings were his choice and within his control?

“This doesn’t change anything,” Dante went on. “There’s no pressure on us to be any certain way. All it means is that our friendship will grow into something special. We can still let it happen naturally even though we’re already connected.”

Their friendship. Ollie was the one to insist they be friends, but it wasn’t what he really wanted.

Was a friendship all Dante desired, or was he letting Ollie define their connection?

Did Ollie have a choice in what happened next?

Could he even trust that he genuinely wanted something romantic with Dante, or was it magic dictating a predetermined future?

Dante said it wasn’t, but how did he know?

Ollie was getting lost in this. He didn’t know what he wanted, what was magic, or what Dante wanted. He couldn’t admit he’d never wanted Dante like a friend. Not if it meant getting swept up in the mating bond and losing himself.

If they stayed friends, maybe Ollie could sort out his emotions over time. If he could be sure he wanted Dante and it wasn’t fate influencing everything, maybe he could feel secure in wanting more.

“So nothing has to change?” Ollie asked, needing to be sure of at least one thing.

“No. We’ll get to know each other. Play World’s End like before. But you can always turn to me. I’ll always be here. I care about you, Ollie, more than I would for any other new friend. That’s all the bond means at this stage. That, and I’m here to stay. ”

Ollie wanted Dante to care, but was it real? It sounded like fate made him care. It wasn’t Dante choosing to care. Ollie could have been anyone, and Dante would have felt the same if fate had told him to.

Ollie’s heart cracked at that. He wanted Dante to want him . But how could Dante when he barely knew him?

Unfortunately, all these doubts didn’t cancel out Ollie’s desire for comfort. He needed Dante. Maybe it was magic dictating his needs, but the ache was still there.

“Will you stay with me tonight?” Ollie asked.

“Of course. Does having me here help you feel better?”

“I’m still overwhelmed,” Ollie admitted. “But I don’t want you to go.”

It was clingy. Codependent. Not behavior Ollie should accept in a relationship or friendship. Ollie was surrounded by red flags and still didn’t want Dante to leave.

He couldn’t do this alone. It was too much.

Ollie shifted closer to Dante and lay on the couch, resting his head on Dante’s thigh. He melted, instantly comfortable, and yawned. “This okay?”

“Yes,” Dante murmured, placing a hand briefly on Ollie’s head. “You can sleep like this if it helps.”

“What about you?” Ollie yawned again. Dante’s peppermint scent surrounded him like soothing aromatherapy. “Won’t you get tired sitting there?”

“No, I’m good. I’ll watch over you.”

Ollie shouldn’t like hearing that. He didn’t need watching over. He’d never wanted it before. But at the moment, he didn’t care if it was truly what he wanted or the bond’s influence. He was sleepy and safe, and Dante smelled good.

Ollie turned his head and pressed his nose to Dante’s thigh, breathing him in through his jeans. “Hmm,” Ollie hummed, eyes closed .

Dante’s hand returned to his hair. “Did you just smell me?”

Ollie’s eyes popped open. “No.” His cheeks burned. He couldn’t believe he’d done that.

Dante’s hand shifted and his nose pressed against Ollie’s head. He breathed in, nose nuzzling before pulling back. “You smell good too, Ollie.”

Ollie’s whole body heated and his heart fluttered. It should have been weird, not the most comforting thing in his life, but he drifted off to sleep with a smile.