7. Jesse
“I talk to you, like, every day,” Charlie chuckled nervously, giving my back an awkward pat as we pulled away.
It was almost comforting that he was as nervous to meet Tara as she was to meet him. The light smile he always wore, more of a twitch upward of his lips than anything else, put me at ease even with the anxious edge to his gaze.
Charlie wasn’t my alpha, at least not in that way. But he was an alpha, a fact that when I stood close to him like this was difficult to forget. The black OVWatch T-shirt he wore stretched tight over his broad shoulders as he towered over me, potent alpha pheromones sinking into my clothes and hair sure to make Tara turn up her nose later.
“You know that it’s not the same, that’s online,” I complained. “Face-to-face time is where it’s at.”
“You’re only saying that because I keep fucking trouncing you in 1v1,” Charlie quipped, his eyes finding mine with some difficulty. “At least here you have a shot at winning.”
“…Maybe a little guilty,” I muttered, remembering why we were in the barcade in the first place and wanting to avoid making my girlfriend feel like a third wheel, I stepped back, wrapping an arm around her to pull her forward. “Charmander, this is Tara.”
“H-H-hi, nice to, um, meet y-you,” she stammered, face going red as she held out her hand for him to shake, trembling with her nerves.
Poor girl, she was never nervous like this. She must really want to make a good impression.
I gave her a reassuring squeeze as Charlie’s gaze found her.
His expression shifted. Became… different. Not hard or unkind, but intrigued almost. A kind of unreadable scrutiny between curiosity and concern.
It sort of made sense. Charlie had always been protective of me, and this was the first partner I’d ever introduced him to.
A bit of skepticism was warranted… I guess.
Charlie’s scent became more potent as he reached to take Tara’s hand in a firm shake, buttery pie crust and deep baked blueberries coming together in a sweet and lightly savory combination that’d always been a comfort to me.
“You’re… Taller than I remem—thought you’d be,” Tara commented, stuttering on her words. “Sorry, I uh—whew, I haven’t been out in a while. I’m a little nervous.”
She really was nervous, her hand scraping through her long, dark hair as she tried to collect herself.
I couldn’t blame her. He was tall. Even for an alpha, Charlie was large, with big muscles and pretty skin and…
Woah .
“I mean… I didn’t mean… ” Tara muttered, shrinking back into my side.
Where did that come from? It must’ve been my nerves. Or Tara’s nerves rubbing off on me. Maybe all that talk of craving alpha cock I’d listened to while she edited clips somehow subliminally affected my mind and rewrote my brain chemistry until I couldn’t stop staring at the little dimple on the left side of Charlie’s face as he laughed.
The robust sound was deep as it rattled through me, warm and relaxing and so very home I couldn’t help but love it.
“Don’t worry, I am pretty tall, even for an alpha.”
“Every year the basketball team tried to recruit him,” I said helpfully.
“And every year they were deeply disappointed when I went to the tryout to trip over the ball I was supposed to be dribbling.” He shrugged, raising an eyebrow to her, voice lowering playfully like he was sharing some big secret. “I’m a bit of a klutz, you know.”
Tara laughed, but it was high and awkward, not the cute melodic giggle I was used to from her.
“Should I get us some drinks?” I offered, pressing a kiss to her temple as I continued into an undertone. “Maybe help you relax a little, baby?”
“Please,” she said at the same time as Charlie’s, “Yeah, man.”
They glanced at each other and something… strange passed between them, a kind of undeterminable tension that I couldn’t exactly place but was positive would be solved with a little social lubricant.
“Do you need help?” Tara offered, keeping herself pressed to my side.
I shook my head, my hair bouncing in front of my face a bit as I did. It probably needed a trim before it really started to get in the way, but I’d spent enough time enjoying Tara running her fingers through it while we cuddled that I didn’t really want to. “I got it babe, you just focus on getting to know each other. Maybe pick something for us to play?”
“Jesse—”
“We can handle it, don’t you think ba—Tara?” Charlie offered, along with his arm as he motioned for the game floor. “C’mon, let’s find something you can wreck me at. I know your response time is good at least.”
She looked over the alpha skeptically, nerves beginning to thaw at the mention of competition.
I’d spent so much time worrying about what Charlie would think of Tara, that I hadn’t considered that there was a possibility she wouldn’t like him . A new concern that bloomed uncomfortably in my gut now that’d it’d been brought to my attention.
Typically, they both were the type of people to get along with pretty much anyone, so I didn’t see why this would be any different. Except, I’d forgotten to consider one crucial element: they were both competitive as shit.
Tara swallowed, her face going carefully neutral before settling into a smirk. “I already know you love the sound of me winning.”
The tips of Charlie’s ears went pink. “In your dreams, HAVOC kitten.”
I let loose a relieved sigh, a little louder than I would’ve liked. Tension I hadn’t realized I’d been holding in my shoulders releasing as they began to settle into the banter I’d gotten familiar with in the group chat.
Nothing to worry about, just a bunch of nerves all around. The party wasn’t going to have to split up after all. Well… I still had to get drinks. But a more permanent division wouldn’t be necessary.
“You guys get at it, I’ll be right behind you.”
Charlie motioned for her to lead the way and she did—but not before pressing a quick kiss to my cheek that left behind the sticky imprint of her mountain of cherry lip gloss.
Was that another blush? Or was the moody lighting playing well with the product she’d dusted along her cheeks.
And was it really her lip gloss I was picking up, or was that a whisper of Tara’s perfume snaking through her suppressants? Surely not, her heat was close, but she’d been pretty positive that meeting with the alpha wouldn’t be an issue for her.
No matter how weirdly handsome I suddenly found him, he was still Charlie.
And Charlie just… didn’t pull girls like Tara.
That was a fact I would bet on, if I was someone who gambled.
I would’ve killed to know what either of them were thinking. The way the alpha’s eyes lingered on Tara didn’t feel off per se, but it was a bit…. unusual? Warmer than I’d expect with a stranger, even to me as a bystander. There was a familiarity there I couldn’t place, but maybe that was from the hours spent together shouting down the OVWatch comms.
Team match ups were intense, and brought out high emotions in anyone—even more so my competitive girlfriend and best friend.
Even I’d get a little amped up sometimes. Typically, I was a pretty level-headed guy, but when I was constantly watching DPS players throwing themselves into the fray and away from healers, even I couldn’t help but lash out. And since we’d all played together, there was a chance some of that high emotion made them feel closer, which was great.
Or maybe it was just that weird draw that alphas had to omegas.
Or, you know, that my girlfriend was dummy hot and Charlie was a fucking— lovable —dweeb who spent more time with his hands on a keyboard than anywhere near a woman.
I leaned on the bar, giving my order to a bored looking bartender with deep tan skin and flowy, wavy hair he’d pulled into a loose messy bun on the top of his head.
It wasn’t long until I was carrying them back to meet up with everyone—an IPA for Charlie, a blueberry seltzer for Tara, and a hard iced tea for me. The aisles of games were filled with bright lights, sounds, and excited, partially drunk players, jumping—and almost falling over—every time they won anything with a cheer.
It took a minute, but I finally found them, back by the row of skeeball machines. Tara was mid roll, bending down and firing back to release the small worn ball. I couldn’t help but stare at her thighs as they poked further out from beneath her skirt. Creamy, lush skin with the bottom of a butterfly’s wings poking just below the hemline as it rode up made me want to run my tongue up them like my own personal batch of cherry and lime flavored frosting.
The ball hit the board with a smack and rolled, barreling up towards the rings at the top. It bounced off of the top outer ring, almost falling into the forty, but it didn’t quite catch the lip and cascaded down, rolling straight into the ten spot.
“Damn,” she cursed, stomping her foot and throwing her hands down.
Must’ve been her last ball.
“Better luck next time,” Charlie teased with an easy smirk, leaning on the wall nearby.
Did I imagine the way his eyes were absolutely fixated on her ass?
“I’m just rusty,” Tara muttered. “I used to be really good at skeeball. They used to have a machine right next to the pinball at the laundromat my mom took me to.”
“Then maybe another game will help you shake off some of the rust?”
I took that as my cue to step forward, holding out the drinks with a smile. “Only the finest.”
Both of their faces lit up as they saw me in their own way. Tara with her vibrant, slightly too big for her face smile that seemed to put the world in technicolor. Charlie’s half crooked grin, on the other hand, was comforting and steady, like a summer breeze against a sail. Buoying.
“My favorite IPA,” Charlie said as he took the tall, green can with a moose on it.
I passed Tara her blueberry seltzer, earning myself a soft, “Thanks baby,” and a chaste kiss against my lips.
“You guys having fun with skeeball?” I asked, taking a sip of my own drink. It had a lemony hint that added to the earthiness of the tea and the subtle burn of the alcohol… shamefully undercut by the sharp flavor of aspartame, but I would survive it.
“A blast,” Charlie said easily. “You know how much I love this game.”
Tara hissed beside him, her eyes narrowed as she looked up at the alpha irritably.. “You told me you hadn’t played in years!”
Charlie’s smirk was almost… confident. The weirdness, it seemed, was set to continue. “Well, that might have been a bit of a teeny tiny lie.”
I laughed, unable to help it. “Charlie might as well have been the team captain of skeeball in school. He was almost unstoppable. If they gave out scholarships for that kind of thing he would’ve had it made.”
Tara opened and closed her mouth in outrage, the effect so fishlike she kind of reminded me of the koi they kept in those big tanks at sushi restaurants.. “You tricked me!"
“All's fair in love and skeeball,” Charlie quipped. “Isn't that how the saying goes?”
That time I was sure I caught it.
Charlie, lovable dork and painfully dweebish loser best friend of my entire life—was flirting with my girlfriend.
I didn’t know if I should be appalled or thrilled.
Tara was trying to hold a pout, but it very obviously wasn't working. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips, plush and glossy and so pink as they turned upwards, finally breaking into an incredulous laugh.
I couldn’t help but laugh along with her, the sound infectious.
“Well I want to play something else then,” she insisted, glancing around the room as she took another long drink from her can. “Can’t let you think that I’m not a serious competitor.”
I followed her line of sight, taking in the options as seriously as if we were considering the purchase of a multi-million-dollar art piece. Over the typical din of the barcade, the telltale ‘chink’ of a puck hitting the edges of a metal play arena reached my ears. The solution to Tara’s problem immediately became obvious.
“Air hockey,” I said, jerking my thumb in the general direction of the noise. “Pretty sure there’s a table back that way.”
Tara turned to look at me with victory burning in her dark eyes.
The girl was good at almost anything that required quick reflexes, and though arcades weren't really her thing as a whole, there were a few games she could get behind. Air hockey was one of them. I’d found that out during one of our first dates after being stomped three times in a row—she swore that the blue razz slushie I’d bought for her as a prize afterwards was the best of her life. To me, it just tasted like cold, bitter defeat.
“Air hockey,” she repeated eagerly. Her hand found mine, warm fingers twining as she led us through the maze of games in the direction of the tables leaving Charlie toddling after us like a puppy. “Now that’s something I can do.”
A pair of frat guys were playing on the far side table, but luckily there was a second as we approached. The white acrylic was chipping away in some spots from the puck slamming against the boards, grey streaks against the play arena from abundant use. The painted surface of the playfield, accented in bright red and blue that matched the outside of the table, looked like your typical hockey arena, a dupe of the ice shown overhead as the playoffs played on the big screens. A metal scoreboard hung above the ice facing either direction, set to a welcoming 0-0.
“What’re the teams?" Charlie asked.
Tara’s head whipped towards him so fast her hair almost flung around and hit her in the face. “What, you too scared to face me alone, alpha? Or are you secretly some air hockey wizard as well?”
I busied myself with my drink, not wanting to get into the middle.
“Nah,” he assured. “Skeeball is really where my arcade expertise starts and ends. Don’t worry, Tara.”
She turned to me expectantly. “Is he lying? And you have to tell me, I know he's your best friend but I'm your girlfriend so you can't take his side.”
“They have to take my side,” Charlie insisted. “They've known me the longest.”
Tara rolled her eyes. “Maybe. But there are things I do for him that I can assure you are much more persuasive than sunk cost fallacy.”
Her comment landed, Charlie shifting on his feet uncertainly. But it didn’t take him long to recover. “Come on tell her Jesse, we both know I'm horrible at this game.”
I felt two pairs of eyes on me before I met them, sighing. It felt like I’d been thrown in the middle of a couples argument, which was a little weird since I was one of the two people in the couple present.
“He's not,” I said easily. “Though Charlie is multi-talented, this is not one of his strengths. To my knowledge at least.”
“See I suck,” Charlie said, gesturing for the table. “So let’s see if you suck worse.”
Tara pursed her lips, her narrowed eyes remaining playful as she caught my arm. “Either way, it's Jesse and me against you.”
“Fine, I'll take that bet.”
Charlie lined himself up on one side of the table with Tara and I on the other, our drinks left to wait for us on a small circular table nearby.
Tara stuck a pair of the tokens into the side of the machine listening to it fall with a clunk before the air table hummed to life, the puck clanking into Charlie’s side.
I could barely hear myself think over the sound of the fans whipping the small plastic disc around. Or maybe it was the faint scent of cherries that was making it hard to focus, Tara’s warm body so close to mine as she leaned over the table to grab our mallet.
Charlie threw the puck down, and we all watched with baited breath as it floated slightly above the table. Muscles tense as we waited for him to strike. About ten seconds in, Charlie set his long fingers into the rim of the mallet and flicked his wrist hard, rocketing the disc towards our side of the table.
“Got it!” Tara called as her hand flew across the table, the mallet impacting heavily with the small plastic puck. It hit the edge, that high pitched ting it always made flaring up as it bounced back and forth until it finally made its way over to Charlie's side.
The alpha regained control of the puck easily, shooting it back in our direction for Tara to return.
Back and forth, back and forth. The puck moved so quickly half the time I could hardly keep up as the two fought their way around each other until finally Tara managed to hit it just right past his mallet and into the goal slot.
“Fuck yeah!” Tara screamed, her hand meeting mine for an excited high five as a little red 1 lit under the home team badge.
Charlie grabbed the puck out of the return slot and started the game up again.
“It’s not over yet,” he taunted.
“Might as well be,” Tara shot back.
Every volley felt more intense than the last until we were finally on the game point, with Tara and I only leading by one.
Charlie had just scored, so Tara lined the puck up and hit it as hard as she could, flinging it to the other side. Charlie volleyed it back hard to my side, and I tried to stop it, but it was no use; I let it fall to the side and go right into our goal.
Now we were tied up for the final point.
Tara groaned. “Jesse!”
“Sorry baby!”
“I’m going to kick your asses,” Charlie called from across the table. “It’s just a matter of time.”
“Oh please,” Tara started, “You've been so focused on my tits this whole time I'm surprised you've gotten a single goal.”
Charlie was all smiles as Tara smacked the plastic once more, but I was a bit shocked at the comment. I guessed it was just a joke between friends, but I couldn't help but think about everything else that I’d noticed. Or thought I’d noticed.
And if I wasn't just being crazy, how I felt about it.
“Fuck,” Tara groaned as I let my distraction get the better of me, the puck flying past and landing in our goal. “Baby!”
“Victory!” Charlie cheered, his fists meeting the air gleefully.
I still felt a bit dazed, looking to Tara with a sheepish smile. “Sorry sweetie pie.”
She sighed, her arms wrapping around my neck as she leaned up for a kiss that made my stomach dip with its tenderness. “S’okay, it was fun.”
I smiled, stealing another sweet kiss from her.
It was fun, and despite losing Tara still seemed in high spirits.
Maybe I was thinking too far into it. The glances. The comments. The… overall aura of ‘I want to fuck you so bad.’
Or maybe I was a little more insecure about Charlie being a rich alpha than I liked to admit, and I was just looking for a sign that Tara was going to like him more than me.
Which was insane, Tara never cared about money or designation before, and I doubt she’d start now.
I was just being jealous.
Yeah, that was probably it.