51. Outtake #3 - Restaurant a La Desk
Calliope POV
Dash’s office is warmer than mine because he knows which radiator knob actually works. I slip into the chair he pulled up beside his desk, ready to start some conversation about what happened in one of my classes when he opens a drawer and takes out two sandwiches. “Eat.”
I stare at the wrapped deli concoction and sigh. “You’re horrible about being subtle.”
“And you forget to take a break sometimes. Eat, Callie.”
I let out a dramatic sigh before grabbing the sandwich and unwrapping it. He reaches back into the drawer and produces a container of fruit, a small bottle of juice, and a cookie. I glare at it, about to say something when my bracelet warms up, seconds before my phone rings.
Sloane’s section lights first, then Theo’s almost immediately after. I look at Dash, and he glances at the screen when Sloane’s name appears, his mouth softening before he can hide it.
“Are you going to answer?” he teases.
Sloane’s face fills the screen when I pick up the call, close enough that I can see the loosened knot of his tie and the tired affection around his eyes.
The camera shifts and shows Theo tucked beneath Idris’ desk with a blanket around his shoulders and a takeout container balanced carefully on his knees.
I stop with my spoon halfway to my mouth. “Is he under the desk?”
Sloane’s mouth curves into a wicked smile. “Restaurant à la Desk.”
From somewhere off-screen, Idris says, “That isn't what this is called.”
Theo lifts his head, entirely unbothered. “It is now.”
Dash leans back in his chair, his arms folding loosely across his chest. He’s trying not to smile, which makes him look more like Sloane than he probably intends. “Idris let you build a nest under his desk?”
Theo’s face brightens at Dash’s voice. “He said I was blocking the file cabinet.”
“I said several things,” Idris corrects.
Sloane turns the phone enough to show Idris seated at the desk with a document open in front of him and Theo’s blanket tucked neatly away from the chair wheels.
There’s a water bottle on the floor within Theo’s reach, a folded sweater against the desk wall, and one of Idris’ shoes set beside Theo’s hip like an accidental boundary marker.
My chest goes soft in a way that makes eating impossible for a second. “You look comfortable,” I say.
Theo looks down at himself, then at the nest, then back at me. “I am. Idris is pretending he hates it.”
“I don't hate it,” Idris says.
Sloane’s expression gentles. “He moved two meetings so our pack could eat together.”
I snort as Sloane resituates, the call going a little blurry until it settles again. The screen is a bit darker now but I can see my Alpha and my Omega now nestled together in the makeshift nest. Idris lets out a small groan.
“Really, Sloane? You don’t fucking fit there!”
“Then come eat with your pack. Take a break,” Sloane mutters.
I choke on a laugh as Idris makes another rough sound, Sloane turning the camera around to show Idris very ungracefully getting onto the floor. “Happy now?” Theo hums in the background before Idris looks into the screen. “Dash sent us a picture of the deli sandwiches he got you.”
I dip the phone to them. “Yeah, and the fruit, cookie, and everything else.” Then it clicks as I twist to look at Dash. “You sent them a picture?”
He shrugs, reaching for his own sandwich without apology. “You weren’t answering the group chat.”
“I was walking across campus!”
“You were walking across campus in the cold after skipping lunch yesterday.”
Theo makes a small offended sound from under the desk. “Callie.”
“It was one day.”
“It was yesterday,” all three Alphas say, though Idris says it dryly, Sloane turning the camera back to his face.
I let out a sigh and take a huge bite. “Happy?” I ask, the question muffled around the bread and meat.
Theo nods immediately as he leans into view. Sloane’s smile is smaller. “Yeah, baby. A little.”
I take another bite before a smile curves across my face. “For the record, the deli sandwiches here are better than the one Sloane makes.”
Dash chuckles, playfully glaring at his brother. “Oh, I know.”