How Did You Do It?

"How did you managed to get used to everything?" Apryl asked as they continued eating. Callum had been being quiet as he was watching other people around them interacting.

"Not well honestly. It took me a while and I hated the first few months after I made my decision to the point that I thought about returning to family." the smaller werewolf admitted after he had finished the rest of his sandwich.

"And honestly, I probably would've gone back if they lived closer, but it would've been hard to do. I'm not sure honestly if they would've then or even now be willing to accept me back since I didn't exactly leave on good terms." His parents had been furious when he told them that he wanted to move someplace that was rather far away from them in order to go to college and understand the human experience.

"For them it wasn't even so much the distance that I moved. I decided that after the argument we had. It was more about the fact that I wanted to leave the life I had grown up in to be around people. They thought that it was a foolish decision since it wasn't like we were scarce on resources or anything."

"What made you chose to ahead with it then?" Callum shrugged his shoulders in response to this question.

"I think that it was a mixture of obstinance and a younger self that was curious about things they never knew about before. At the end I only chose to go through with it to spite them since they hadn't even tried to understand my reasons or hear me out before shooting me down." Callum laughed, a bitter tone to it.

"It was only supposed to be a temporary thing but I ended up turning it into a serious decision to not go back due to this. My parents who I usually thought of as understanding and patient had rejected me for the first time in my life. In fact, my most of the rest of them didn't even understand why I wanted to do it. They thought I was crazy and turning my back on them." He shook his head as he finished speaking, taking a sip of water before he continued.

"Although it certainly hasn't been an easy road to follow, I wouldn't say that over time I have come to regret the decision that I made. There have been a lot of positive about it. difficult experiences can help build character after all and I have met some great people who have gotten me through things." Apryl didn't miss the way that Callum rubbed the ring on his left hand with his pinky. She was still curious about what it signified.

"Would it be too nosy of me to ask about that ring that you're wearing on your left hand?" Apryl asked as she pointed to it. Callum grinned when she asked this question, a spark of happiness appeared in his eyes replacing the sad bitterness that she had seen before. He slipped it off and held it out to her.

"You can take a look at it if you want. It is a safe enough place that I don't have to worry about it being dropped and lost." Apryl took it carefully so that she could look it over.

"Few actually ask me about it, but I always get excited when someone takes notice of it." Callum explained as the other werewolf looked it over. The engraved figures on it had been really well done. Someone must've put a lot of time and care into making it she concluded.

"I noticed Chester wears one similar to this. Are they a symbol of friendship?" She asked as she looked up from the ring. Callum shook his head in response to her question, the smiler on his face become wider.

"Something more intimate than that." He replied causing Apryl to pause for a second before she looked up at the smaller werewolf.

"You mean?" She asked without saying it as she continued to stare down at the ring. Callum nodded his head eagerly before he held out his hand to take the ring back so he could put it on.

"It's unofficial though. Probably wouldn't become official until we're both out of college either." Callum replied as he slipped the ring back on his finger and looked down at it happily.

"That is one of the few perks about not having family around I have to admit. Neither one of us have to worry about anyone rejecting our relationship or denying us the right to be together. We can do as we please without worrying about that type of judgement." He told her as he looked back up from the ring.

"You do like Keith though, right? I wasn't wrong in my assessment of that based upon the relationship you two seem to have." Apryl bit her bottom lip after he asked this question.

"Honestly, I'm still not sure. IT isn't the kind of thing that I've really had time to think much about with everything else that has been going on. I've just been so focused on trying to get everything in order and take care of my family with the shift that has happened. I haven't even gotten a job yet to start paying for things so thinking about a mate isn't exactly high on my list of priorities." She answered honestly.

"I completely understand that. I think though it might be nice if you figure it out though. Then, you could have someone else to rely on outside of your family while you're trying to deal with everything that's going on." Callum told her as he reached across the table to pat her hand.

"Without Chester, I don't think that I would've been able to make it his far even though we didn't get along at first, it was still nice to know that I wasn't the only who had made the decision to leave family to move towards something different."

"Keith is from a different world entirely from me though. I'm not sure with it would even work in the first place." Callum waved her off when she said this.

"You won't know until you try though. Sure some of us are worried about that type of thing. Keith however isn't really like that. Plus if the feelings are mutual, there isn't really anything to worry about." Apryl knew that Callum had a point in what he was saying, but it did little to assuage her concerns.