Fabian was calling. I did not know what to do. I had ignored his messages and calls and that was obviously why he was calling.

I knew it was bad habit. Forgetting about everything else when something came up. I was working on it but I did not know what to say to him. I was feeling incredibly apologetic but how to put that in words. I didn't know.

"Hello?" I said when I finally picked up. I felt so bad. Like I was treating him in the same way I had been treated.

"Denise? Is everything alright?" was his frantic response, making me feel worse. It was not a pleasant feeling.

"I- yes. Everything is okay," I replied hesitantly.

"Then why didn't you pick up my calls? I was worried," he said and I felt worst.

"Fabian. I'm really sorry. Can we- can we talk about it when you get back? It's not something I can tell you over the phone," I said and bit my lip, waiting for his reply.

"Is something wrong? Are you okay?"

"I am. I just. We'll talk, okay?" I said and sighed in relief when he agreed. Soon after, we stopped the call.

I put down my phone and heaved out a breath. I couldn't wait for the next day to come. I was excited, scared and angry all at once. And I didn't know which emotion would win over in the end.

All I hoped was everything went well.

***

The next day, by 12:30 pm, I was on my way to The Tavern. It was little far from the coffeehouse so I decided to go a little bit earlier. I was too jittery to stay on one spot anyways.

The traffic was not excessive so by 13:05 pm, I was already there. I got out of the taxi and observed the place for a while. Looking back, I'm sure a lot of people thought I was crazy or something.

After putting my thoughts together, I walked in. I spotted Cory almost immediately. He was sitting on a table next to the window. We always used to favor window tables when we went out with each other. Which was a rare occurrence.

I took in another deep breath and started walking towards him. I tried my best not to look down at my outfit because I knew I would start feeling self conscious. I was wearing a knee length jumpsuit and I had worn in only under Ingrid's insistence.

I knew the moment Cory spotted me. His eyes got wide and he stood up almost immediately. I won't say his reaction didn't please or affect me, because it did. But it was not as I expected.

I walked self consciously to the table and sat when he pulled out my chair for me. He sat down a few seconds later and that was when the awkwardness set in.

He cleared his throat and I looked up at him. He looked uncomfortable and I was sure my expression mirrored his.

"How have you been?" he asked finally.

I furrowed my brows lightly. I hated small talk. But Cory was that kind of person. He loved using small talk as a distraction, trying to pretend everything was alright. Well, I was not going to.

"What do you want Cory?" I asked.

"Can we talk after we order? I don't want to lose my appetite," Cory replied and I sighed. I had no choice but to comply. When Cory set his mind to something, he usually got it. And it didn't help that I was a bit weak when it came to him.

The waiter came to the table and took our orders, momentarily breaking the awkwardness that had set in. I wasn't really hungry so I went for a salad.

"I don't understand one thing," I said when the waiter went away.

"What?" Cory asked making me sigh.

"Why wait all this while? And why even call me? What was the use?" It was strange. And I did not trust him even one bit.

"I– can we eat first Dee?"

"First, it's Denise, not Dee. And I need you to answer my questions Cory. I didn't come here to 'eat'," I said, putting finger quotes over the word eat.

"Fine. You were right Denise. Gail was cheating on me. She never really loved me. Just loved the idea of me," he explained and I shook my head.

"So why did you come all this way to tell me this, Cory? What was the essence of your visit?"

"I– I honestly thought you'd like to know," he replied, furrowing his eyebrows a bit and scratching his head.

"And why so? You thought I was still that same naive girl, pining over the Alpha even after he got a mate? Sorry, Alpha Cory. I've moved on. And I'm happier than I have ever been in my life," I said and out up to my hand to call for the waiter but he held it abruptly.

I looked at him in advance and he clasped my hand in his.

"Denise, wait please. Don't be so rash. Think over it. I want you back. And I'm ready to do anything," he pleaded looking at me in the eyes.

"You're ready to do anything?" I asked, wondering if this was the same Cory I had left months ago. The same who told me he loved his mate more than anything in the world?

"Yes Denise. I realize now that I was being irrational and stupid," Cory replied, making me let out an unamused laugh.

I dragged my hand from his and shook my head slowly. A few tears fell as I considered his words.

I didn't care at that point what was coming out of my mouth. All I wanted was to make it known that I was no longer the naive Denise he had used and left.

"When I told you about your mate's infidelity, you told me I was manipulative bitch. And now you're coming to tell me that? Weren't you rash when you sent me out of the pack I had known all my life? Weren't you being irrational when you kicked me out of a life I was already used to? And now you're sitting there, telling me you want me back. I'm sorry, I've moved on– no actually, I'm not sorry. Thank you for showing me my happiness didn't depend on one person– You! Thank you."

After saying all that, I wiped my tears, removed a couple bills, shot them on the table and walked out of the restaurant. I was behaving way confidently than I felt. All I wanted to do was curl myself into a ball and bawl my eyes out. But I had to be strong. It had to be done.

***

Hey guys. Sorry I'm late. And sorry if the chapter is a bit short. How did you find it though?

Who do you want Denise with?

Fabian or Cory?

Tell me your opinions. And don't forget to vote and comment

Essie 🌺