Collins

Angelina was silent now, tracing my chest with her fingers. She did it in circles and then down; her eyes were still shedding tears, and I'd thought I would distract her once she started talking. But my shirt was soaked, and her face was still a mess. We had little time anyway, and I had to make her pour out all that we should have said to each other over the last six years. That was not the first time I made it known I wanted more than friendship.

"My grandmother and my grandfather were match-make. They were werewolves, but my grandmother killed him. It was a spell. We later find out. Apparently, my grandfather was a hot dude. A witch was crushing on him, and they were seeing each other. So he broke up with her and had to settle for the woman he was meant to marry my grandmother," Angelina said. "I wish I know more, actually. There's something my grandfather didn't tell his wife," Angelina sighed. "She warned me about this, my grandmother." She wiped her face with the back of her palm. Her eyes seemed yellowish, or perhaps I did not see clearly. My head hurt. My body was getting weak, like I would fall asleep at any moment.

"She said it happened too fast. When she attacked him, he didn't fight back like a wolf. My grandmother warned me not to fall in love with you. But that is already out of the equation. The other thing was to control my impulses when I am around you. You are my weakness." She raised her shoulders and looked up. "And I can do that for a long time until whenever I feel something stronger," she said and glanced at me.

I nodded. I'd heard all of these today, but it sounded like I had been told about it many times. It was true. It all made sense. I had tried to get more out of this relationship, but she had avoided the request so many times, in words and simple gestures. Yet, she didn't let go of me. I didn't want her to leave either. The longest she tried to stop talking to me was six months, and she called to bring us back after that. I wouldn't have rejected it; I wanted the same.

"What about your mum's? Did she tell you? I mean about how she…."

She frowned and stared at me. "She did. Her man, my father, died too," she shook her head and reached for my hand. "I would do everything to make you like me. I promise," she said.

"Tell more about how your mum's husband died, Angie," I said in a low voice.

She looked at me and sighed… "You wouldn't die, Collins," she said, touching my face. But after some seconds, she began to talk again. "My mother said my father struggled for like two minutes before he died. They were having sex when it happened."

I raised my head and winced in pain as the muscle of my shoulder pulled so hard like I had hot water all over my body. "It's been thirty minutes, and I didn't die. I am lucky," I said and laughed.

She put a hand on my shoulder and shook her head. "I told you, the bite will not kill you because it didn't cause fatal damage, but…."

"But what?"

She stopped talking and jumped up. She looked around the room, picked up her phone, and slid it into her handbag. "First, let's get you to my grandmother. She could help with anything."

"Some minutes ago, you said the options were clear. I…uh…"

"None of the past boyfriends stayed this long. That means she could help with something." She reached for my arm and tried to get me on my feet. I could feel how panicked she felt. Her body was trembling as she helped me to my feet. My energy was depreciating, and I doubted I wanted to go around past a couple of streets to get to her grandmother's house.

"Maybe we should accept our fate," I said.

"Stop talking."

"What other thing could happen if I didn't die."

"I already told you. You'll become a wolf. There's no other thing, but let's get you to granny."

We walked out of the house and waited for some minutes until a cab arrived. Once I sat behind the car, Angelina pressed the piece of cloth on my shoulder and stared at me. I was trying too hard not to shut my eyes by this time. She would look at the driver and back at me as if she wanted to pass a message to the man, but she decided against it.

"If I make it and instead become… transitioned," I said, "what do I need to know."

"We can't talk about that right now. We need to get to my grandmother first."

I looked out of the window and at the sky. Once the moon appeared, I would be over. I closed my eyes. What would it be like to sleep every night in the forest that bordered our town with the next town? I had been there with my father. We didn't have stories about wolves. The animals we met were bears. I would live with those. But there was a slim chance that I would become a wolf. That was better than dying.

The fever got worse, and it took what was left of my strength. Two slaps hit me on the cheek, and I woke up again. "Don't leave me," Angelina said. "Please, don't leave me."

The cab driver looked in his mirror. "Is he alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, he's fine."

"Are you sure, ma'am? He looks like he's losing it. Should I take him to the hospital?" he said.

"No, no, no. He will be fine once I get him home and he's rested."

I wanted to tell the driver that he should drive faster and take us to Angelina's grandmother. We wouldn't get to the hospital on time even if we tried. I could transition right there at the hospital. It would be a big scandal for Angelina and her grandmother, the most decorated woman in town.

"Do as she says, man," I said to the driver. The words came out like they were pushed out of my chest. My body was fighting the pain with a hot gasp.

"We should get him to the hospital." The driver repeated. Now my fears were becoming real. What would it mean if the man went to the hospital and the doctors found a wolf lying in bed later? They would probably tame me. It would be a life spent behind a cage, and the world would come for Angelina and her family. They would be extinct before the next day. I closed my eyes again and tried to open them, but I couldn't. Briefly, very briefly, I saw my father. The vision blurred as I squinted again. The next image that appeared was my dead parents holding hands. They looked sad, like those days when I had got a broken wrist after playing football in high school. They were disappointed.

Two or more slaps landed on my cheeks again, but I was too weak to open my eyes fully. I tried, but I failed. I would have said a few things to Angelina. I loved her. Even after this, I wished there was a world that could include us. I wished we had a chance somewhere else. I was leaving, but…

She kissed me.

And there was something about a kiss; if it came from the right person, all the body systems wake up. So I opened my eyes, and she smiled back at me. I could see the expression of joy in her gaze, which said: I wouldn't let you die.

The night was fast approaching, and the moon would soon be out.

"Will you ever leave me," I asked.