10. Olive
10
OLIVE
Growing up in a fishing family meant early mornings. During peak lobster season, we were on the boat by 3:30 a.m. every day. Night owl, I certainly was not.
But tonight, I couldn’t fall asleep. My mind kept flitting to those brief minutes with Lars on the beach. I’d ended up running away from him because, apparently, that was what I did when faced with amazing-smelling alphas who showed any sort of interest in me.
His scent was all pine and bonfire, earthy and masculine like the alpha himself. I’d had to stop myself from climbing into his big lap and running my hand through the strands of blond hair escaping his bun.
He’d made me feel instantly safe.
I clung to my bike handles as I navigated the dark path into town, hoping no one would be around this late. I needed something to drown out my omega, who kept shouting at me to track down Easton and Lars, scent mark them, pull them into my nest, and then sit on their knots. I’d tried distracting myself by re-reading one of my favorite romances, but the love interest was an alpha who reminded me of Easton, and I’d put the book down. There hadn’t been a TV in the house when I moved in and I didn’t have the money to buy one yet. So here I was, parking my bike by the Hollywood Cinema at 9:30 p.m. I’d seen on the sign outside the theater that they did a late-night showing for $3, so I thought it just might be the perfect distraction.
The small lobby was lit when I walked in, and I was hit with the overwhelming smell of movie theater popcorn, but it was completely empty. A small sign announced that the owners weren’t about to stay up late and to drop money for tickets and concessions into a small box sitting on the counter.
The sign brought a smile to my lips. It reminded me so much of the grumpy lobstermen I grew up with and the sense of trust we had in our small community.
I pulled a couple of crumpled bills out of my pocket. I bit my lip, wondering if I should splurge on popcorn and soda. It was only another $3. I decided to go for it, dropping my money in the box and helping myself to the concessions before heading into the small theater room.
I let out a little happy squeak when I saw it was empty, not quite believing my luck. I’d never heard of the movie that was showing tonight— Beyond the Bleachers —but I wasn’t very up to date on my pop culture. I settled back in my seat as the pre-movie trailers started playing.