"Being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure."
~Bob Marley

Dom

Spencer wouldn't shut up the whole ride home about how thankful he was that I was allowing him to be with Elsa. It made me happy to see how thrilled he was about the entire situation, but I still worried about him. I knew my parents would never go for it. I had to prepare for the heartbreak that would ensue when he was forced to marry Callie. But in the meantime, I would let him be. He deserved that. I was lucky I wasn't being forced into anything.

Then again, my situation helped me out...

At the thought of it, an image of Anna flashed in my mind. I felt bad for snapping at her when she asked why I wasn't betrothed to anyone. I knew she wasn't asking because she wanted to mock me. She had genuinely been curious. But it was incredibly rare for someone of my kind to have the problem I did because the entire survival of our kind depended on it. I'd always tried to please my parents and be the best kid I could to make up for it because no matter how many times they reassured me, deep down, I always felt like I was a disappointment to them. Spencer was the golden child in their eyes. Handsome, smart, charismatic... everything they had wanted me to be, Spencer was that.

I had no ill will towards my brother about it, though, because he was just that: my brother. But every so often, I'd get down on myself. Now, seeing Spencer with Elsa, this stunningly gorgeous girl who was unmistakably madly in love with him, that feeling returned. I'd had a fleeting daydream of the same thing happening with Anna and me, but the moment she found out about my condition, she would never want to be with me. Our kind relied on having this ability that I didn't have.

"You okay, man?" Spencer asked, taking notice of my silence.

"Yeah, fine. Why?"

"You're quiet. What's on your mind?"

It was one of the things I appreciated about Spencer. No matter what was going on in his life, he always made sure everyone around him was okay, particularly me. Sometimes I wondered if he knew it troubled me that he was everything I was meant to have been, that I was currently supposed to be. But if he did, he never said anything. I was grateful for it.

"Just thinking about things. Nothing you need concern yourself with."

"All right," he said, I could tell by the tone of his voice he didn't believe me. He would've prodded me for more information had we not pulled into our garage. I exited the car before he could say anything to me. Entering the house, we found our parents and sister eating dinner.

"How was the project?" Lily asked.

"Got it all finished. What have you been up to?"

"We found out the party we were supposed to be going to this weekend was canceled because of a gas leak or something, shutting down the entire hotel. All the other places are booked up for the next few months because of college graduations, so it has been postponed indefinitely," mom informed.

"And your sister just booked a huge wedding at the hotel, so we have that to start planning for," dad added.

"As long as it's not my wedding," Spencer joked, grabbing a handful of M&Ms from the bowl on the counter and shoveling them into his mouth. Mom sighed in annoyance. It was the one blemish on Spencer's perfect record. He was incredibly obstinate when it came to his betrothal to Callie.

"What's wrong with it?" Dad inquired.

"I don't love Callie like that, and I could never learn to love her like that. You wouldn't get any grandchildren to spoil out of me, and I know you can't wait for that to happen."

"You could learn to love her," mom said, with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Did you have to learn to love dad?"

"Your dad and I were lucky. We already loved each other," mom replied, bristling at her son's words. Knowing they were about to start arguing, I hastily excused myself from the conversation and went to my room, plopping down on my bed. I'd just closed my eyes when my phone buzzed, alerting me of a text message. It was from a number I didn't recognize. It read: For the record, having me call you Mr. Teen Wolf is a compliment.

I couldn't help but smile.

To Anna: Is that right?

From Anna: They're all ridiculously gorgeous men. You'd fit in perfectly with them. So yes, I'd say it's a compliment.

At that, I laughed aloud and replied: Are you saying you think I'm attractive?

She didn't respond for about five minutes, and in that span of time, I feared I'd offended her or gotten too flirty. Did I get too cocky?

My fears were put aside when she answered: I'm certainly not calling you ugly. I also considered calling you Superman. You look like him too.

Now, it barely took us more than thirty seconds to respond to each other. My fingers flew over the letters, typing out my next message.

To Anna: To be honest, I prefer that. How about this- you call me Superman, and I'll call you Supergirl.

From Anna: What exactly is your nickname for me now?

To Anna: Let's not go into that...

From Anna: Mr. Teen Wolf, answer the question

To Anna: ... Danaerys Targaryen

From Anna: Hahaha that's okay, I thought it'd be more like Regina George or something. But I think I still prefer Supergirl. All right, Superman, your name has changed. You better change mine too.

To Anna: Consider it changed. Listen, I'm sorry about snapping at you earlier when you asked why I wasn't betrothed to anyone. It's just something I don't like talking about. To anyone. Not just you.

From Anna: I shouldn't have asked. It wasn't my place.

To Anna: It was a valid question.

From Anna: Well, I know we're supposed to hate each other, but I think any girl would be lucky to have you.

To Anna: You interested? ;)

I wasn't sure where the sudden burst of flirtatiousness came from, but for some reason, I felt comfortable doing so with her. It was agony waiting for her response. The typical thirty-second wait turned into another five-minute-long one.

Finally, she responded: I'm sure you would love to know. Good night Superman ;)

That wasn't a yes... but it wasn't a no either. Did the other Laroche like me? Was the same thing that happened to Spencer happening to me? Having one of us in love with a Laroche was bad enough. Having two of us in love was probably going to turn out catastrophically. I gently banged my head against the pillow. What was I getting myself into?