Chapter 31 #3
The omega stares at the options, taking her time to pick. Finally, she points at one through the glass counter of the kiosk. “The pink one, please.”
It’s cute. A pastel pink, decorated with little white hearts all over. The alpha manning the kiosk slides it over disinterestedly. “Is that all?”
I look to Ariana, who is distracted by a cluster of what looks like key chains. “What are those?” I nod my head towards them.
“Phone charms. You put them near the volume button,” the bored man demonstrates.
Ariana plucks one off its holder carefully, turning it towards me. “It looks like you.”
I almost snort but hold myself back, not wanting to discourage her. She’s holding one with a little teddy bear strung to it. The only similarity I have to it is our black hair.
“The resemblance is uncanny.” The alpha at the counter drawls out as monotone as before, making me have to look up at the ceiling to not laugh.
She looks at it again, then curls her fingers around it. “Can I have it?” Her big eyes look up at me pleadingly, making my chest warm. “Please,” she adds after. Needlessly, because there’s no chance of me saying no.
“Of course.” Bending at the knees to get a proper look, I examine the tower of charms. I pull two off, turning to Ariana.
I hold the first one up near her temple, a lighter teddy bear. “This one matches your hair.” Setting it on the counter, I hold the next one to the side of her face. It’s a brown rabbit with a light pink ribbon on it. “This one matches your eyes.” I hold them both out to her. “Which one?”
She shimmies from side to side adorably. “I like the one I have,” she says as if I’ll take it away from her.
“It’s for me.” Weighing them in my hands, I put the rabbit matching her eyes on the counter and hang the teddy bear back up. “We’ll take these two and the case.”
The man at the counter nods, ringing us up quickly and giving us a small bag.
“Want to grab a bite?” I ask, vaguely aware lunch has passed.
“Okay.”
We make our way to the food court, looking around the shops. “What are you in the mood for?”
Ariana points in the direction of a fast food chain. “I used to go there on weekends with my family as a kid. I haven’t had it in years.”
I’m oddly proud to see her both agree to buying food and deciding where she wants it from. I was expecting her to tell me to pick.
“Gosh, I can’t even read this menu.” Ariana folds her arms, standing on her toes. She squints her eyes. Confused, I look between her and the electronic screens. They look fine to me. Chalking it up to the height difference, I read it aloud for her.
We order and eat quickly, Ariana dancing cutely in her seat as she tackles her burger. Once we’re finished, we return to the car. As I’m setting the bags into the back seat, her phone almost slips out of Ariana’s hands.
In the car, I pull out the contents of our most recent purchase from their bag. To prevent her case-less phone from further injury.
Ariana narrows her eyes at the case, struggling to thread the string into the small hole.
I rest the back of my hand on the center console, fingers out stretched. “Want me to do it for you?”
“Yes, please.” She puts the items in my hand quickly.
I feel her watching my hands as I work, lacing it through the phone case’s section for the mute button. I click the case onto the small device, holding it up for her approval. When she smiles, I pass it back to her.
“How long have you needed glasses for?” I ask her.
The omega looks at me confused. “What do you mean?”
First it was the food court, then the phone charm. I type into my notes app then hold my phone up next to me. “Can you read this?”
Ariana squints again immediately, then flushes with realization.
“How long?” I repeat.
“I’m not sure. This is the first time anyone’s mentioned it to me.” She lived with her three scent matches. None of them managed to notice, not a single one? It’s ridiculous.
“I see.”
To prevent myself from growing angry in this confined space where my pheromones will be amplified, I turn my attention to my phone. Snapping the case off, I repeat the motions from before with the rabbit charm. Satisfied with my work, I hold the rabbit in front of her again.
I set it down on the console. Ariana puts hers down next to it.
“We match.” I say proudly. In more ways than one. Her phone case is pink, with a black charm. Mine is black, with the rabbit wearing a pink ribbon.
She hums in agreement. “Won’t people make fun of you?”
“For what?”
“Everything about you is so alpha. The bunny and a pink ribbon are the opposite.”
“It reminds me of you.” I shrug. “I don’t care what people think. I like it. A little piece of Ariana with me on the go. Why, are you not a fan?”
“No, I really like it.” Her voice has gotten warmer, cheeks turned rosy. “They would have never…they didn’t like being embarrassed.”
“What’s embarrassing about it? Especially when it comes to you. I’m not embarrassed.”
“You’re so nice to me. I didn’t do anything to deserve it.”
I stare at her sadly. How did she get to this point?
“You don’t have to earn kindness, Ariana.”
The omega looks out the window and goes quiet at that.