Page 4 of Little Bite of Bliss

“And you’ll have anything you want, angel.”

1 / OH THAT’S WHAT IT FEELS LIKE

Archer

Everyone in my life was mated and in love.

I was happy for them, of course. But it was bittersweet to be around all of their happiness. For years, I’d been convinced fate picked who got to be happy and had purposefully forgotten about me.

Maybe that was the wrong way to look at it. Even so, it was hard not to. My parents were happy. My sister had her two mates, and they were happy. My friends and the rest of my extended family had their mates too. Everyone had their happy endings.

But then there was me.

“What the fuck am I doing?” I whispered to myself.

Rain had been pouring nonstop for three days. I stepped around a puddle on the sidewalk, my stomach twisting as I neared the cafe at the end of the block. The sky brooded with dark clouds, yet I had a tiny sense of hope I couldn’t quite squash.

Was it finally my turn? The little voice wouldn’t stop whispering in my head. Was it finally going to be my chance for what I’d been craving my entire life?

Was this my second chance?

After what happened years ago, I’d been certain I was not deserving of a mate. To even hope this ended up being more than just a coffee date felt like getting ahead of myself. But I knew the Barista, and I knew monsters he’d matched.

A nervous breath left me as I reached for the cafe door. Before I could touch it, it flew open, and I squeaked as Layla ran right into me. Both of us yelped, but I grabbed her shoulders, steadying her before she fell back.

“Oh gods, I’m so sorry, Archer,” she said. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“No worries at all,” I said. I frowned once I got a closer look at her. I knew what had happened with her bond and the Barista severing it with his scythe. Almost everyone did. It was the downside of all of our parents being friends for so long before they had kids. They were a bunch of gossipmongers.

Everyone knew what happened to Layla, just like they knew what happened to me.

I’d grown up with Layla. She was like my cousin. But as much as I wanted to ask her if she was really okay, I decided to keep it casual. It was all I wanted back when I was the topic of conversation.

“How have you been?” I asked. “I haven’t been to the other cafe location in a while so I never get to see you. I should stop by more often, but then Inferna harasses me to bring coffee for the entire office.”

Layla laughed, her shoulders relaxing a fraction. “I’m doing okay. It’s been . . . well, I don’t even know where to start. Are you here for coffee?”

Nerves fluttered through me. I swallowed hard. “I’m actually here for a date.”

Layla’s eyes widened. “You are?” Her gaze dropped to my chest and then she turned, looking into the cafe. “Oh. Oh.” She let out a low chuckle. “You’re in for a treat, Archer.”

A little bit of giddiness made my heart skip a beat. “Yeah? Are they here already?”

Layla grinned and her cheeks turned bright pink. “Yeah. I’m excited for you now. Tell me how it goes, okay? I’m going to head out, I don’t really talk to my Papa right now.”

I winced. “Fair enough. I’ll text you?”

“Yes, please do. I want to hear everything. Good luck, Archer. You deserve everything good in the world.”

I gave her a sad smile. “So do you.”

Tears sprang to her eyes. “I don’t know about that anymore.”

“Layla,” I said softly. “It’ll be okay. Bonds can come back, can’t they?”

“I’m not really sure. I feel empty inside.” She cleared her throat. “Enough about my problems. You have a coffee date, and it’s going to be amazing. If anything happens and you need help, just text me. I’ll be there.”

“Alright.” I gave her a quick hug and then opened the cafe door. “I’ve got this. I think.”