Chapter 5
It took about fifteen minutes for me to realize that Jason was a shitty loser. I wasn’t even particularly good at air hockey, but for all his talk, he was somehow worse—or I was just stupid lucky tonight—and with every plastic puck that I sank into his goal, the shift in his mood was palpable.
Foosball didn't go much better.
By our third match, my glass was empty, and I was tired of playing 'just one more game.' Luckily for me, Jason was frustrated enough that he seemed eager to part ways for a moment, eyes darting for the Zombie Killerz machine on the other side of the room.
"I'm just going to get a refill. Why don't I meet you over there?" I suggested.
He nodded, mumbling about going to see if the guns were synced properly as he made his way over the faded carpet to the back corner.
I took the opportunity to text Tara as I headed back to the bar. Sure, I wasn't much of a drinker, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
And this? This was desperate.
where are u? this wasn't some kind of ploy to get me on a date with Jason, was it? bc if it was, that's so MEAN!
he’s SUCH a sore loser!!!
srrryyyy!! left a bit late but we'll be there ASAP!!!
oops!!
TARABLE
I sighed. Honestly, I should've anticipated this. Tara was never on time for anything, even last-minute plans. But damn, I was sick of all this alone time with Jason.
"Can I have another?" I called to the bartender, leaving my glass on the counter.
He collected my empty with a grin, moving to start mixing my drink. "Not that it's my business…" he said when he'd finished, leaning towards me to lower his voice, "but are you on a date?"
I covered my surprised laugh with an entirely unconvincing cough. "God, no. We're just friends. We have a few more joining us soon."
"Probably for the best," He chuckled, dark eyes narrowing slightly as they looked around—likely making sure Jason wasn't in earshot. "Sore losers always make for shitty partners."
Dimly, it occurred to me that he was flirting.
My cheeks heated. He was cute, and for a moment, I thought about flirting back—until a pair of dark eyes with long lashes popped into my mind, killing that idea before it even started.
Indigo.
God, I really was losing it over some alpha, how embarrassing!
"Can you hang onto my drink for a second? I'm going to go to the restroom."
"Hiding out until your friends get here? Smart move, pinky. Use the men's; it has better cell signal—besides, there's basically no one here."
"Oooh, thanks for the tip," I said with a light laugh, leaving behind my fresh glass.
For a men's bathroom, the inside wasn't so bad.
Three painted black stalls and a dull grey tile with a vanity holding two sinks took up most of the floor space.
And after a quick wipe of the countertop with a paper towel from the dispenser, the counter was dry enough for me to sit on.
I pulled myself up, scrolling my phone to kill the time.
How long could I stay in here before it was weird? At least five minutes, right?
Maybe longer, as long as no one came in?
I'd built this goddamn algorithm brick by brick, so of course it didn't take long for Indigo to appear on my for you page.
It was a clip from one of their streams where they were playing a smaller horror game.
They were making small talk with the chat when something jumped out of a dark hallway at them, and they jumped, eyes wide and mouth open.
The poster of the video had cut it so that their face froze like that, playing a funny sound as the image zoomed in and rotated blockily.
Even if it was a little cruel… I had to admit it was funny.
I scrolled through the comments, finding most of them full of praise for Indigo's stream or razzing their gameplay.
The creator of the clip had tagged their account, and I couldn't help clicking into the profile to see if they'd posted anything new.
Indi didn't post a ton of personal stuff on their feed, mostly keeping it to stream clips uploaded by their management.
After a couple of scrolls, my finger hovered over a selfie posted a month ago.
Indigo was holding their phone out to get themselves and Joon into the picture, the omega's lips pressed to their jaw as they grinned.
I recognized when it was taken instantly.
Halloween. Joon's costume, the same as mine that night, and a bright pink wig brought back a flood of memories about both of them that had me feeling hot all over.
I shook my head. I couldn't keep thinking about it if I didn't want to drive myself to madness. And, though I knew I was kind of torturing myself, I scrolled a little more.
Just once.
Okay, twice.
Three times…
And—squeeeeeaaak—car brakes, full stop. On the third pass of my thumb, the video filling my screen featured a whole lot of bare back.
It was a video of Indigo in the gym, doing a lat pulldown with the camera concentrated on their shirtless back.
The lights highlighted the sheen over their shoulders as their muscles tensed with each movement.
Pull and release.
Pull and release.
A little bead of sweat left Indi’s tightly curled hairline to drip down the center of their toned back.
Pull and release.
Man, what the fuck? How is this video ten minutes long…
I didn't realize my mistake until the bathroom door opened, a masculine cough sounding as someone got hit with what had to be a wave of sticky-sweet omega perfume.
"I'm so sorry," I began stammering out, moving to hop off the sink but freezing as my eyes connected with the very alpha who starred in a fair few of my fantasies, standing, blinking in surprise as the door swung shut behind them.
"It's all good," they said easily, coming to the sink to wash their hands. "The pinball machine I was using was sticky… I thought it was best not to ask questions."
"Right," I said, watching as their eyes lingered on my thighs under the hem of my short skirt. "I was just—"
"Hiding from Jason? I figured." They winced, nose wrinkling. "Sorry I took so long, Joon couldn't decide if they wanted to abandon their digital farm for the real world or not."
"Joon's here?" I asked, my stomach fluttering.
Whether from nerves or excitement, I didn't know. If I were honest, I was still working out exactly how I felt about the omega.
Other than thinking he gave some of the best head I'd ever experienced, that is.
Eva! Not! Helping! The! Scent! Issue!
"Nah, they're busy romancing some other handsome gamer bro and trying to do grandpa proud," Indigo said, drying their hands with a little smirk. "Hey—uh, I'm sorry about earlier. At the playtest."
"Oh!" I shrugged. "You were just trying to save me from having to hurt Jason's feelings, right?"
Indi's smile went sheepish as they rubbed the back of their neck. "No, uh… Honestly? I was a bit jealous."
"Jealous?" I asked, scanning over their face with something dangerously like excitement, making my chest feel light.
About me?
Their throat bobbed as they swallowed, forcing an awkward laugh. "Yeah, I didn't want you going out with him, I guess."
"Why not?"
"I just didn't," they said, not meeting my eye. "I didn't like it."
The answer created more questions than it answered, the biggest and most pressing on the tip of my tongue as I fidgeted with my hands. Why?
I considered asking, but I worried that I wouldn't like the answer.
They drifted closer, a hand landing on the counter close to my thigh as their thick, sweet maple scent closed in around me.
Even with me sitting like this, they were so tall I had to tip my head back to meet their gaze. Dark and open in a way that I didn't expect.
"To be honest," Indigo said, their other hand landing on my other side as they stepped between my legs. "I don't like the idea of you seeing anyone outside of my pack."
"You didn't call," I said, the words coming out in a breathless rush.
With every second that ticked by, I regretted more and more that just minutes ago I'd been lusting over their Instagram, making it impossible to think straight with their warm body so close. With their attention so clearly focused on me.
Kind of like a dream, but in the waking hours. A celebrity crush fanfic ripped right from the pages of my favorite fandom website.
"I didn't think you'd want to hear from me."
I fought the urge to roll my eyes, reaching up to close the distance between us by catching the alpha's chin in my hand, pulling them down to my eye level. But whatever telling off I was going to give Indigo was forgotten the moment their lips connected with mine.
My body reacted before my brain did, hand shifting from their face to bury in their T-shirt, deepening the already feverish kiss into something more meaningful.
Indigo's hands left the sink, catching my waist as they pulled my body to theirs, our lips connecting again and again.
"I'm stupid, huh?" they said, not really a question as our breathing got more and more ragged. The spark of arousal and excitement in my stomach growing like a wildfire.
"So stupid," I agreed as their lips left mine to kiss along my jaw and down my neck. A long suck at my scent gland drew a moan from my lips, Indi's returning growl low and rattling as their teeth grazed at my skin. "Indi, please…"
Their hard cock pressed against me through their jeans, drawing to the top of mind the silver piercing that waited for me at its tip.
I'd fantasized so much about what it would feel like inside of me at this point.
It was almost like I'd already had the experience, but I was salivating for the real thing.
Needed to see how my fantasies stacked up.
Oh my god, this is really happening!
Everything I wanted, really did want me more!
Indi nipped my lower lip, hands roving along my sides, and mine found the alpha's belt, the heat between us rising as I worked to undo the buckle.
"Hold on," Indigo mumbled, catching my hand to still my movements.
White, hot rejection flashed through me. Again.