Page 147 of My Broken Mate

“What are you implying?”

“Get help. You have a therapist for Remus, right?”

I nod.

“And Gabe is talking to someone, too. Why don’t you seek out a counselor?” I can hear the anxiety in his voice. It’s rare for Joel to sound nervous. Itisa sore topic, and maybe a couple of months ago, I would have either lashed out at him or closed off in a way that would have made it impossible for him to talk to me.

The minutes drip by. “Maybe I should,” I finally say before I glance at my watch. “Remus should be done by now. Let’s pick him up.”

Indeed, when I walk back down the corridor, I see my brother and the specialist bidding each other goodbye. Remus waves at us and waits for us to get closer. “I see, you already picked up, Joel,” he says.

The thoughts in my head are still running amok, but there is one part of me pushing forward. Remus is trying to find a new normal. He told me what he had to say because he trusts me, and I should feel thankful for that. Constantly pushing the topic is definitely not in his best interests. Maybe there will be a time, but it’s not now.

Thank you,I tell him.And I hope you know that my door is always open for you.

I know.

“So, are we going?” Joel asks. “I don’t know about you, but I am dying of hunger.”

“Same,” Remus says. “Ever since my wolf spirit woke up, my food allergies have gone, and I constantly eat.”

“That’s normal,” I assure him. “You burn many more calories, especially when you shift.”

“It’s the best,” Joel says. “I love food.”

“What’s your favorite?” Remus asks.

“I like everything but pizza. I don’t like cheese much. That’s why I only eat Eve’s perfect homemade pizza.”

At that, Remus and I stop and exchange a look. “You… you don’t like cheese?” I ask, stunned.

“I have never heard anyone say that before,” Remus mutters.

We exchange another look, and laugh. For a wonderful moment, all the trauma of our past is in the background. It helps me realize that it’s moments like these we need to chase.

Chapter forty-six

Moments Like These

*KAT*

Summer is coming to an end, and we want to celebrate it with a barbecue. Joel told Eve and me to invite all our friends. Seeing how our circle of friends is beginning to overlap, it's not that many people who will come, but it’s the most important ones.

Quality over quantity, clearly.

“And you think they will like this special salad creation?” Ayden asks, eyeing the bowl of watermelon and cheese salad skeptically.

“It’s good,” I tell him.

“If you say so…”

He has graciously offered to help me. The coffee shop he is jobbing at is on a summer break, giving him more free time.He is still hanging out with Gabriel, too. My own circle was expanded by Remus’ friends and by KiZ, who sometimes joins us when she isn’t on tour.

I am getting along particularly well with Cora and Kiki, and I am so happy to finally have more girlfriends as well. It’s something I lacked when I was a teen. Now, Ayden obviously, will be my bestie forever, but there are things I prefer talking with girls about. Sometimes, Fi and I join the other two for girls-only outings, and it’s just such a new experience for me. “Kiki just called me,” Fi, who came earlier to help me, says. “They are on their way already. She is coming with Cora and Lyle.”

“Great!”

“Pity that KiZ can’t make it,” she says.