Chapter 16 #2
“We shouldn’t have. We’re from New York.”
“I bet that was a really fun time though. Being in L.A. for the first time, experiencing it together.”
She nods, a somber expression taking over her face.
“It might be one of the best times of my life. It was my first true taste of freedom, and having it with my favorite people in the world was… memorable.” She flattens her lips, thinking.
“Sometimes I wish we could go back there. Back to before we got signed and everything became so complicated.”
“It was simpler?” I ask.
“Yeah, and we were closer. I feel like our crazy lives have torn a wedge between us.” She shakes her head. “I know I shouldn’t complain. We’ve been given the opportunity of a lifetime, and we are being respected for our work. That’s amazing all on its own. I mean, it was the goal after all.”
Her head hangs lower, and everything inside me can’t stand to see the anguish that I find in her features. I scoot my stool closer and meet her gaze.
“You deserve to feel however you want to feel. Just because our job seems perfect on the outside doesn’t mean things can’t be crumbling on the inside.”
“Have you felt the same way?” she asks with widened eyes. “I thought you guys were living the dream.”
“We are,” I reassure. “But there are so many rules and stipulations and people to take orders from. It feels so stifling sometimes.”
“Are you talking about Cy and Jamie?” She leans forward and lowers her volume. My chest expands at her kindness and her patience, and I nod.
“None of us had to hide who we were growing up. Cyrus is the only one who is used to this, used to taking orders and being a polished version of himself. He takes the brunt of it for us, without us even asking him to. I feel like it’s ingrained in him sometimes.
” I take another sip of my beer and return my gaze to hers.
“It’s not the same. I know things are going on for you and your friends, complicated things.
But I just wanted you to know that you don’t have to pretend everything is dandy with me.
I know things can be rubbish sometimes, and you don’t have to hide it. Or feel bad about it.”
That earns me a soft smile. “Wow. I thought you were the unserious one. Always looking for a laugh.”
“I am, but…” I pause, my words halting as I ponder what I was about to say. Josie sees the hesitation on my face, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
“But what, Malaki?”
Her eyes are so green that I feel like I could get lost in them. I swallow, the sound rough before I huff out a sigh.
“I want to be your rock, Josie. Anytime you need it, I’ll be there to help you get back up. No matter the circumstances.”
Something flashes in those dark-green irises, something knowing and real. I don’t expect it, but when she grabs my hand and squeezes, my alpha hums low in my chest, a soft vibration starting up. It’s so low that it goes unheard, but I feel it, sitting there like a reminder. A promise.
She lets me pay for our tab—reluctantly—before we head outside to leave. While we stand waiting for our driver, a tension lingers that wasn’t there before. Like all the fun has dissipated and now she is left with all the thoughts that our date distracted her from.
I take a small step closer and take her hand, my alpha urging me to offer any amount of comfort that I can.
“This was amazing.” She smiles but it doesn’t reach her eyes.
I chuckle. “Sorry, Bubbles, but it doesn’t feel like I fulfilled my part of the deal. You still look burdened.”
“No, it’s not that. I… I just feel bad that we could have been doing this the whole time and it’s because of me that we weren’t.” She looks up at me, her eyes shining with tears. “I’m sorry, Malaki. I’m sorry that I pushed you guys away. I don’t want to do that anymore.”
My chest opens up, a swoosh of something miraculous taking over my body. “Did you just say you were sorry?”
She nods.
I pull her into me, her lips parting in a soft gasp as we close our arms around each other. I pull in that beautiful, effervescent scent as my body releases every anxious thought from moments ago.
“You don’t have to be sorry,” I say, still holding her close. “You had stuff going on, and we all respected that. Don’t feel bad for doing what you thought was right.”
She shakes her head against me. “I don’t deserve you. I should have realized what I was possibly giving up.”
“We are the ones that don’t deserve you, Omega. We’re not sure how we got so lucky, but it’s true.”
When we pull back, her synthetic pink hair flies in the wind, but her eyes trail over my face down to my lips. She decides something then, and I only have a second to figure out what before she closes the space between us and puts her lips over mine.
The kiss takes me by surprise, but I fall into it like it’s second nature without a moment’s hesitation.
Her lips are soft and taste of lychee mojitos and arcade appetizers.
I hum against her, unable to process that this is real life, that my scent match is here, clutching my jacket lapels and pulling me closer to deepen it.
My chest ramps up in a purr once more, but this time, she can feel it.
She gives a satisfied sound as she furrows into me deeper, trying to feel the vibrations as much as she possibly can.
We pull away and everything is just as glorious. Her lips are red, her eyes soft. There is no regret reflecting at me, just relieved happiness shining on her face.
“Fuck,” I say just as the car pulls up.
The ride back to the hotel is comfortable.
She lets me hold her close, seatbelts be damned, and uses my oversized coat as a temporary nest as she nuzzles her way in.
There are soft words exchanged, but we’re mainly quiet, awaiting the inevitable departure.
When we get to the hotel, she lets go of my hand but still walks close enough to touch me all the way until we get to our shared floor.
I pull my phone out of my pocket and hand it to her, one last hurrah. She blinks at it and grins. “Are you asking for my number?”
My cheeks flush. “Only if your answer is yes.”
She laughs at my attempted save and then takes my phone, her fingers working over the screen. I watch in rapt fascination, and then she’s handing it back.
“Is it okay—” I pause, my mouth suddenly dry. “Is it okay if I give Jamie your number, too?”
To my surprise, she grins even wider. “Of course. Tell him I’m looking forward to it.”
Even after she walks away, I can’t bring myself to move. I’m stuck in place, happiness shooting through me like fireworks. There’s a new feeling coursing through the air, a new obsession curling under my bones.
And it’s all because of Josie Rosewood.