Chapter Thirty-One
Kai
Wednesday
Iwaved Leigh over as she approached with two iced coffees. Because I had a car, I was going to drive our lab group over to the ponds for field work today for our conservation class. There was a shuttle, but a car meant we could stay later if we needed it. Usually, Hayden drove.
“Thanks.” I took a sip. It was perfect.
“I’m so bummed that we’re missing watching the game because we have class. I want to see if the Scorpions win,” Hayden lamented as she joined us.
She’d been quite jealous that I got to go to a game and had a signed puck and shirt.
“Yeah, I’m a little sad too, but I’m sure we can catch the highlights,” I replied as we waited for the last two.
I hoped the guys were doing okay. I’d kept them up a little longer than I should have last night.
Seth stormed across the parking lot. “I hope you’re happy.”
Yay. I was wondering when he was going to hunt me down. Seth was an alpha, but he was the kind that just looked like an asshole.
Pika was at wrestling practice, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Auntie had someone lurking around. But even though Seth was an alpha, I could handle him. Uncle had given me bear spray and it hung from my backpack, right next to the penguin charm.
“If this means that Logan got kicked out, yes, we are very happy.” Leigh rolled her eyes.
“Go away. Don’t make me have to get a restraining order against you too,” I retorted.
“He’s worked hard all these years, and they’ve kicked him out weeks before graduation because of you.” His face contorted in anger.
“I did nothing. He’s the one who threatened me, stole from me, and filed a false police report.” Wow so they’d actually kicked him out? It was honestly a relief that he was gone. I’d been on edge all day wondering if he would try to defy the restraining order.
“It was just a joke.” Seth rolled his eyes.
“You’re so gross. It’s not a joke,” Hayden replied. “You need to go.”
“I need you to tell them that it was just a joke so I can walk,” he replied.
“Why are you asking me for a favor?” My eyebrows rose. But Seth ran on audacity.
“I didn’t think it would’ve hurt to try,” he admitted. He stared at my car. “When did you get a purple car? Did you sell Logan’s car to buy it?”
Wow, you paint a car purple and they can’t even tell? That was a really smart choice on my cousin’s part.
I ignored his question.
Seth’s shoulders slumped. “Logan already left, by the way. Not only did they expel him this morning, but security came and escorted him off campus. I drove him to the airport.” He frowned. “His doctorate program called him. It didn’t go well.”
“I know you’ll miss him, but again it’s not my job to finance your vacations, or to shield you from consequences,” I replied. They’d been besties since freshman orientation.
“I hope it was all worth it.” He stalked off like I’d betrayed them or done anything other than simply stand up for myself.
“When did you get a purple car? It’s really cute,” Hayden added.
“It’s my ex’s car, the one that I was just accused of stealing. My cousins painted it purple. It's legally my car, I paid for it,” I replied.
“Alphas are so stupid sometimes.” Hayden rolled her eyes. “Speaking of alphas, those hockey boys from spring break, do you still keep in touch with them, or was it just a vacationship?”
“I heard from them this morning.” Or rather, my morning. They’d finished their morning skate, had lunch, and were getting ready for a little pregame nappy-nap.
“You miss them,” Leigh teased.
“I do,” I admitted.
“Do they know you miss them?” Leigh’s eyebrows rose as she took another drink.
“Yeah? Not that it really does anything.” It was fun talking to them last night. After Ashton finished telling me stories, Steven got back on and we chatted for a while.
“Mmmm, yeah. It would be really hard to be in a long distance relationship with hockey players. Their schedules are crazy, not to mention unstable–playing for one team one day and then get traded mid-game and end up playing for somebody else and then you have to uproot your whole life,” Hayden replied.
“I mean, you could probably make it work. You know how busy you get during the academic year,” Leigh suggested, checking her phone. Probably seeing where the other two in our group were.
It could work. While I missed them, I’d felt a lot better about our video call.
However, there would be a severe lack of cuddles.
“I don’t even know if they like me, like me.
We had a lot of fun,” I replied, and we had really great sex, “but that doesn’t mean that they’re willing to make the sacrifices for a relationship like that.
Also, I just had a break up. Am I not supposed to give myself time to heal or whatever?
I shouldn’t just be jumping into something so soon. ”
I felt so confused. That’s what I should be doing, right? At the same time, there was part of me that simply wanted to blurt out last night that I really missed them. I wanted to confess that I really cared for them and ask if they still liked me?
Yes, they’d said that it didn’t matter that I was the wrong omega, but that didn’t mean they loved me.
“You’re an omega, if you’re feeling really strongly about an alpha after a short time, usually there’s a reason,” Leigh replied.
“What about research?” I asked. But I might have been thinking about what I could do in Washington State.
“Fieldwork in the summer, writing during the season?” Hayden suggested. “You might even be able to figure out conservation projects where they are.”
It could work. Those first couple of years would be pretty brutal though.
But then there might be provisions to do some of it online because I was an omega. I never fully took advantage of a lot of the different accommodations they offered to omegas, because I didn’t need them.
“But do they even like me?” I asked. “They’re hockey players and I’m an ethnobotany major, with a stolen car, and overprotective aunties.”
The other two people from my lab group arrived.
“Oh good, you’re here. Let’s go so we’re not late,” I replied, getting in and putting my drink in the cupholder.
My cousins hadn’t just repainted and rekeyed it.
After my uncles had done some maintenance and repairs, they’d thoroughly detailed it, de-scented it, and put on cute new seat covers.
I’d taken the little keychain from Steven and hung it for my rearview mirror. I snapped a picture and sent it to him.
Me
Good luck at the game.
They were probably getting close to starting.
As we drove, I filled them in on my week fling, the bet, and the whole switcheroo, since only Leigh knew the whole story.
“So, there you have it. I’m not sure if they like me or not?” I replied.
“They want you to visit them and they want to come see you. Didn’t you just say this morning that they were talking about flying out at the end of May for a random weekend, because they have nothing to do all summer?” Leigh asked.
“True. I actually need to get back to them about going to Washington to see them for the Renn Faire. But I’m still working on dates for the trip I’m gonna take with my brother.
” I’d decided that I did want to see them.
Even if we ended up going to the Renn Faire as friends, not only would it be great to see them, but I was dying to see Ashton dressed as a pirate.
I wouldn’t ghost them for now. I’d take them as friends or whatever they were willing to give me, and I’d figure things out later. It had only been a couple of days. There was no real rush. Right?
Besides, by the time the off-season started they’d probably get busy with other things and forget about me.
Hayden grinned. “Do they know you have it this bad?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Hayden.” My expression went deadpan. Was it that obvious?
“I think they like you a lot. They’re just probably trying to figure out how to be with you the way you're trying to figure out how to be with them,” Hayden added.
“You should probably have a conversation with them at some point,” one of the others said.
“That sounds like it’s more like an in-person conversation. I guess we can talk about it when I see them.” I could last that long. After all, I had a lot of work to do before the semester ended.
Yeah, I’d wait until I saw them in person and we could have a big talk about our feelings. Hopefully it wouldn’t end with me once again being hurt.