chapter 1

***** A Few days ago***

*** Seattle***

I felt Miles' soft lips pressing against mine; my knees seemed to grow weak as he pushed me towards the wall, his eager hands roaming over my body. I held his head and drew him closer, savoring the sensation of our lips locked together in a tender, yet passionate kiss.

I pulled away from him to catch my breath, sweat glistened his face. He began to kiss his way down my neck and his hands rose up my dress making me vibrate. This was not going well, at this rate we would end up having sex. Suddenly, he tried to remove my clothes, I pulled away and his dark eyes frowned at me.

"Why did you stop?" Miles asked, his hand slipping beneath my skirt.

I held his hands, preventing him from pulling it down. "You know, you are turning eighteen tomorrow, and then we can finally be together as mates," I replied with a smile.

"Yeah, I know." He chuckled. "So we have more time to do this, right,” he said, maybe trying to guess what I was driving at.

I nodded, feeling grateful for his understanding. "We'll have all the time in the world, Miles."

He shrugged his shoulders, " Ok" and I pecked his left cheek. We giggled together and pulled each other into another round of deep kisses.

The door suddenly flew open, and we both broke out of our passionate embrace, groaning when we saw it was Martin.

"What is it?" Miles asked, his expression annoyed.

I groaned, feeling the heat of the moment fading away as Martin walked towards us.

Miles' hand grip my waist tightly as he nodded to what Martin whispered to him

and led me out of the door. I knew his friends were waiting outside to celebrate the eve of his birthday, but I still felt a little nervous. As we approached the table where his friends were seated, I could hear them laughing and chatting loudly.

Jimmy giggled and hopped across the table to sit near his girlfriend Lola. Miles and I sat down next to each other. "So, what are your big plans for tomorrow, birthday boy?" Trish asked with her signature musical voice.

Miles smiled and looked around the table, taking in the faces of his friends. He leaned in closer to Trish and said, "I was thinking we could all go out to that new bar downtown. They've got great music and drinks."

Trish's eyes lit up at the mention of drinks, and Brandon let out a chuckle. "Sounds like a plan to me," he said.

Just then, Maria, Trish's sister, chimed in. "You know, Trish, you don't have to sing every word. It's a little much."

Trish shot back, "Maybe you don't have to say every word in that thick, bass voice of yours," and everyone erupted in laughter.

I felt Miles' arm slide around me, pulling me in closer as the group continued to joke and laugh.

"Yeah let's talk about this," Trish said and Miles smiled.

"We should have a party for Miles tomorrow night!" Trish squealed excitedly.

Miles nodded in agreement and everyone cheered. They began pouring drinks into glass cups, toasting to Miles.

I leaned my head into Miles' shoulder, smiling.

"So, you're finding your mate tomorrow, Miles?" Maria asked teasingly.

Miles chuckled. "Oh, yes, Eva's the one. I already know it," he replied, and everyone laughed.

"Don't be so sure, Miles. You might be mated to one of those hot chicks from Willworth Alley," someone said, and Lola promptly gave him an elbow. They began squabbling about the term "hot."

"Oh, snap, Alex! I think the ones at Gregory are the hottest," another chimed in, and Alex grinned as Lola stuffed a piece of fruit in his mouth.

After a while, Trish brought the conversation back to the party. "We should have it here at my house. I'll get some decorations and snacks, and we can order some pizzas."

Miles nodded enthusiastically, and the group began to plan the party in more detail, discussing music, games, and who to invite.

As the night went on, the atmosphere grew more festive, with laughter, music, and chatter filling the room. I felt Miles' arm slide around my waist and my cheeks flushed hot.

********

*Miles house*

I felt a rush of excitement as Miles pulled me onto the dance floor in the crowded house.

It was finally the night of his eighteenth birthday.

The colored lights illuminated the room as the fast rock n roll music filled my ears. The crowd of teens cheered and screamed with excitement, providing an electrifying atmosphere.

Suddenly, Jimmy broke through the crowd, holding two cellophane cups filled with drinks.

"Here you go, birthday boy!" Jimmy said, handing Miles one of the cups.

Miles's friends surrounded us, urging us to dance. My cheeks flushed with excitement, as Miles and I danced as the beat of the song intensified. As the DJ changed the song yet again, another wave of excitement coursed through the room, with everyone rushing to grab a partner.

"Happy birthday, baby!" I squealed, pitching my voice higher to be heard over the noise.

I took a sip of the drink and immediately regretted it. It tasted awful. "Oh my, this tastes..." I trailed off, already thinking about finding a way to get rid of it. "I need to use the bathroom," I said to Miles.

"I will be waiting for you”He shouted so as to be heard under the blaring music, then turned to Jimmy, who poured him another round of drink.

I made my way through the crowd of dancing teens, trying to navigate my way to the bathrooms without spilling the drink. Unfortunately, I ended up colliding with a girl holding a cellophane cup, causing the drink to spill all over my dress. "Oh my, sorry," I apologized as I looked down at my soiled dress.

The girl offered to help clean it, but I waved her off. "It's fine, really," I said with a shrug.

"I'm Tracey," she introduced herself.

"I'm Eva," I replied, taking her extended hand.

"Oh my, I see you're Miles’s girlfriend," Tracey said with a smile.

"Yes I am, you know him?" I asked as wiped my dress with my hands.

"What did you say?" She asked raising her voice. " Music's loud can't hear you."

"How did you know him, miles" I repeated louder this time.

"Oh, we were mates in middle school she giggled, miles was this small then she said as she used her hand to show his height. See this tall, I was taller then, now I heard he is all grown and big, I came to see him." She giggled.

I nodded. "Right, I see." I looked intently at her. She came to see Miles? What does she want?

Suddenly, someone called out Tracey's name. "Jimmy?" she turned around.

“You know her?” I asked Jimmy, gesturing towards Tracey.

"Yeah, we were mates in middle school. Tracey, Miles, and I," he replied.

I nodded again, feeling a little lost in the conversation.

Tracey laughed as she waved her empty cellophane cup. "Oh my, I spilled her drink," she said, but I corrected her. "No, we collided."

Jimmy grinned. "I see, the colliding meet. That's fun," he said, and we all laughed under the blaring music.

"Tracey, Miles is over there. Let's go see him," Jimmy said as he pulled her away. "See you later, Eva!" Tracey called out as she left.