Chapter 11: Team Mission Lia

Matt

My phone started going off way too early. Growling I grabbed it and opened the group chat.

Group Chat: "Team Mission Lia"

6:03 AM

Jesse: You, everyone up? We need to talk.

Matt: ...Why is this happening before the sun is fully awake?

Colby: Because it’s important, Matt. Now get over it and focus.

Rain: zzzz…

Jesse: Rain, wake up. This isn’t optional.

Rain: Half-conscious. Proceed.

Matt: This better not be about Lia. It’s too early for emotional trauma.

Jesse: It is about Lia. We can’t ignore this anymore.

Colby: We’ve been a mess around her, and it’s time we get our act together. No more lurking awkwardly or being avoidant.

Rain: Do you mean no more "accidentally" bumping into her to check if she’s still mad?

Jesse: EXACTLY. We’ve been idiots. Years of bullying her didn’t help.

Matt: Didn’t it help? It made her hate us. Deservedly.

Colby: Which is why we need a plan. She’s smart. If we just rush her with apologies, she’ll think we’re trying to manipulate her.

Rain: We kind of were bullies, though. Why wouldn’t she assume that?

Matt: Rain’s right. Trust doesn’t happen overnight.

Jesse: Then we earn it. The step one is acknowledging we’ve hurt her. No excuses, no “we were just kids” garbage.

Colby: We also need to make it clear we’re serious about this. It’s not just about us liking her—it’s about showing her we’re safe now.

Rain: "Safe" is a stretch. We’re still chaotic.

Matt: Speak for yourself. I’m perfectly stable.

Rain: Says the guy who yelled at a squirrel for stealing his sandwich.

Matt: Irrelevant. Stay on topic.

Jesse: Focus, people. We’re meeting early this morning to hash out the specifics.

Matt: I want to sleep.

Colby: Your sleep is canceled. This takes priority.

Rain: What even is the plan? Just grovel?

Jesse: We apologize first. Then we start showing her through actions—not just words—that she can rely on us. We’ve got to be consistent.

Colby: Small gestures. Respect her space. Prove we’re different.

Matt: So, no grand romantic declarations? No cornering her with “we’re your fated mates” speeches?

Rain: Not. She’d run for the hills.

Jesse: Exactly. We move slowly. Let her take the lead when she’s ready.

Matt: Fine. But if this goes wrong, I’m blaming Jesse.

Colby: Blame yourself for being a pain all these years.

Rain: Group consensus: Jesse’s fault if it fails.

Jesse: Whatever. Just be up in about an hour. No excuses.

Rain: Cool. Going back to sleep now.

Matt: Same. Don’t wake me up again unless it’s life or death. I need that extra hour.

Colby: Or Lia.

Matt: ...Fine.

Jesse: Good. Let’s fix this mess.

Even though I got an extra hour, it didn’t do much. I dragged myself downstairs, grateful that Lia was still fast asleep in her room.

“Why are we up this early?” Rain asked, barely stifling a yawn.

He scratched his neck where some stubble was already starting to form. Rain shaved when he remembered. It could happen every day or the guy could go a full two weeks before starting to complain that the new beard he was sporting was itchy beyond all reason.

“Because Jesse and Colby thought it was best we get up at the ass crack of dawn to discuss what we are going to do from here on our own,” I snapped.

I’d rather be in our room, catching a few more hours of sleep before starting the day. On weekends I liked to get some Rugby practice in. Not like my skills were going to get soft in a day or two without practice, but I liked running across the field, feeling the wind through my braids.

It helped center me and keep my mind at ease. With all the stress I’d been under since finding out my future mate was Lia Brown of all people, I started to throw myself into practice. This was the only time I was able to feel at ease. Other times I just became stressed out, letting my mind wander and wonder about what all of this was going to mean for me.

I didn’t care about sharing someone with three of my best friends. If anything, it helped me feel more at ease.

Why did it have to be her of all people? It could’ve been anyone else. Hell, I would’ve been able to deal with it being her loud and a little bit crazy best friend Simone. But Lia?

The guilt I’d always shoved aside bubbling to the surface in full force now. Whenever I looked at Lia all I thought about was everything I had done to her. A simple apology wasn’t going to help. She would continue to feel this bitterness whenever she looked at us, not that I blamed her.

How were the other guys able to push past this so easily whereas I was the one who kept dwelling on it, unable to move on? Rain was using his humor to deal while Jesse came off as someone who was never bothered with anything. Colby was thinking critically about it while I was in denial.

Well, I wasn’t in denial anymore. I was in denial for a long time but now I accepted that the two of us were mates. The part I was having trouble with was accepting a way to move forward and make it all work for us.

“So, Colby and I were talking before the two of you came out here,” Jesse started to say. “Both of us seem to think that a wonderful way to go about it is for us to spend some quality time together with Lia. We’ll do a group thing after because she might be intimidated by all of us spending time together with her at once.”

Colby nodded. “Yeah, one-on-one outings will be the best way to go first.”

“Who’s going first?” I asked cautiously.

Colby and Jesse turned right towards me, a rare smile breaking onto Jesse’s face.

“You're going first, Matt. Since you're determined to keep avoiding Lia we think it will be best that you face the situation and spend some quality time with her first.”

My face fell. “No.”

“What do you mean no?” Rain gasped. “Dude, you can’t just say no.”

“Yes I can and I just did. I’m not going to be the first one to go ahead and spend time with her,” I muttered. “I have no problem spending time with her at all. But I won't be the first. Let me be the second.”

Colby sighed. “Then you’ll probably back out or make some excuse. Why can’t you just accept that you have the most awkward relationship with her out of everyone?”

“I do accept it, Colby but it still doesn’t mean that I am going to be the one who is willing to take the first plunge. Rain can do it.”

“I mean, okay if that’s what you want—”

“Rain,” Jesse warned, narrowing his eyes. “No.”

Rain sighed, giving me a sympathetic look. “Sorry about that Matt, but Jesse scares me more than a little bit so I’m going to just back off. I’ll gladly be the second person or something.”

“Jesse, Rain might be afraid of you but I’m not,” I muttered.

He smiled. “True, but we can always talk about this with Lia and say that you are waffling on spending one-on-one time with her. Can you imagine how hurt she would be if that happened?”

“This is blackmail.”

Colby stifled a laugh. “Matt, I think that’s the point.”

They were putting me in a tricky situation. If I refused to go then they were going to talk to Lia, which would make things even more awkward for the two of us. But if I went on this outing with her it was going to cause me extreme distress and massive levels of awkwardness.

“I hate all of you.”

Rain sniffed. “Matt, my man, I know you're just saying that because you're hurt. Trust that all of us, even Jesse, love you. We only want what is best for you.”

“Still hate all of you.”

“Matt, you're going to make Rain cry,” Colby hissed, gesturing to their friend who was tearing up.”

I sighed. “Rain I don’t hate any of you. I’m just angry.”

“So, you’ll do it?” Rain asked.

If I said no then I was going to disappoint one of my best friends and Lia. Or rather not disappoint her but make things more awkward.

“Fine, I’ll do it but know that I am going to hate all of you for the next few hours.”

Jesse smiled, the smile even reaching his eyes. “Good. Colby made reservations for dinner and then the two of you can see a movie.”

These assholes. They were planning the whole thing and knew I was going to back down in the end!

I never stood a chance.