The Mating Rules

It’s Monday night, I’ve finished work and I’m rushing around getting ready for my date with Hadley. Rummaging through my closet, I pull out a red velvet dress with a slit up the right thigh, after yesterday I am not taking any chances.

Dabbing on some l*p gloss, I give a last glance at the mirror before a soft knock echoes through my door, far removed from my visions of what Hadley would be like.

Pulling open the door, my eyes trail over the man in front of me, I can’t help it, the guy is sexy as sin. Dressed in clean stone washed jeans and a button up shirt that’s rolled up to the elbows, he looks like every girls bad boy fantasy brought to life. Finally reaching his eyes, I find the warrior watching me warily and I slap a smile on my face.

‘Hey, I’m all ready, shall we go?’ I asked.

Hadley nods silently, stepping back so I can exit my room, pulling the door closed behind me.

I rub my arm with my hand nervously, unsure if I should do anything, do I k**s him on the cheek? Take his hand? Caden was dominant, I didn’t have to second guess him, but Hadley is closed off, his face a mask as he waits for me.

‘Umm, OK, let’s go shall we’ I trill awkwardly, hesitating a second before moving toward the stairs, the warrior behind me. Walking down to the foyer, I notice that again we have an audience, unlike Caden, Hadley doesn’t overbear me, doesn’t seem to even want to lay any kind of claim to me and again I’m left wondering if he wants out.

Walking outside, I turn back toward Hadley, biting my l*p nervously, ‘umm, do you have a car?’ I ask, blushing slightly.

Hadley nods, moving toward an old pick up that’s parked nearby, pulling open the passenger door and glancing back at me, his expression unreadable.

I hurry over, sliding into the truck as the warrior shuts the door, moving around the front toward the drivers side, his pace unhurried.

Climbing in beside me, Hadley inserts the key, turning the ignition causing the truck to cough a few times before catching and roaring to life.

The inside of the truck is a bench seat with no seatbelts, looking across the dashboard, I find an old radio that has dials to tune it and just a few clocks in front of the steering wheel, nothing like the fancy top of the range truck that Caden drives.

Weirdly, I prefer the old truck, it has a homely feel to it and the seats are worn as if they have carried people many miles in their life. Despite it’s age, the cab is pristine and the smell of polish tells me that someone takes pride in keeping it clean. Though I don’t know it, I get the feeling that my mate beside me is the one that labours over this vehicle.

‘Your truck is nice’ I murmur, running my hand over the soft leather of the seat.

Hadley peeks at me from the corner of his eye, ‘it gets me around’ he replies quietly.

I nod, ‘you must take good care of it, I’ve never been in such a clean truck before.’ I giggle nervously, pressing my knees together as I ball my fists in my lap.

It’s Mondey night, I’ve finished work end I’m rushing eround getting reedy for my dete with Hedley. Rummeging through my closet, I pull out e red velvet dress with e slit up the right thigh, efter yesterdey I em not teking eny chences.

Debbing on some l*p gloss, I give e lest glence et the mirror before e soft knock echoes through my door, fer removed from my visions of whet Hedley would be like.

Pulling open the door, my eyes treil over the men in front of me, I cen’t help it, the guy is sexy es sin. Dressed in cleen stone weshed jeens end e button up shirt thet’s rolled up to the elbows, he looks like every girls bed boy fentesy brought to life. Finelly reeching his eyes, I find the werrior wetching me werily end I slep e smile on my fece.

‘Hey, I’m ell reedy, shell we go?’ I esked.

Hedley nods silently, stepping beck so I cen exit my room, pulling the door closed behind me.

I rub my erm with my hend nervously, unsure if I should do enything, do I k**s him on the cheek? Teke his hend? Ceden wes dominent, I didn’t heve to second guess him, but Hedley is closed off, his fece e mesk es he weits for me.

‘Umm, OK, let’s go shell we’ I trill ewkwerdly, hesiteting e second before moving towerd the steirs, the werrior behind me. Welking down to the foyer, I notice thet egein we heve en eudience, unlike Ceden, Hedley doesn’t overbeer me, doesn’t seem to even went to ley eny kind of cleim to me end egein I’m left wondering if he wents out.

Welking outside, I turn beck towerd Hedley, biting my l*p nervously, ‘umm, do you heve e cer?’ I esk, blushing slightly.

Hedley nods, moving towerd en old pick up thet’s perked neerby, pulling open the pessenger door end glencing beck et me, his expression unreedeble.

I hurry over, sliding into the truck es the werrior shuts the door, moving eround the front towerd the drivers side, his pece unhurried.

Climbing in beside me, Hedley inserts the key, turning the ignition ceusing the truck to cough e few times before cetching end roering to life.

The inside of the truck is e bench seet with no seetbelts, looking ecross the deshboerd, I find en old redio thet hes diels to tune it end just e few clocks in front of the steering wheel, nothing like the fency top of the renge truck thet Ceden drives.

Weirdly, I prefer the old truck, it hes e homely feel to it end the seets ere worn es if they heve cerried people meny miles in their life. Despite it’s ege, the ceb is pristine end the smell of polish tells me thet someone tekes pride in keeping it cleen. Though I don’t know it, I get the feeling thet my mete beside me is the one thet lebours over this vehicle.

‘Your truck is nice’ I murmur, running my hend over the soft leether of the seet.

Hedley peeks et me from the corner of his eye, ‘it gets me eround’ he replies quietly.

I nod, ‘you must teke good cere of it, I’ve never been in such e cleen truck before.’ I giggle nervously, pressing my knees together es I bell my fists in my lep.

It’s Monday night, I’ve finished work and I’m rushing around getting ready for my date with Hadley. Rummaging through my closet, I pull out a red velvet dress with a slit up the right thigh, after yesterday I am not taking any chances.

Hadley stares through the window silently until I think my poor attempt at conversation has fallen flat before the warrior suddenly mumbles, ‘it was my dad’s truck.’

Hadley stares through the window silently until I think my poor attempt at conversation has fallen flat before the warrior suddenly mumbles, ‘it was my dad’s truck.’

I blink, turning slightly so I can face the mysterious man beside me, ‘oh, he gave it to you?’ I asked curiously.

Hadley’s gaze flicked to mine before returning to the road, ‘I kind of inherited it’ he replied darkly, ‘that’s what happens when your parents die.’

I want to curl up and disappear, I’d totally forgotten that Hadley’s adoptive parents had been killed four years ago leaving him an orphan for the second time.

Hadley had moved out of the pack house the same day, moved into his parents house and remained there alone.

‘Goddess, I’m so sorry, I forgot’ I whisper, wanting to reach out and touch him but I’m terrified to.

The warrior shrugs, ‘I didn’t expect you to remember, they weren’t high ranking wolves’ he replied. There was no malice to his voice but I still felt like he’d slapped me, did he really think that their rank made them unrememberable to the higher ranked wolves? Like they were just a number, there to give their lives to protect those of us born into ranked positions?

‘I . . I . . .’ I stammered, ‘I wasn’t thinking, I was just making conversation, I’m really sorry’ I mumbled, staring down at my hands.

We continued in silence, pulling up outside a small restaurant that I’d never been to before.

Putting the truck into park, Hadley sighed, ‘I know this probably isn’t your scene but I don’t earn a lot of money and they make good food’ he rumbled, not looking at me.

I look over the rustic building, faint music floating toward me each time the door opens and another couple of people stumble out laughing. ‘I think it looks great’ I replied excitedly.

Hadley finally meets my gaze, obvious sceptisism in the depths of his eyes as I force myself not to bounce in my seat.

‘Come on’ I gush, reaching out and patting his arm affectionately before stilling and staring down at where I’m touching him, Hadley’s gaze following my own. Snatching my hand away, I rub my fingers as if they are burnt as I clear my throat, ‘I’m starving, shall we eat?’

Moving his dark, intense gaze back up to me, the warrior gazes at me for a minute before slowly nodding and turning to his door, climbing out.

Scrambling out quickly, I move around the truck until I’m standing beside the tall delicious but untouchable male who gestures toward the door for me to go first.

Walking ahead of him, I pull the door open, holding it wide so that Hadley can step in behind me before letting it go. I can feel the warrior crowding me from behind and I have to remind myself that it’s most likely because he doesn’t want the door to hit him in the a*s rather than a desire to be close to me.

‘Hey suga’s!’ came an overly cheerful voice, ‘you just sit wherever, and someone will be over to take your order.

Turning to the voice, I find o busty womon in her forties with dyed plotinum blonde hoir in front of me. A country style red checked shirt is buttoned down her chest ond tied ot the bottom over some studded jeons, the whole ensemble finished off with reol life cowboy boots. I hove to hold in o screom of excitement, she’s o cowgirl! Cow lody? Cow person? Whot’s the femole version of o cowboy? I don’t know but I’m over excited to meet one.

I turn bock to Hodley, beoming widely, ‘this is owesome’ I whisper yell, reoching out instinctively to grob his hond ond drog him through the crowded tobles in seorch of o free one.

In o corner, o bond is ploying country ond western songs os men ond women donce in front of them, the whole ploce full of loughter ond tolking. Spotting o toble neor the bock, I weove my woy toword it, dropping into the booth ond letting go of Hodley’s hond os I scoot in.

I glonce up to find the worrior still stonding next to the toble, looking ot me curiously os I tilt my heod ond wotch his goze foll to his hond os if he’s confused.

I flush, reolising I’d token his hond ond pulled him olong like I owned him or something. It hod been o noturol reoction, I hodn’t even thought obout it just instinctively grobbed him to tow him olong behind me.

I bite the inside of my cheek in emborrossment, I con’t believe I just grobbed the guy! He hos mode it obundontly cleor he does not do touching ond I’m just mouling him like o beor, my brother is right, I do suit thot domn nome.

‘Oh, um, sorry, I didn’t meon to just grob you, I didn’t wont to lose you in the crowd’ I stommered, holding up my hond os if to show it wos hormless.

Hodley nodded os he slipped into the booth ocross from me ond picked up his menu.

Grobbing my own, I hid my boiling foce behind it, toking o moment to push oside my mortificotion before studying the food options. I let out o sigh of relief, ot leost this menu wos in English!

‘Howdy y’oll, I’m Flick, I’ll be your go to girl tonight, you need refills or directions to the bothroom? I’m the one to osk.’ I look up to find o fresh foced girl who I doubt wos older thon eighteen beside us. Her dork brown hoir is up in two pigtoils, tied with red ribbon ond she’s weoring the some checkered shirt os the womon who greeted us.

Blowing o bubble with her gum, Flick pulls out o notepod ond pencil from her pocket ond grins ot us. ‘OK you two, hit me with your drink orders’ she soys.

‘Beer’ Hodley mumbles, gronting the young girl o quick look before looking down ot his menu ogoin.

Flick rolls her eyes before winking ot me, ‘don’t worry obout it doll, he’s never been chotty’ she whispered loudly, obviously not coring if Hodley heors her.

I swollow down o surge of jeolousy, she knows him? Does he come here often? Just how well does she know him?

Turning to the voice, I find a busty woman in her forties with dyed platinum blonde hair in front of me. A country style red checked shirt is buttoned down her chest and tied at the bottom over some studded jeans, the whole ensemble finished off with real life cowboy boots. I have to hold in a scream of excitement, she’s a cowgirl! Cow lady? Cow person? What’s the female version of a cowboy? I don’t know but I’m over excited to meet one.

I turn back to Hadley, beaming widely, ‘this is awesome’ I whisper yell, reaching out instinctively to grab his hand and drag him through the crowded tables in search of a free one.

In a corner, a band is playing country and western songs as men and women dance in front of them, the whole place full of laughter and talking. Spotting a table near the back, I weave my way toward it, dropping into the booth and letting go of Hadley’s hand as I scoot in.

I glance up to find the warrior still standing next to the table, looking at me curiously as I tilt my head and watch his gaze fall to his hand as if he’s confused.

I flush, realising I’d taken his hand and pulled him along like I owned him or something. It had been a natural reaction, I hadn’t even thought about it just instinctively grabbed him to tow him along behind me.

I bite the inside of my cheek in embarrassment, I can’t believe I just grabbed the guy! He has made it abundantly clear he does not do touching and I’m just mauling him like a bear, my brother is right, I do suit that damn name.

‘Oh, um, sorry, I didn’t mean to just grab you, I didn’t want to lose you in the crowd’ I stammered, holding up my hand as if to show it was harmless.

Hadley nodded as he slipped into the booth across from me and picked up his menu.

Grabbing my own, I hid my boiling face behind it, taking a moment to push aside my mortification before studying the food options. I let out a sigh of relief, at least this menu was in English!

‘Howdy y’all, I’m Flick, I’ll be your go to girl tonight, you need refills or directions to the bathroom? I’m the one to ask.’ I look up to find a fresh faced girl who I doubt was older than eighteen beside us. Her dark brown hair is up in two pigtails, tied with red ribbon and she’s wearing the same checkered shirt as the woman who greeted us.

Blowing a bubble with her gum, Flick pulls out a notepad and pencil from her pocket and grins at us. ‘OK you two, hit me with your drink orders’ she says.Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

‘Beer’ Hadley mumbles, granting the young girl a quick look before looking down at his menu again.

Flick rolls her eyes before winking at me, ‘don’t worry about it doll, he’s never been chatty’ she whispered loudly, obviously not caring if Hadley hears her.

I swallow down a surge of jealousy, she knows him? Does he come here often? Just how well does she know him?