9. Ivy
9
IVY
I had never felt the need to mobilize the girls in my group chat before. Not that I ever begrudged the others for doing so, no matter how trivial the reason. I was equally happy to help Summer pick the right bank for her business loan or which of her five sneaker purchases she should return. Or answer Lucy’s urgent need to try Beans ‘n Bliss’ new syrup flavors. Olive had certainly leaned on us all when she was being courted by her alphas this fall.
Olive, Summer and Lucy were three of the best girls I was lucky enough to call my friends.
But of the four of us, I was the one that gave the advice. Kept the what if scenarios from growing too outlandish. Occasionally googled statistics mid-conversation and cited relevant articles or research papers.
Now my cooler head had gone up in flames thanks to my first ever heat.
I arrived home, peeled off what clothes I had managed to throw back on (including, to my great humiliation, James’ shirt) and quickly realized I could not bring myself to wash their scents off.
I rolled myself up in a blanket until I resembled a human cannoli and opened the group chat named Felix’s Sugar Mamas. There were a whole bunch of new messages from last night I’d missed during my…interlude.
LUCY
Summer
SUMMER
Yes babe
LUCY
I forgot to tell you I saw your dad today
Walking lil Tofu around town
sort of
There was a picture included of Summer’s father that had been taken from a distance. Victor Pham was holding a fluffy white dog in his arms, having what looked to be a very serious conversation while he fed Tofu treats.
LUCY
Btw tell him sorry for the stalker picture I didn’t have time to say hi
OLIVE
I thought he didn’t want a dog
SUMMER
he’s a liar and won’t admit Tofu is his best friend
Dad decided the ground was too cold for Tofu’s feet and carried him the whole time
OLIVE
I’m not sure you can count that as a walk
I began typing quickly.
I need help
Serious help
Emergency meeting, please!!
The girls, bless them, replied almost instantly despite the early hour.
LUCY
WHEN WHERE I WILL BE THERE
SUMMER
Do I need to get stabby or huggy
Mainly huggy
SUMMER
MAINLY
So there’s a chance I’ll need my kitchen knife is what you’re saying
LUCY
Gosh whatever it is, you know we’re here for you, Ivy!!
OLIVE
Beans ‘n Bliss at 11?
Summer please don’t bring a knife
Their support was both heartwarming and frightening. I told myself I was only going to snuggle a bit longer before drifting off, wrapped in comforting scents.
I dreamt and for once, I didn’t feel alone.
My friends were seated around the table, clutching their steaming beverages and waiting expectantly. Olive with her bangs and swoosh of long brown hair beneath a cute beret. Lucy, blonde and beaming in her jacket covered in her own hand embroidery. Summer was effortlessly cool with gold safety pin earrings, perfect eyeliner and her silky black hair up in a bouncing ponytail.
Then there was me in my giant pom pom beanie and usual swath of wooly knits. And underneath it all, James’ shirt a secret close to my skin. I was feeling sorry for myself because I forced myself to shower and smelled only of gingerbread again. I felt like my hot chocolate was mocking me, an unsatisfactory replication of what I actually wanted. The marshmallow melted onto the surface of my drink and I felt a kinship with the sad helpless pile of sugary goo.
“So,” Lucy began, as if it was completely normal that I had summoned everyone and then…said nothing. “What’s going on, Ivy?”
I stirred my spoon and the marshmallow disappeared into the little whirlpool.
“Did something happen last night?” Summer prompted. “Our house lost power overnight but it was back on this morning.”
Ah yes. The power outage that started…everything.
“This is about a boy, isn’t it?” Olive asked, astute as ever.
I winced.
Everyone noticed.
“It is!” Lucy gasped.
Logan, between my thighs, groaning as he ? —
I covered my face with my hands, my cheeks hot enough to fry an egg.
“Who?” Summer was looking around as if they were possibly in the shop with us.
Rome, stretching me out on his knot until I ? —
“It’s not just him, is it? I think this is about boy s ,” Olive said, emphasizing the s . “Plural.”
James, talking me through everything they were doing until I was a complete and utter slick puddle in his hands.
And then you licked up his ? —
I let out a tiny but agonized scream and alarmed my friends even further.
Lucy was tugging at my hands. “Ivy Noelle Winter, you tell us and you tell us now!”
“IhadaheatspikeandRomeJamesandLoganhelpedmethroughit,” I squeaked.
They stared at me.
“Could you repeat that at human speed? My chipmunk is a bit rusty,” Olive requested kindly.
I took a deep breath and recounted what happened to me last night. The power going out. Rushing to the school. Rome and James turning up…then Logan.
The remaining details were kept light but they got the picture.
I fiddled compulsively with the fringe of my scarf, twisting the loose strands. “This is so embarrassing,” I said, squeezing my eyes shut.
“It’s not embarrassing!” Lucy immediately countered. She gently pried my tattered scarf from my fingers. “Your first heat and it hit you out of nowhere. I’m so sorry it happened like that.”
Summer scratched her head. “I’ve missed suppressants before,” she said sheepishly. “But that’s never happened to me.”
“It’s being around scent compatible alphas,” Olive said sympathetically. “Those pheromones go straight to your head.”
Lucy’s blonde hair whipped as she turned to face the other omega. “I think it worked out pretty well for you?” she teased.
Olive pulled out her phone and turned the screen to face us. She swiped through an ungodly amount of text message notifications considering we had been out for less than an hour. “It’s like having a vibrator in my pocket,” she sighed.
“Oh come on, you love your obsessed boys!” Summer laughed.
Two spots of color appeared on Olive’s cheeks. “I do,” she mumbled.
“See!” Summer gestured at Olive, who was now happily bonded to three alphas after a whirlwind courtship. “Maybe they will want to court you like Olive’s pack did with her!” she told me excitedly.
I shook my head. “They’re not a pack. Logan’s a stranger to Rome and James.”
Lucy tried a different tack. “Were they nice to you, erm, during and after?” she asked.
“Yes and…” I shrank a little further into the big collar of my sweater. “I don’t know, I ran away,” I said in a small voice.
“You ran away?” Summer repeated incredulously.
My head started to descend into a mad panic. “What if they only helped me because they couldn’t resist? What if I forced them?”
The girls exchanged a look. “I don’t think…you just said James asked if you were ok with them helping before it started fully. That he even offered to get the alphas out of there,” Lucy said carefully.
“Yes, but I never asked them .” I rubbed my chest furiously, certain there was an invisible rhino sitting on it. “Oh god, is that entrapment? What if I get arrested? Or worse, Jeff finds out and fires me?” I said aghast.
Summer very carefully took my hands in hers. “Breathe in,” she instructed.
I inhaled shakily.
“And out. Good job.” Summer gave me a little pat. “You are focusing on the wrong thing. I think they cared for you and didn’t want you to ride it out alone.” I opened my mouth to argue and she shushed me. “Yes, Ivy. All three of them. You are a catch and I am not the least bit surprised you had three men falling over themselves to help you.”
My first instinct was to correct her on me being a catch but I did not think Summer would be amenable to that. But as I thought about this morning, I vaguely remembered some protesting on their part when I was rushing to leave.
What a mess you’ve made, Ivy.
“What am I supposed to do now?” I said miserably.
“Well, you might have to figure it out quickly because isn’t that one of them?” Olive piped up, pointing out the window.
Everyone’s head swiveled. No tact, no discretion. No chance of pretending we were doing anything except gawking at Logan as he walked past.
Logan must have felt the prickle of four sets of googly eyes on him.
He looked inside.
Made direct eye contact.
Flinched and strode off hurriedly the way he came.
“I think you’re made for each other,” Olive said brightly.
My forehead made a loud thunk as it hit the table. “This is a disaster,” I mumbled.