Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Sage
My face feels strange. Tight, like it’s trying to do something it shouldn’t, or doesn’t know how to do. My lips keep wanting to stretch into a smile, but I hold it back, sensing if Steve or Josh see, they won’t like it.
The phone vibrates in my waistband as I’m walking up the driveway and I startle so hard I nearly trip.
I’ll need to figure out how to put it on silent as soon as possible.
I sneak up to my room as soon as I get in.
I untuck my loose white blouse and untie the charger holding the phone to my waist, then plug it into the socket behind my bed and thread the cord under the mattress.
I don’t have a lock on my door, but I put my back to it in a feeble attempt at security, then open the phone to see a notification of one unread message.
This is Brooks, thank you for accepting the phone. I hope this means you’re interested in talking to me? I’d love to get to know you, Sage. More importantly, I wanted to ensure you’re safe. Are you okay with those alphas?
I stare at the message, reading it over. He wants to get to know me? The only explanation I can think of is because we’re scent matches. And I have no idea how to address the safety part. I choose to ignore it instead.
I click reply, and it takes me a frustrating few minutes to figure out how to type a message back. I’ve never had or even used a cell phone before. My parents didn’t care to provide me with one when I was younger, and my brother and Josh say I don’t need one.
Why do you want to know me
Because we are scent matched
Three dots pop up below my message, and I wait as they disappear and reappear. I don’t know what it means, but I clench the phone in my hands as I wait. Then it vibrates, making me jump. I immediately type another message before reading what he said.
How do I turn off vibrate sound
Click the round center button once. Then click the same button again to open the menu.
Use the arrow buttons to scroll down to settings, then click the center button when “sound” is highlighted.
Scroll down to vibrate, click center button, then click “off” - tell me when it’s done and I’ll reply to test it.
It takes an absurd amount of time for me to figure out how to get back into the message in order to re-read it, since I forgot the second half of the instructions part way through, but eventually I get it. I reply, telling him it’s off, and he sends another message immediately.
Testing
It worked. Thank you
I don’t think you saw my reply from earlier, and your questions are important. Yes, we are a scent-match, but for me it’s more than that. I want to get to know you for YOU, not because you smell good. If you’re interested, I’d like to talk and learn more about you. What do you think?
I don’t know if an alpha has ever asked my opinion on something before. I stare at the message, then I close the phone and tuck it beneath the mattress. My mind has blanked and my brain feels foggy; I can’t deal with it right now.
It’s nearing lunch time, anyway, so I’ll come back to it later.
The routine of making lunch and cleaning up helps to clear my head, and I realize that I am interested in talking to Brooks. I want to get to know him too, the big alpha who hasn’t once used his size against me. But I don’t know how it’s possible, apart from the phone messages.
He’s a constant presence in my mind over the next few hours, and I keep catching phantom whiffs of his earthy scent. It smells like what I imagine the redwood forests on the west coast might smell like.
I also can’t stop thinking about how soft his rich auburn hair looks. I’ve only seen it pulled back into a messy bun on the back of his head, but I wonder how long it would be if he let it down. I’ve noticed some tendrils tend to escape as he works, framing a face I want to stare at.
He’s the biggest distraction even though he’s not here, and it’s all I can do to stay focused on my chores this afternoon.
I escape up to my room as soon as it feels safe, then pull the phone out to reply. I type the first sentence, then chew on my lip as I figure out what else to say. If I tell him I can’t talk or meet up, he’ll want to know why. When I consider telling him about Josh though, shame spirals through me.
I take the easier path.
I want to get to know you too. But I do not know how to see you again. My brother the alpha you gave the card to. He does not let me speak to other alphas.
For now, what if we just talk like this? Maybe I’ll see you on walks when I’m working in the neighborhood. We could talk a little bit then too, if it’s safe for you.
I am slow at this but I can learn.
I walk every morning. My brother gives me twenty minutes to walk the neighborhood. I will look for you.
Brooks sends me a list of streets nearby that he’ll be working on in the coming days, and I memorize the ones for tomorrow.
I clutch the phone like a lifeline, sucking in air through my nose as I try to wrestle with this new reality.
I have someone to talk to. Someone who might care? Someone who says they want to know me.
I don’t trust it, but my omega heart yearns for it all the same.