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“Thank you, but it’s getting late. Why are you still here?”
Pearl waved a hand in the air, brushing away the question like no big deal. “Oh, Harris asked for a favour, and I felt bad refusing. Plus, you were still here, and I wanted to give you some time before bringing this to you. I’m going in a moment, though. Gym, then home.”
A weak smile pulled at my cheeks. She worked far too hard. “Next time, please tell him ‘no’. Or I’ll talk to him. You’re usually here late enough as is.”
“It was no trouble, really.”
“Well, I appreciate it. I’ll look it over at home.”
Hefting her bag onto her shoulder, Pearl looked at me, raising a blonde eyebrow. “You’re not seeing Trystan tonight?”
My shoulders sank, and I shook my head silently. None of my plans for the night involved seeing my omega. It made me want to scream until my throat bled.
“I saw the look on his face as he left,” Pearl admitted, grabbing my full attention. “Personally, if I looked like that, I wouldn’t want my alpha to leave me alone for very long.”
Meeting her eyes, I asked, “Even if your alpha was the problem?”
“Especially then.”
She had a point. Every instinct in my body was telling me to go after him, to find some way of making him understand. I hated giving him space when I thought it would help. Maybe it was time to lean more on my alpha side.
Standing a bit straighter, I waved the folder, playfully shooing her towards the elevator. “Go. Take care getting home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Pearl smiled, seemingly satisfied with the change in my demeanour. “Okey-dokey. It’s been nice having you in the office more, by the way.”
“Don’t push it.”
Trystan’s apartment building was not what I’d call homely. Admittedly, I chose my place based purely on aesthetics and security—though, apparently, the latter needed work—but this was in a league of its own. A much dirtier, smellier league.
Yet for a chance with my omega, I’d live here forever without a single regret.
Not trusting the elevator, I climbed up the stairs to the third floor and found Trystan’s front door. My hand hovered near the wood as I inhaled deeply.
There. That faint hint of mint in the air.
I’m home.
The door opened before I could knock, revealing my omega in nothing but sweatpants hanging low on his hips. His chest heaved as he stared at me, his emerald eyes wide.
“It’s you. I could actually smell you out here. Wait, how are you here?”
“Bee put this address on the forms when you both visited last week.” I held up a paper bag of takeout containers like an offering. “Mind if I come in?”
He hesitantly took the bag and stepped aside. Thankfully, the inside of his flat was a lot cleaner than the outside. The living room and kitchen were one room, likely advertised as an open plan, but the reality was a lot more cramped. A fairly large sofa sat facing a TV, but most of the room was taken up by an impressive corner desk with a computer and multiple monitors. Apparently, Trystan’s flatmate preferred the work-from-home lifestyle as well.
Peering inside the bag while he kicked the door closed, Trystan asked, “What are these? Waffles?”
“Pancakes,” I answered, casting my eyes around the room. “You said you preferred them, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.” The corner of his mouth twitched in the tiniest hint of a smile. “Mind if I save them for breakfast? I already ate.”
“Of course. I came here to talk about what happened earlier.”
Leaving the bag on the kitchen counter, he took a seat on the sofa, curling his legs under him in the corner. “Talk or apologise? Because I know which I’m more likely to listen to.”
“Hopefully a healthy mix of both.” Sitting beside him, I asked, “You’ve never had an alpha in your life, have you?”
Trystan shook his head, tapping his fingers against his knee. “Even my parents were betas. Turns out you don’t need to be an alpha to hate your omega son.” He laughed bitterly. I was so gladthey were dead. “But yeah, I’ve always stayed away from alphas where I could…until recently.”
