chapter 3

“So just like that? You crushed with a guy on a side-walk, he spilled your coffee, offered to buy you a new one, and you just left?” Martha asked with a look of disbelief on her face.

“What was I supposed to do?!” asked Elizabeth, almost shouting.

“I don’t know, girl, get his name, a number... anything.”

“What?”

“Like seriously, when was the last time you had a date? When was the last time you had sex?” again,  Martha asked.

“That’s absolutely none of your business!” Elizabeth’s jaw dropped, and she was kind of offended, but since she has known Martha almost her whole life, she couldn’t possibly be mad at her, so she kept her fake offensive face on.

It turned out that hanging out with Jenny wasn’t just hanging out with Jenny. She invited their closest circle, so now there were 5 of them in Elizabeth’s small living room. Martha brought pizza and Jenny beer, Samantha their favorite potato chips, and Marie home-made cupcakes.

Elizabeth and Martha grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, and as soon as they graduated, they headed out to the Big Apple for college. They both got acceptance letters from desired colleges, and they didn’t even waste a single second. Elizabeth even got a scholarship, which made it possible for her to find a decent single-bedroom apartment that she managed to keep even today. Couple of part-time jobs that she took during her studies paid off, so she was at least at peace regarding her living arrangements.

“My sex life is not a topic of discussion here. Please, focus girls. We have a wedding to attend in just a couple of days,” Elizabeth tried to move their focus to a more pressing matter. “Sam, how are the preparations going?”

“Everything will be ready, you girls did your best on your part. You helped a lot really. My parent also and future in-laws are helping. There should be no surprises” Sam understood that Elizabeth tried to change topics, so she jumped in. “Your dresses should be done tomorrow, so you all should pick them up and also, I already made an appointment at my hair and nails salon for makeup and hair on Saturday early morning.”

“You did think of everything, didn’t you” Marie joked, “I know you are a control freak and that you like to have everything in check but lose it up a bit woman, chill.”

They spent the rest of the evening talking and planning for the upcoming event, not suspecting at all that they had been listened to.

The next couple of days for Elizabeth passed in a blur. Besides her job, she had few hobbies that actually made her some money. The skill of making jewelry out of almost nothing she learned while she was still in Kansas City from her next door neighbor. It was a way of earning while she was in high school besides other part-time jobs that she took, and in time, she started loving making jewelry, so she continued with this in college and after she got a job. There was a shop in a nearby mall that sold her work. It wasn’t much of an earning, but she loved doing it, and every cent counted.

Thursday evening, on her way to the mall to drop off some of her pieces, Elizabeth felt like she was being watched. She stopped and turned around herself, trying to spot something unusual but to no avail. Come to think of it, the last couple of days, she did feel unusually aware of her surroundings, like her instincts were telling her that something wasn’t right, that someone was watching her.

After dropping off jewelry, she made a stop at a grocery store to pick up needed items, and the drugstore was also on the to-do list. While roaming between the shelves again, that creepy feeling of being watched appeared, so she hurried to the cash register and walked fast to her apartment, to her safe place.

Ever since Monday, she has had trouble sleeping. She couldn’t stop thinking about that guy she bumped into. His eyes were all she could see and think about when she closed her eyes, those whirlpools of hazel and gold... Elizabeth hoped to see him again, she really did but had low hopes for it. New York is a big city, after all.

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Henry followed his mate for days. He was watching her and learning her patterns, hoping to get a chance to talk to her and get to know her before he reveals the truth about himself to her, but he couldn’t seem to get a chance, and that frustrated him to no end. He kind of hoped not to have to do the same as his older brother Michael when he found his soulmate, and that kidnaps her and keeps her until her heart recognizes him for what he is and accepts him. His urges were getting stronger, and it was harder to control them with each passing second.

But she always seemed so busy and in a rush. Of course, he knew about the upcoming wedding of her friend. He heard everything about it, listening to their conservation the other night. He already made sure to get an invitation. It turns out he knew the groom, which made things easier. He will use that opportunity to get close to the girl that had his heart in her hand.