10...Mate girl...

[Back to present]

"Oh my fucking goddess, Barry just put me in a helluva trouble," Barry said in a light, feminine voice, mimicking me and making my cousins laugh really hard.

"She said that?" Tina asked, in between laughs.

Barry smiled, his lips forming a playful expression that I'm so familiar with. "Not really. I could just tell from her expression that she had that on her mind"

Another round of laughter erupted, and I knew if my nana wasn't so engrossed in her phone, answering and receiving texts, maybe she'd be laughing at me too.

"I'm sure that's not all" another one of my cousins said, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Barry shook his head. "No, that's not all" he affirmed, twisting his lips amusingly. "There's plenty." He glanced at me as he said the last sentence, and right there, I knew exactly what he meant.

He's right, there's definitely plenty. A lot of things that has happened between us in the past. The flashback came rushing into my head easily.

[Flashback]

I checked out Barry's new car, and to be honest, it was seriously impressive. The air inside the car was filled with his pleasing scent, mixed with the smell of a fresh, slick car.

Barry stood by my side outside the car, his body leaning halfway in, with his head and upper body inside the car while his lower half remained outside. His cinnamon scent hit my nose strongly, pleasing a part of me in a way I still can't quite understand but I chose to ignore.

His eyes scanned my body before locking onto my eyes. He leaned closer, his lips slightly parted, and his green eyes glinting. My eyes widened, my lips divided, my heart raced, and my temperature rose. Oh my freaking goddess, what is Barry doing? What is he about to do right here, right now? Is he going to kiss me? When did we even get to that stage?

He smirked, and I heard a click sound.

Click sound? It registered in my brain, and when I looked around, I realized he had just helped me with the seat belt.

Fucking hell. He had no intention of locking lips with mine.

Feeling embarrassed, I closed my eyes and pursed my lips, patiently waiting for him to get settled in the driver's seat before speaking.

"You know how much trouble you've caused me?" I asked, glaring at him. A part of me was angry for not getting that kiss, which is just plain crazy.

He started the car's engine and expertly handled the steering wheel. "Pixie, you knew what you were getting into when you agreed, right?"

I hate to admit it, but he's right.

"And hey, this ain't no big deal. You gotta learn to let loose sometimes, Princess" he said with a smirk.

I liked the way the nickname 'Princess' slipped from his lips, but I brushed that feeling aside. I let out a sigh and crossed my arms over my chest. "Just take me home already."

He chuckled and wet his lips with his tongue. "And who says we're heading home?" He asked rhetorically, driving away from the school grounds.

I shot him a look of disbelief, my eyes widening and my jaw dropping. "You said so back in class! You told the teacher you'd take me home!"

He chuckled. "Oh, Pixie, Pixie, Pixie" he drawled with a slow tone. "I told the teacher I'd take you home just to skip his class. I didn't make a personal promise to you, you know."

"You dick!" I cursed.

He rose his brows amusingly at the word I used. "Really?"

I scowled at him. "Yes! Really! You're a dick!"

"Hm. Dick" He pronounced slowly, a playful smile on his face.

I scoffed and pointed an accusing finger at him. "You tricked me! You fucking tricked me!"

"No, I didn't trick you" he grinned, his dimples popping out. "I'd never do that."

I clenched my fist tightly at my side. "Oh, I swear to the fucking moon goddess, I'm gonna kill you!"

"Hey" He placed a hand on my thigh, lightly tapping it while using his other hand to drive. "Calm down. I'll make sure this doesn't get boring" he said with a mischievous smile.

The spot his hand had rested on warmed up, it was familiar to that sensation from when he touched my skin at the gym.

"Where are we even going?" I asked, desperately trying to distract myself from the lingering feeling of his hand on my thigh.

He finally removed his hand from my thigh. "We're going to the tattoo studio" He replied casually, making a sharp turn.

My jaw practically hit the floor. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

He threw me a quick side smile. "And why would I do that?"

"Barry!" I called out, my tone firm. "Please tell me I didn't skip class just to follow you to a tattoo shop!"

"You definitely did" he said with a nonchalant shrug, which only made me more annoyed.

Oh, I'm gonna kill someone.

"I swear, Barry...." I clenched my lips tightly "I hate you!" I said under my breath "Why on earth would you want me to come to a tattoo shop? It doesn't even make sense!" My voice grew louder with each word.

There was a moment of silence in the car. I was struggling to control my anger while Barry remained calm, expertly navigating the road.

"Maybe it doesn't make sense to you, but it does to me on so many levels" he finally spoke, breaking the silence in the car. His voice was low and deep, not showing me a strong emotion, but somehow, I think he's just trying to push away the emotion.

"How?" I asked, my voice also lowering.

He didn't reply me, so I asked again. "How does it make sense to you?"

He stayed quiet for a moment, then glanced at me. "You can't understand, P. I don't think you'll ever understand."

I was torn between holding onto my anger and trying to understand the complexity of his emotions.

"But you know getting a tattoo is kinda pointless for a werewolf like you, right? It's gonna heal real quick, and the ink and designs will just fade away" I said, my tone calm now.

"And that's why I've got my secret weapon," he replied, pointing to the back of the car. "I've mixed my wine with Moonshadow Root. Drinking it will make the tattoo unheal."

I glanced back and saw some transparent plastic bottles filled with a dark-looking drink. I turned my gaze back to Barry. "I see you really had everything planned out"

He grinned proudly, his one-sided dimple showing.

I nervously chewed on my lip, flicking my gaze between the road and his face, realizing that he had even planned my involvement in this whole thing perfectly.

We finally arrived at the tattoo shop, and Barry parked the car. He grabbed the drinks from the backseat and offered me one. I made a face to show my displeasure.

"I heard Moonshadow Root doesn't taste great" I mentioned.

"But it's gonna make you feel AMAZING" he said persuasively, emphasising on the last word.

"I still don't want it, at least not yet" I stated firmly.

He chuckled. "Come on, dude"

I curved up my lips in annoyance "Don't call me dude"

Barry laughed shortly and the stretched foward the bottle of drink towards me "It can't harm you. You still have a little bit of wolf in you, even though you're human."

I eyed the drink, then flicked my stare up to his face. "Well, I don't trust you" I I shook my head "and I heard Moonshadow Root can be poisonous sometimes, it gives pains"

He shrugged and popped open the bottle, taking a big gulp. Just as he was about to open the car door, I quickly stopped him.

"Barry?" I called out to him.

He turned to face me. "Yeah?"

"What exactly do you need my help for in a tattoo parlor?" I asked, genuinely curious.

He ran his pink tongue over his red lips and pushed back his hair, but a few strands fell back onto his forehead. "I need someone to stay with me in case the herbs make me lose control or spreads pains" he answered casually

I narrowed my eyes slightly at him. "You could've chosen any other girl, and they would have followed you here willingly."

He smiled in a charming way. "Well, of course they would. It's not like they can resist me" he said playfully, making me roll my eyes at his arrogance.

"The real question is, out of all the girls out there..." I paused, staring intently at him. "Why did you choose me?"

He puckered his lips, his eyes turning a bit serious. "Yeah, why did I choose you again?" he asked rhetorically in a whisper, his beautiful intense eyes piercing into mine. "Because you were the only one I could think of" he said, speaking in breaths now. His eyes grew dark and gentle, the atmosphere shifting automatically. "No other girl came to my mind, P, and I have no idea why."

My heart skipped a beat, and right at that moment, I should've known something. I should've realized something important right there, but no I didn't.

I was fucked, really fucked, but I didn't know I was.

I didn't realize I was fucked. Emotionally fucked.