Rowan blinked. Willow blinked back, but hers was more aggressive. She pursed her lips as she glared at Rowan.

She was mad, very mad. 'Cross' as Rowan would like to put it. She was cross that Rowan had ignored her the whole week and now here he was flirting with Lana Nelson.

"I'll take you home." Said Rowan. "Come on." The idea seemed tempting. For Rowan to take her back home, but—

"No. You're not taking me anywhere." Just to make sure he understood, she added. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Willow." Groaned Rowan. "You're drunk. Come with me."

"I'm not drunk." Said Willow. "Seriously! You don't believe me do yo—why are you making that face?"

It was true though she wasn't drunk, she might have had some sips of the unnamed alcohol, but that was it, she just felt a lot more confident than she always does. It's not like she was going to post her credit card password on Twitter or she wasn't going to get married to a random guy on the street. No. To do that, it would take a lot more alcohol.

Rowan still held the 'Do you think of me as an idiot?' face. Willow pinched his nose to make him stop making that face.

"Hey! Let go." Said Rowan as he pried her hands away from his face. "Not the face."

"Not the face?" Willow paused. "Not. The. Face? Are you kidding me? You have not given me any face for the past few day and you dare talk about face?"

"I'm sorry to cut this short," said Michael, who was standing behind Willow. "You both know each other, don't you?"

"Yes."

"No I don't know him. I don't want to know him either."

Michael ignored Willow as he said to Rowan. "I hope you drop her at her place—do you know where she lives?"

"I live in her house, so yes."

"What? You live in her house? Like for real." Michael paused. "Whatever, I have more pressing matters to attend to."

"Right. I don't even exist. Go on, continue. I don't mind."

"I would've loved to but I gotta go now." Here was Michael, and now gone. Before he appeared again. "Are you sure you haven't seen Hunter?"

"I haven't." Willow lied, without missing a beat. "Why do you insist I know where he is?"

"You kind of smell like him."

Willow froze, before yelling. How did Michael even smell her? "Pervert!"

Willow felt Rowan who was standing in front of her, he stiffened as he sniffed.

"Sorry, you haven't seen him. Bye."

This time, he was gone. Gone for good.

"Willow." Said Rowan after what seemed like years, staring at her with his luminous golden eyes, making her heart skip a beat. "Come, let's get you home." He stretched his hand out.

Her hand, as if it had a very own mini brain, placed itself oh his palm.

Willow pulled back her hand the moment their hands touched. Why? Static current why? But thankfully it snapped her back, she was still cross at Rowan.

Rowan can't ignore her for a week and now come here and act like he had never gone through the ignoring phase. She wouldn't accept it.

"So you're gonna use beauty trap now?" Asked Willow. "I'm sorry but it wont work."

"Rowan?" Called out a sweet familiar voice. Willow looked at Lana who stood behind Rowan with her eyes green wide open.

"Ah," Said Rowan, as if remembering that she was still there. "Llama."

Willow choked on the oxygen that she breathed in making her cough in fits.

"Willow, are you okay?" Rowan rubbed her back. Willow gave him a thumbs up. She was, now. Very very very okay.

"I'm not Llama." Said Lana as if she was very wronged, which Willow felt she was. "I'm Lana."

"Llama. Lana. It's the same. Separated only by 'M' and an 'N'."

"Llama has am extra 'L'." Added Willow.

"This is my girlfriend, that I mentioned earlier to you." Said Rowan almost making her choke for the second time, if he had not pulled her close to him making her lose her breath.

"Her?" Lana pointed at Willow as if she saw just saw a clown with a red balloon standing behind Willow. Maybe there was one. "She can't actually be your girlfriend."

"Why not?" Asked Rowan as he pulled Willow closer to him by her shoulders. Willow felt her cheeks flush.

Rowan was very warm, like a walking heater. This close to him, she could smell him clearly, like cinnamon and pinecone and male hormones.

"She has a mate. The whole school knows who her mate is. Hunter is her mate. She even smells like him."

Willow felt Rowan flinch, if she wasn't being held by him, she wouldn't have noticed, it was too subtle. He was too subtle.

Willow wrapped her arms around Rowan, holding him around the waist, her fingers laced over his back. She looked up at him.

"I don't know why they all say it, but it's not true. I'm not even friends with Hunter, I really don't understand, from which eyes do these people see me being mates with Hunter."

"Really?"

"I swear."

"This is impossible." Said Lana before glaring at Willow and then she was gone. Poofed. Literally.

Lana was standing there one moment and gone the next. Like Turbo, the snail. Like Flash. Oh god, how drunk was she?

"Did she just—?" Willow paused.

"Just what?"

"Nothing." Willow shook her head. She must have imagined it, yes must be the light. It was pretty dark in here. Yeah that must be it. And the alcohol.

"Come on. Let's get you home." Roman smiled at her. Willow was glad he didn't push it. She would have sounded either mad or drunk to him.

Willow nodded. "Let's go." She reluctantly unlaced her fingers as he let go of hers, but then he caught at her hands and pulled her through the people.

Only after they stepped out of the house did Willow remembered that she was cross with Rowan. But it seemed too petty of her to bring it up now of all time.

"I think we're forgetting something." Said Willow, and she actually did feel it but couldn't remember what.

"You have your bag. Your phone?"

"In here." Said Willow after checking in her bag.

"You must be imagining it?"

"Maybe."

But now that they were already outside, she remembered that she had came here with Melody and JR. And now they were probably in some bedroom upstairs, caught by Michael. She knew she was going to get the story tomorrow.

As if reading her thoughts Rowan asked. "Are we walking back?"

Willow paused before grinning up at Rowan. "My friend—or more like boyfriend, let me introduce you to Uber."

And she did, introduce Rowan to Uber. Just as Kit has done to Ty. Willow felt proud of herself, for she had just acted out one of her favourite lines.

"So, girlfriend how come I didn't know of Uber before today?" Rowan's asked as they were getting into their Uber.

Willow wasn't surprised.

"Well," started Willow. Rowan nodded his head as if telling her to go on. "because I forgot to tell you?"

"Why though? We could have had our lives much more easier."

"Right." Said Willow. It was time for her to change the topic. "Are you hungry?"

"I'm famished. I want to eat you."

"No you don't." Willow could feel the blood rush to her face. "Look out the window. Use your phone. Just don't talk."

Rowan laughed and continued staring at her.

"Rowan! I'm breaking up with you. We're over." Willow huffed, trying to fight off a smile herself as she turned her head away from Rowan.

That made Rowan laugh louder.

And in no time they were out of the cab, and unlocking the door.

"Rowan!" Willow exclaimed. "We forgot to get Felix."

"Oh." Rowan didn't even look shocked, or more like he didn't care.

"You knew?"

"I'm sure he isn't missing us." Rowan said as he sat down on the couch. Even the way he sat was so elegant. Not like a normal teenage boy who would simply flop down on a couch. "Last I saw him, he was with some girl. Flirting."

"Like you were."

"I wasn't!"

"You sure were."

"I swear." Rowan got off the couch, elegantly of course, and walked over to Willow who stood leaning against the wall beside the window. "I was talking with Llama, sure. But she was too boring to talk to."

"I saw you laughing with her."

"That—she was saying a joke. It was too bad."

"So you were laughing." It came off as a whisper. Rowan was standibg too close to her.

"Yeah, she tried to be funny. But she couldn't." Rowan took a deep breath. "Did I tell you how breathtaking you look tonight?"

"No. You didn't." Willow thanked the alcohol. She felt too confident.

"I couldn't stop thinking of you, the whole week actually. And today when I saw you I couldn't help it. Especially that panda eye."

"All thanks to the panda eye? At least it got you to stop acting like a jerk."

Willow stared up at Rowan. The moonlight made his face look like all angles. His eyes, which were always shining golden were growing dark. Her breath hitched when she came across his full lips.

Is this it? The time they kiss?

Willow tiptoed, her eyes shutting on its own accord. It didn't help that she was short and Rowan too tall. She didn't even stand past his shoulders. But then again Rowan too had to lean down, so it didn't matter much.

But his lips didn't meet her. While she stood there on her tiptoes, Rowan didn't lean down. A second went by, then two and finally seven whole seconds later, she opened eye eyes and her face burned.

Rowan didn't move an inch, no, he stood right where he was, staring at her. He looked troubled and Willow then felt how embarrassing it wa

"I—" Stuttered Willow. "I have to pee."

Oh god! She felt like that was some bad-bad breakup. She should now be eating tubs of ice cream and uses of nutella, shouldn't she?

She rushed to the side before making a run for her room.

"Willow." Rowan took a hold of her wrist before she could make it far. He pulled her back to him till she was standing flush against him. Her legs turning to jiggly jello. She would have slipped if Rowan didn't wrap an arm around her waist holding her to him. "I want to. I really want to. But you're drunk. And I want to kiss you when you're sober and because you want to."

Was her standing on her toes for seven whole seconds not enough of a welcome to him?

"But, I'm not drunk." Said Willow when she found her voice. And regretted it. Isn't that what every drunk person says? "I'm drunk." Not the right thing to say. "I'm mean, I'm not. I just drank a bit. Sips. To be honest."

Rowan caressed her face with the other hand which wasn't holding her around the waist. "Really?" Though he asked it, he didn't seem like he was going to believe her.

"I like you." Willow felt Rowan freeze when she uttered those words. But now that she started it, she wouldn't back down. She would even borrow the power of alcohol for extra confidence. "I really like you, I can't stop thinking of you. And it hurt me, very much when you suddenly started acting like a stranger, without giving me any explanation. It was the worst feeling I've ever felt even worse than the cramps I get. Please don't go back to ignoring me."

"Willow." Rowan groaned. "You're killing me."

"I understand if you don't feel the same about me." It would surely hurt, but she'll live. For sure.

"No," Said Rowan staring in her clear blue eyes. "It's not that I don't feel the same about you, it's just—" He broke off as if he didn't know what to say. Instead of continuing talking he leaned down and kissing her on her nose taking her by surprise. He then kissed her on her forehead, followed by her cheek. He placed another kiss on her chin and then followed up her jaw, down to her neck.

"Rowan." Willow gasped as Rowan pulled her closer while he peppered kisses all over her neck before stopping at the spot where her neck met her shoulder.

Rowan raised his head from her neck, before he froze. His eyes widened while he looked behind her. He pulled her closer to him, as if trying to hide her.

That snapped Willow out of her euphoria. Was there someone behind them? Her mother? But she was away on the business trip. Natasha?

Willow felt her face burn. How embarrassing to be caught! Willow hoped that she could actually hide in the darkness. Or in Rowan. That was also a choice.

Just as Willow was about to turn and say 'It's not what it looks like', she froze when she heard a growl behind her.

Followed by another. And another.

Willow slowly turned around and she almost had a heart attack.

Before her stood not one, nor three wolves, but what seemed like more than two dozens of wolves.

👈👈👈