Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
Aury
Whatever Siobhan said to the alphas on their date a few days ago has resulted in me feeling like I’m being courted as well, despite not being an omega. A muffin basket showed up at work for me the next day. A basket. Full of muffins.
I didn’t know what to do with it, so I offered one to anywho who passed by, and then finally put them in the staff lounge after getting too many questions that I couldn’t answer.
Because I wasn’t the only one confused; most people thought it was my birthday or the anniversary of something.
One person asked if someone had died, and another asked if I’d had a baby.
It’s weird. Nice to feel wanted, but also a bit excessive, and entirely unnecessary.
I don’t need gifts, nor do I really want any.
What I want is to be done working on a Saturday so I can go spend time with Siobhan.
We’ve been video calling every day, and I love hearing about her work and the readings she does for people.
She’s so passionate and creative, so clever in how she interprets her cards.
A sliver of doubt shoots through me. It’s been lingering ever since she met up with the alphas. She said she wants me, but I can’t help doubting it every now and then. Although…
I think of the muffin basket again and chuckle under my breath. If that’s what I’m competing with, I think I’ll be fine. I roll my eyes at myself. In all honesty, I do hope they’re better at thinking of gifts for her. She deserves way better than too many muffins for one person to eat.
What I’ve been avoiding thinking about is the fact we have a date later today—all four of us.
The first time I’ll be officially meeting Jayce, despite us having chatted a bit over text.
And I suppose my earlier encounters with Hayden weren’t particularly note worthy, so it’ll be almost like a first impression with them as well.
I suck in a slow breath to center myself and focus on wrapping up the last of my work now that the morning classes are over.
Me: Still want me to pick you up?
Siobhan: Yes please!
Me: Heading out in a few
Siobhan: See you soon
She greets me with a smile that makes my heart skip, and within a few minutes I’m parking outside the café the alphas chose for our late lunch date.
“You ready?” I ask, glancing at Siobhan.
“Are you?” she counters, which is fair. She seems eager, excited, whereas I’m feeling more apprehension and nerves.
“Sure,” I say, forcing a smile.
“Hey.” She takes my hand in hers. “It’ll be good, I promise. And if it’s not, we’ll leave.”
I nod, hoping she’s right.
And of course, she is. Both alphas are polite when meeting me and show interest in my work.
Maybe things are stilted at first, but now this date flows much easier than how the first meetup at the bakery sounded.
We all order a half-sandwich with a cup of soup and tuck into a corner booth.
Siobhan is next to me, with Jayce and Hayden facing us.
“So,” I say during the next lull, trying to hide the smile from my voice. “Whose idea was the muffin basket?”
Siobhan does a double take, glancing at me. “Muffin basket?”
I nod, but my eyes are locked on the alphas. One, in particular, whose lightly tanned, heavily freckled skin is slowly turning bright red.
Jayce rubs the back of his neck with a meaty hand, then clears his throat. “Oh, uh. Yeah, that was me.” He holds that same hand up like he’s raising it to answer a question.
Siobhan’s eyes bounce between us, and I can’t help but grin now.
“While I appreciate the effort,” I say. “I really don’t need gifts.”
“Oh.” Jayce looks to Hayden for a moment, who is watching all of us silently. I get the impression their eyes miss nothing. “Do you… not like muffins?”
“Oh, no,” I’m quick to reassure, not wanting to hurt the big guy’s feelings. “No, they were great. I enjoyed them, and so did the rest of the staff.”
“Wait,” Siobhan says. “You bought muffins for the whole community center?”
“I sent a basket,” Jayce mumbles, and the only reason I can understand him is because I know what he sent.
“What was that?” Siobhan says, mischief lighting her eyes. She senses prey in the water, and she’s going for it. “I didn’t quite hear you.”
Jayce’s face—impossibly—turns redder, passing flushed and hitting tomato territory. “I sent him a basket,” he says, more coherently this time.
Siobhan is clearly holding back a laugh, attempting a straight face. “A basket? Like, a muffin basket?”
Jayce nods, and I take pity on the alpha.
“It was very thoughtful and I appreciated it. The muffins were delicious.” I follow my instinct to reach out and squeeze his forearm where it rests on the table.
He startles, looks down at my hand, and when his hazel eyes rise to meet mine again, they’re brighter than they were before. “But I don’t need gifts, truly.”
I fall into his gaze, and he searches mine.
My hand squeezes his arm, and distantly, I sense Siobhan’s attention pinging between us again.
It’s like everything has slowed around us though, like the entire café has fallen away and we’re the only ones who are in the present moment.
Jayce swallows hard, and I lick my lips as I watch his throat bob.
His eyes drop to my mouth, and both of us lean the slightest bit towards each other.
I wish this table weren’t between us, but then someone drops a plate in the back kitchen and the clap of sound shatters the moment.
I snatch my hand back, and Jayce drops his arm below the table into his lap, his other hand now gripping where mine was.
“What would you like?” Hayden asks, and I wonder how long that moment truly lasted. Was it as endless as it seemed, or was it a split second that passed in the blink of an eye?
“Hm?” I tear my gaze from Jayce to focus on Hayden.
“If you don’t want gifts, what would you like instead?”
“Oh.” I pause to consider it, although I don’t really need to. It’s an excuse to get my brain working properly again after whatever Jayce did to me. “I just like spending time with the people important to me.”
Hayden nods, a small smile playing around their lips.
Siobhan raises her hand now, like Jayce did earlier, and we all look at her with varying levels of amusement.
“Yes, little witch?” Hayden says.
“I like gifts,” she says, once again trying to hold in a smirk. “Just saying.”
We all laugh, and the tension that had been building between us breaks like the sun coming out from behind a cloud.