Chapter 42 The Last Meet-Cute
The Last Meet-Cute
Locke
We arrive as soon as we can. Oscar had everything prepared. He spent this morning ironing our shirts. He made sure we wore our suits. Kol wore his emerald suit. I wore my black and gold paisley suit. And Oscar has his well tailored burgundy suit.
Mads is in a black suit and a white button up. We didn’t have time to get him into a color. Oscar told me that Acadia is purple, so that only leaves blue or orange for Mads.
“Black and white is great,” Mads insists.
“But you look like our staff. Maybe we can do all black or all white?” Kol unhelpfully says.
We are in the meet and greet room. It’s an atrium. It is a glass building in the gardens, sunken low into the ground. There are tables and chairs. Along the wall, a table with a white cloth over it is covered in finger food. There are drinks and a bar cart.
Against the wall are some couches and upholstered chairs.
I check the labels on the wine. Good stuff.
I’m sure we will be billed for it all later.
Oscar says, “We will take him into the men’s store and try out a few colors. I think blue would look nice. Or maybe silver, to be the opposite of Locke.”
The two of them will talk about clothes all day if no one stops them.
I stuff some grapes into my mouth.
It’s been 45 minutes. I thought she’d be here by now. I’m the last one to meet her. I keep going back to that night I saw her by the pond. It doesn’t even feel real anymore. Like I made it up.
Kol’s been with her twice. Oscar and she shared his first kiss. I don’t even know what intimate things Mads and she have done. Movies, jokes, talking about their days.
And the whole time I’ve been screwing Mickey in a hotel room.
“Stop,” Oscar says from across the room. He’s looking at me. He can feel my anxiety and my shame. I meet his eyes. “Go for a walk. Clear your head.”
Kol and Mads look over at me, too. They’d been talking about work together. But they stopped to look at the mess I am. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.
“I’ll be back,” I say, and take the stone steps up out of the atrium. I walk across the lawn and towards a path that leads me through some trees, and then suddenly this looks familiar.
This path leads to the pond. Trees and flower beds lead the way to that place that haunts my every waking thought. I can’t close my eyes without seeing this pond. Fiery lines of energy coast up and down my skin, the closer I get. I’ve slowed down to a crawl.
The bend in front of me opens up to the expanse of the water. The midday sun glistens over the ripples, nearly blinding me.
And standing at the edge of the water is an omega with short black hair wearing a purple dress.
The closer I get to her, the more details I can see. There are little embroidered butterflies on her dress. Her hair is done up in twists. She faces the water, but I have a feeling I’m not sneaking up on her. She’s been waiting for me.
My cock is responding to her like I just went through puberty.
I take in a deep breath, and her lilac and honey smell penetrates every part of me. I keep taking steps closer, letting the gravel under my shoes make as much noise as possible. She still doesn’t turn around.
I stand next to her, looking over the water—side by side. I put my hands in my pocket and will my cock to chill the fuck out.
She takes a deep breath. My scent mate is taking me in. I wait to see how she reacts.
She hooks her arm with mine and leans into me. Touching her elicits a physical reaction unlike any other. We don’t even know each other.
Yet our bodies sing the same song.
“Hello Acadia,” I say.
“Locke, is it?”
“Yes. God, it feels good to be near you.”
“Like you quieted a noise I didn’t realize was always playing in my head?”
Yes. She quiets all the noise. The hunger. The fear. The anxiety. I lean against her and she lays her head on my shoulder.
If nothing else, I can always offer this solace for her. If she ever needs to feel this, I’ll be there for her. If we have nothing in common, if she loves them more, at least I can offer this.
“Didn’t try to find me?” she asks. I turn to see her face. I need to look at her. She stands up straight and turns as well.
“I did. I wandered the city like a fool. Little did I know, everyone else in my pack already had you.”
Her eyes narrow. “No one has me.”
I smile.
God, she’s beautiful. She has freckles and green eyes. A little silver nose ring. I want to push her hair back to see more of her. I lift my hands.
“May I?”
She looks a bit confused but nods.
I lift her hair and look at her ears. One is covered in piercings. The other only has only one. All silver and pearly. I touch the little charms and gems, then tug on her earlobe. I trace my knuckle down her neck to her clavicle and shoulder. Goosebumps erupt under my touch.
“You’re so special, aren’t you?”
Her dark lips perk up in a smile.
“You’re special, too, I’m guessing.”
“Me? Nah. I’m no one. But I’ll be good to you. You can always rely on me. I’ll take good care of you, omega.”
She tilts her head. Does she believe me? She should. I can already tell I will love her more than anyone. More than how I feel about Oscar. More than the kinship I feel with Kol. And more than the feelings I have for our new beta.
“Speaking of looking for you, I have a gift for you.” I reach into my pocket and pull out a palm-sized flat stone. I lay it on my palm and present it to her.
“What is it?” She asks and takes it.
“It’s just a rock. I picked it up on the night I scented you. The night of the soirée. I came looking for this pond to skip the stone across it, but instead I found you.”
She smiles as she takes it from me. Her thumb rubs across the surface.
“How weird was that—finding your scent match?”
“It scared me half to death. I went to get Oscar and Kol, who will be much better alphas to you, and when we got back here you were gone.”
She continues to look at the stone as she says, “I’m excited to get to know you, Locke. Oscar and Kol are wonderful alphas. They wouldn’t have you in their pack if they didn’t believe you were also wonderful. We have a lot to look forward to.”
At this moment, I’m glad for my instincts to go get Oscar and Kol when I first recognized her. I love that she’s here, already knowing and accepting them before me. It calms my anxious heart.
“Come on, let’s go meet your pack,” I say and smile away the last of my anxiety.
She turns and the sun hits her eyes, so I put up my hand to block it from her face. She smiles under the shade of my hand.
I was so scared to meet her, but she’s like someone I’ve known my whole life. A missing part of me. Or I’m a missing part of her.
She steps away from the pond. “Ok, I’m ready.”
She takes my hand and we walk together.