Strings of Fate

56- Courage and courting He heads into my room and | take a minute to think. I'm proud of myself, sure | wanted to avoid that conversation, but | survived it, | didn’t run away. | follow Bellamy into my room. where he is tucking his phone and his tie into his pocket.

“What tis it anyway?” | ask, I'm so out of it. | feel like | slept a long time, but there was daylight coming through the windows, which means either we slept for only a couple hours. OR we slept through the night and it’s daytagain.

“It’s about one, we slept almost 24 hours. I'm not surprised | slept that much, you're like a knock out drug to me, but you must have been really tired to have slept so long.” He looks atcontemplating something. | just shrug.

“I did say | haven't been sleeping well.” | sort through my drawers looking for something comfortable to wear. | haven't really been doing much laundry lately either. | really need to catch up on my housework. Eventually | settle on a pair of leggings that I'm pretty sure are clean and a random light grey t-shirt with blue butterflies printed on it. | throw a bra and pair of underwear onto my pile of clothes and at the sight of Bellamy lounging on my bed, scamper into my bathroom, closing and locking the door behind me. | can hear him laughing softly through the door. | get dressed and pull a brush through my hair, then step out the bathroom to find socks and shoes. Pretty sure that this is as good as it’s going to get, | tell Bellamy I'm ready to go get food.

We head out together and take a short drive to a nearby bakery. Surprisingly I've never been here but Bellamy has and insists that the food is great. We take our place in the short line. | notice Bellamy is shuffling around awkwardly and shooting sideways glances at me. | make eye contact and tilt my head sideways in question. He gives a smile, looking a little embarrassed to be caught watching me. Then he asks; “I... are you going to be mad atif | try to pay for your food?” He speaks cautiously, like he’s worried | will react badly.

“You really want to, don’t you?” | confirm. We only just made up, | don’t want to fight him again, and not over something so small as paying for my lunch. Bellamy nods his head eagerly.

1/4 56- Courage and courting “Yes, | do,” he confirms.

“Then no, | won't get mad at you.” Bellamy beams at me. | don’t really understand why he is so happy about something so small, especially since it really seems like | am the one benefiting from it. We order spastries and Bellamy pays for the food, glancing sideways atas he does so and still smiling brightly.

Then we find a place to sit in the back corner of the bakery at a little table with a vase of dusty, plastic flowers decorating it. I've only taken a couple bites when Bellamy speaks.

“I have something | should probably admit.” he looks a little guilty, | am instantly on guard, but trying really hard not to panic. | don’t want to fight with him again. That might be my new mantra. Learning to slow down, listen and compromise is hard, but I'm determined to do it if that’s what it takes to make this work.

“What is it?” | ask cautiously. Bellamy must be able to see how worried | am because he reaches across the table and takes my hand.

“It's nothing bad, just... a Shifter thing you probably don’t know about. The reason why it makeshappy to pay for your food.” “Oh... okay.” | try to keep the doubt from my tone but I'm almost positive Bellamy can hear it because he squeezes my hand lightly.

“Providing you with food is a sort of... courting ritual for Shifters.” He pauses and waits forto say something but | don’t really know what to say, so | stay silent and wait for him to continue his explanation.

“Often, it is something that Shifters will use at the beginning of a relationship to show interest, it's basically a bit like flirting. Other gifts of things like clothes are also considered a sign of interest. Really, any gift that shows that you can provide for your potential mate, ist considered to be courting.” He ducks his head down between hunched shoulders and peers up at me, waiting for my reaction.

“So... the reason you insist on paying is that it's your way of... flirting?” | ask incredulously.

“Yep.” He answers shortly.

2/4 56- Courage and courting “...And... the dress you got me?” “Yeah, that too.” he nods and givesan awkward grin. I'm baffled, does this mean he liked from the start? But he was so rude to me.

“But, even back then?” I'm not even sure | mean the words as a question but Bellamy answers anyway.

“If I'm being totally honest? | was interested in you right from the start. Well, | was interested once | was done freaking out and being worried about my sister. Basically a little while after you kickedout of your hand | had a minute to think about things and realise | was being ridiculous.” He looks a little ashamed of himself and | can’t help but crack a smile. Of all the things to happen, | never expected my soul mate to literally just cknocking on my door. | think back over Bellamy’s explanation. So he has be attempting to court me, almost the whole twe've known each other. I've probably been accidentally slash sort of intentionally rejecting him all this time. That can’t be good for his self-esteem. He should know better than to flirt in a way | don’t understand. Then again, | ran away when he flirted in a way | did understand. Oh for goodness sake, | need a manual or something.

“Ryann? You've gone very quiet, it’s a little alarming.” Bellamy prompts me. | shake myself from my thoughts.

“Oh, sorry. Uhm... so for the Shifter... courting... flirting... stuff. How... | mean... what... what kind of response are you hoping for exactly?” | stumble through my question not exactly sure how to ask what | want to know.

Bellamy seems to understand my question though.

“It's relatively straight forward. If a male offers food, he is hoping that his potential mate will accept the food and in doing so accept that the male is courting her. Although it doesn’t count if it’s offered to a whole group or if it's in your own home, that’s just being a good host.” he adds. | nod slowly.

“Sorefusing to let you pay was...not what you were hoping for.” | finish awkwardly. Bellamy gives a half smile and a small laugh.

“You could say that. It definitely was not a promising sign for me. And when you threw that. money atafter we fought at dinner... ouch.” | give an uncomfortable laugh and pull my hand from his, sliding it under the table.

| decide to change the topic from food.

3/4 56- Courage and courting “What about with the clothes?” | question, although I suspect the answer to this one is straight forward.

“Wearing them of course” Bellamy smiles at me. | roll my eyes. Of course.

“Right...so what I'm getting from this, is that every Shifter I've met probably already knows... what's been happening.” | might not have known Bellamy was flirting, but Megan, and all the Bellamy shrugs.

other Shifters | have spent twith would have to be stupid to miss. Megan, and all the “Only the ones you're close to. Remember, except for my sister and Darrien, they wouldn't know | paid for your dress, and they haven't all seengetting you food.” he reminds me. Okay, that’s a little less stressful. It would be really embarrassing to think everyone else knew and | had no idea. Particularly since | already knew he and | are fated.

“Alright, well is there anything else | should know since you have apparently been using all the Shifter methods of courting without my knowledge?” | cross my arms over my chest and stare him down in a fake interrogation. | intentionally put on a ridiculously stern expression, | do want an answer, but mostly | just want to break the tension a bit. He laughs at me. | drop my arms and pick up the bottle of water Bellamy gotearlier.

Strings of Fate