4. Dinner

Jessy’s POV:

It really was him, he looked like a completely different person. He was all man now, gone was the lanky boy with a weird smile that was in my sixteenth birthday picture.

He no longer looked like the nerdy teenager that knew something about everything and screamed nerd from his appearance alone. His body was all filled out now, he was taller with broad shoulders and strong looking arms, he had changed so much but not just in his appearance, it was also in the way he carried himself, it felt so different being around him.

“Nice to meet you Jessy. It’s good to have you here.” Simon said, offering his hand for a shake with a smile on his face.

I frowned, was he really going to pretend like he didn’t know me? I thought, but I didn’t say anything, accepting the hand that he stretched towards me. The moment our fingers touched, I snatched mine away quickly, it felt as if I had been burned and not in a good way at all but when I looked at the man before me and he didn’t look affected my frown deepened.

“Lila has told me so much about me. I hope the journey here was a smooth one?” He asked and I forced a smile onto my face, nodding before swallowing heavily.

“Are you okay?” Lila asked as we moved towards what I assumed was the dining room and I nodded quickly not being able to talk for fear that the knot in my throat wouldn’t let me get the words out.

She took my hands, rubbing it comfortingly and I offered her a grateful smile, settling into the chair and focusing on the plate in front of me. My mind was still reeling front the fact that I was actually sitting in front of Simon after years of no word from him, after a long time crying, thinking that something terrible had happened to him

It was hard to believe that he had been here all along creating a world for misfits, without bothering to stop and think about what the effect of his disappearance would be on me and even my family.

The thing that hurt the most was how he was pretending to not know me. I saw the look of recognition in his eyes when they had landed on me the first time but it had quickly disappeared.

My heart clenched painfully in my chest as Lila said something that made him laugh and I couldn’t help the jealousy that stirred in my stomach when he reached out to wipe at her mouth with his fingers.

I blinked rapidly to stop the tears from running down my face but I felt betrayed, I didn’t understand what I had done to make him suddenly disappear for so long with no word and now this was happening.

“So Jessy where are you from?” He suddenly asked and I swallowed heavily.

“SilverMoon Pack.” I lied quickly.

“Oh that’s interesting. I met with the Alpha a couple of months ago. Really interesting man.” He said and I nodded rapidly, even when I had no idea what he was talking about.

“So why did you move here? The SilverMoon Pack is not the most terrible pack out there.” He asked, watching me as he spoke.

I looked away quickly, choosing to focus on my food like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

“I didn’t really feel like I fit in there so I just wanted something different.” I responded, lying again.

“Are you-“

“Babe, let her be. You’ll have all the time to ask her your questions some other time. You can see she’s tired.” Lola interfered and I let out a relieved breath.

“Sorry about that. I was just trying to make sure everything is fine and I don’t end up with some problems. My people have trusted me with their lives, to ensure they are protected and never taken back to whatever terrible situation they had escaped from and I really don’t like to compromise their safety for the sake of everything involved.” Simon explained and I sighed heavily, before turning to him.

“Of course. I understand you and I’m sure your people appreciate you and I promise I’m not here to start any trouble.” I said calmly.

And I watched as his eyes darkened at my words, I couldn’t figure out what was going through his mind but I hated seeing the darkness in his eyes, that never used to be there. Simon had always been the fun kid, the kid that went out of their way to please the people around them, but watching him now I could just tell that all of that had changed.

“Thank you so much for having me for dinner Alpha A-Arthur and for welcoming me into your pack. It means a lot to me.” I said after dinner, wanting nothing more than to get the hell out of the house and try to wrap my head around the entire evening.

“You’re welcome. Take a moment to settle in, the people are friendly so don’t be afraid to mix up and ask for help if you need anything. Also, you should try to come in soon, I need to get the basic information about you so I can record that and you need to fill a paperwork, nothing you need to worry about but just try to get it done as soon as possible. I’m sure Lila here will make you feel comfortable and help you settle in faster.” He said, turning to Lila to offer her a smile.

I quickly looked away as the two shared a quick kiss, trying to push down the knot that formed in my stomach at the sight. Soon after Lila was leading me out of the house.

“Are you okay? You’ve been pretty quiet and you look upset.” She said as she drove me back to the house.

“Oh I’m fine, just really tired. I think I need to go to bed and maybe I’ll feel better. Thank you once again for everything you’ve done. I really appreciate it.” I said genuinely and she turned to offer me a smile.

In a few minutes we were pulling up at the house.

“You’re not coming in?” I asked and she shook her head.

“I think I’m going to spend the night with him. It’s been a couple of weeks and let’s just say it’s going to be a long night for the both of us.” Lila said playfully and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t even bring myself to force a smile onto my face.

I waved her goodbye and walked into the house, heading straight into the room and collapsing on the bed, and the moment I did the events of the night came crashing down hard on me.

After five entire years, I finally got to see the boy that I had fallen in love with and had been best friends with since I could remember, the one who had suddenly disappeared from my life with no warning and was now in a relationship the only friend I had managed to make since his disappearance, he had a new name, an entire pack, and he acted like he didn’t know who I was. I couldn’t immediately decide which of it hurt the most.

I curled up tighter in bed, rubbing the pendant of the necklace that had been gifted to me and instead of the comfort that it usually brought me, it was the complete opposite. It felt like my heart was shattered and for a moment I regretted leaving my home in the first place.

I hated not knowing what had happened with Simon for so long but like they said, ignorance was bliss, I preferred when I didn’t know where he was and could only assume in my head, because seeing that nothing was wrong and he had just left me because he wanted to was the most heartbreaking thing I had ever experienced.

I hugged my legs tighter to my body, crying bitterly as I let my thoughts run wild.