Chapter 3: The Big Reveal

“So, what kind of music are you into?” he asked, a playful note in his tone.

“Metal, mostly,” I replied casually. I could almost hear his eyebrows rising in surprise. 

“Metal, huh? I’m more of a classic rock guy myself,” he responded seemingly unfazed.

The conversation meandered through favorite foods, movies, and hobbies. I found myself divulging details I hadn’t expected to share, drawn in by the anonymity the door provided.

“Okay, so random question – are you a virgin?” he asked. His tone came across as if he were trying to deliver the question as a joke, but there was an unmistakable hint of curiosity in his voice.

I laughed, caught off guard. “That's a very forward question for a first date, don't you think?” I quipped, evading the question.

"So this is a date, huh?" he asked, and I could hear the smirk in his voice.

I was grateful for the door between us as I felt my cheeks flushing with embarrassment at my blunder.

"Well... I mean... It sort of feels like one," I admitted as my cheeks burned bright pink. 

He chuckled as he replied, "It does a little. Except for the fact that we're in a public restroom. I must admit, this is not the way I would have pictured it in my mind, but at least it's pretty clean in here, as far as public restrooms go."

With that, I heard a thud on the door and realized he had shifted positions and was now leaning against it.

Our conversation continued, and I learned about his love for nature, his passion for reading, which was something we seemed to have in common, and vague mentions of family expectations. In turn, I shared tales of Colorado, my interests in art and philosophy, and my mixed feelings about my sudden move to Oregon.

“What makes you think we’re mates?” I finally asked, my skepticism battling with the curiosity that his presence stirred inside me.

“It’s that feeling... like... an inexplicable pull,” he explained, his voice tinged with vulnerability.

I leaned against the door now too, processing his words. The idea of a mate bond was something I'd always brushed off as childish and naive – yet here I was, inexplicably drawn to the voice on the other side of the door.

The stranger gently probed about my recent breakup and I found myself opening up about Liam more than I had intended to, the pain still raw in my voice.

“What about you? Do you have a girlfriend?” I asked, a sudden curiosity about his personal life taking hold of me.

There was a brief pause. “Yeah, I do,” he admitted hesitantly. “But we have an understanding that if either of us finds our mate, our relationship ends.”

His confession stirred a mixture of emotions inside me – surprise, a twinge of jealousy, and an overwhelming sense of relief.

We continued talking, sharing stories and snippets of our lives, the conversation ebbing and flowing naturally. As the minutes ticked by, the space between us, though still physically divided by the door, felt increasingly thin. It was then that I noticed we were holding hands in the open gap beneath the stall door. My heart clenched as I looked down, watching my fingers absentmindedly stroke his, as if they had a mind of their own.

“Don’t you want to open the door yet?” his voice held a new note of anticipation.

"I don't know... I'm nervous," I admitted sheepishly.

"Nervous about what?" he asked, likely already knowing the answer.

"What if I'm not what you expect?" I considered, anxiety gripping at me.

"What if I'm not what YOU expect?" he turned the question on me.

"I don't know... I don't really have any expectations," I replied.

I liked his personality so far. That was a great start. You can overlook a lot of things if a person has a good personality, right?

"Neither do I. So I guess we have nothing to lose," he encouraged, obviously wanting to put a face to the anonymous voice he'd been talking to for the last couple of hours.

"I probably look terrible. I'm sure my eyes are all red and puffy from crying," I tried to dissuade him, but it didn't work.

"Well you're in luck, because I love red, puffy eyes," he jokingly replied.

I giggled and then took a deep breath before finally relenting. "Okay..." I murmured. 

"Okay?" he repeated, excitement brimming in his voice as he stood up, releasing my hand. I felt instant and profound disappointment at the loss of contact.

I pulled myself to my feet and smoothed my t-shirt down. My hand hesitated on the latch. This was it. With a deep breath, I slowly turned the handle and opened the door, pulling it toward me.

I peeked my head around as it opened and our eyes met. An electric current seemed to pass between us. He was way hotter than I’d pictured, with a casual, disheveled look that somehow suited him perfectly.

His hair was dark brown with a tousled, unstyled look that was both effortless and sexy. He had broad shoulders with a tall, lean but muscular build that hinted at strength and power in both human and wolf form. I was certain he must have been at least a foot taller than me. He wore well-fitting jeans with a plain white t-shirt and a pair of Chucks, the same as the ones I was wearing. His most striking feature, though, was his amber eyes which were warm and captivating.

“Katelyn,” I said softly, with a shy, awkward wave. "Or Kate," I went on, giving him the more commonly used, shortened version of my name.

“Tyler,” he replied with a small smile.

"Ty?" I asked, wanting to know what his friends might call him.

"Usually Tyler. But Ty is okay," he murmured.

The pull between us was undeniable as I watched his eyes raking over me. I was glad that I had decided to wear actual clothes today rather than leggings and a gigantic hoodie. Instead, I wore a pair of ripped black skinny jeans with a black t-shirt and my Chucks. My hair was tied up in a high ponytail, but it was probably a little messy now after all the crying.

"And?" I asked hesitantly.

"Your hair is purple…” he murmured, staring at the loose wisps that hung over my shoulders.

“Wow… can’t get anything past you,” I replied sarcastically.

He chuckled, then went on, “I didn't expect you to be so... cool," he admitted.

I giggled awkwardly and felt my cheeks turning pink.

"And? Am I everything you ever hoped and dreamed of?" he asked, his tone teasing, but I could sense the underlying nervousness and vulnerability that hid just beneath the surface.

I could feel my cheeks reddening even more. I probably looked like a tomato as I nodded wordlessly, looking down and fidgeting with the hem of my shirt. I could see him beaming with pride as I stole a glance, looking up at him through my eyelashes.

We stood there, the space between us charged with unspoken emotions. The pull of the mate bond was overwhelming. It drew me a step closer to him, my heart racing. He mirrored my movement, closing the gap further. His eyes searched mine, and for a moment, the rest of the world faded away. It was just him and me.

He leaned in, his eyes flickering down to my lips, then back up to meet my gaze. The closeness, the intensity of the moment, it was all too much and not enough at the same time. My breath hitched, and I found myself leaning in too, drawn by a force I couldn't resist.

But just before our lips met, a sudden flash of reality hit me. “Wait,” I breathed out, placing a hand on his chest, stopping him. “You... you have a girlfriend.”

Tyler's expression shifted, the spell momentarily broken. “Right,” he murmured, taking a step back.

The connection still hummed between us, but the reminder of his current relationship hung in the air, an unspoken barrier. “I should probably end that first before we...” his voice trailed off.