The shadows in my room stretched longer than usual, painting slow-moving monsters across the walls as the sun bled out behind the hills. This was the evening and another hour without Axel.
I sat cross-legged on my bed, still wearing the oversized hoodie he'd lent me the last time he was here. It smelled like him: earthy and sweet, a bit like pine needles and danger, and I hated how much comfort that gave me, as though it was a substitute for his absence.
I had waited. Waited all day for him. Made excuses for him in my head like a pitiful, love-struck teenager: Maybe he got caught up with pack duties. Maybe something urgent happened. Maybe he didn't forget. He wouldn't forget. He cares... right?
The agreement was that he'd come over today. He even promised to get me gifts. Yet, his absence was all I got. It was already a day before the wedding. We needed to plan, to strategize.
