Chapter 8 FEELINGS FOR ME

Ginger's POV:

I remain on Caspian's body, and he keeps caressing me gently, making me feel even worse. The room is cool with the fans on, but I can hardly breathe. When I can no longer take it, I let out a forced breath and stand up.

"Are you okay?" he asks, and I nod with a smile.

"I was thinking we could do something-maybe watch a movie," I say, and he nods.

"That would be great. I should get some snacks downstairs." He starts to leave, but I quickly reach for his arms.

I need an excuse to leave, and this is my chance.

"Why don't you pick out the movies while I grab the snacks?" I ask, and he nods. I push myself out of bed quickly and head out of the room.

Once in the corridor, I pause with my back against the door to catch my breath. This is one hell of a rollercoaster, and it's making me lose my mind. The only upside is that I haven't thought of my dad. My body is too busy processing these stupid feelings for a boy who doesn't give a shit about me-and it hates what it's doing to Caspian.

After a moment, I head downstairs. The boys are still in the living room, drinking and playing stupid games, but I notice Hu and Ruby are missing. I try not to let it bother me as I make my way to the kitchen. It's a large space with an island table in the middle and a minimalist design that screams luxury.

I stride toward the double-door fridge. As soon as I reach for the handle, I hear a particular voice.

"What the fuck, Ruby? Why are you doing this now?" Hu yells. I see them at the back of the house from the kitchen window.

I try to convince myself to leave, but it gets intense.

"I need to know if I'm wasting my time, Hu! Tell me if you love her!" Ruby yells back in a cracked tone, and I can tell she's crying.

"Fucking ridiculous," Hu says in a low voice. "What do you mean by wasting your time? We never put a label on this, Ruby, so what has changed?" he asks, and she sniffles.

"What exactly do you want from me?" he questions. "Do you really want me to hold you, play the part of a loving boyfriend, and console you?" He scoffs, and for some reason, my heart crumbles. I feel bad for Ruby because Hu is an asshole.

Ruby bursts into full-blown crying.

"Shit, shit." Hu comments. "This is why I hate hanging out with girls." His words come out harshly, and I feel like stepping in to tell him to shut up his fucking mouth.

"You're avoiding my question, Hu-I just want to know if you love her," she says, and he lets out a low chuckle. "Tell me, Hu! Where do I stand?"

"I'm not sure you want to know that."

"I do!" she raises her voice.

"Fine!" he yells. "You're just like every other girl I've met. There's nothing serious between us, and as of this moment I want nothing to do with you anymore. You're putting me through a lot mentally, and I don't want that."

I know Ruby's been on my back, but I just feel like going out there to give her the biggest hug. This is a lot to process-even for me.

"So you do love her?" she asks, and Hu sighs. "Answer me!"

"Fine! I have feelings for her. I don't know what it is, but I can't control it, and it's driving me crazy!" My heart races as I hear him say it. He has feelings for me? I question myself and then shake my head.

"Are you happy now?" he asks, and she scoffs.

"You're even a bigger loser than I thought. My crime is only having feelings for an animal, but as for you..." she pauses, then lets out a low laugh. "You're in love with your best friend's girlfriend, pathetic," she hisses.

"Who said anything about love!" he grits his teeth, and I swallow a lump in my throat.

"Whatever, man-you love your best friend's girl," she chuckles, and I know it's getting on his nerves.

"Fuck off, Ruby!" he warns, and she turns around.

"Gladly," she replies and walks away while I stand there, watching Hu as I try to figure out what he's thinking.

Suddenly, he looks in my direction, and I duck quickly, breathing heavily as I try to steady myself. I peek again-he's gone. Alarmed, I rush to the refrigerator, grabbing some chips and soda.

Just as I shut the fridge, Caspian walks into the kitchen.

"I've been waiting for you," he says, and just as I'm about to reply, I see Hu walk past, glancing at me. I try not to look at him.

"I had to pee, sorry about that."

"It's fine," he says, then he takes the snacks from me, and we walk out of the kitchen. "Hu," he calls out, giving him a brief handshake while I avoid eye contact. After this, we make our way up the stairs.

Shortly we get to the room, and we settle in to watch our movie. While Caspian laughs at the movie on display, I cannot help but think of Hu's conversation with Ruby. I try to convince myself it is a lie, but a part of me feels it isn't. My gaze drifts to Caspian, who is busy with his chips, and I contemplate telling him about the mate bond.

"You could be making a mistake," my wolf says to me, and I swallow hard. Caspian turns to look at me.

"Is there a problem, love?" he questions, and I rub my shoulders.

"I was thinking we could.." I pause. "Snuggle."

He pauses the movie, facing me squarely.

"You do not seem very comfortable around me." He lifts my chin with his thumb as he says this. "You are my girlfriend now, Ginger, and there is nothing to be scared of. You can tell me anything." I nod at his words.

"I know that," I reply, then I hold his hand, pulling it away gently. "It is not that easy, because I have never had a boyfriend."

"Come here," he says, pulling me in for a hug as the ever loving boyfriend while I keep thinking of another boy..