Chapter 23
June
As I back out of my hotel room, I turn and slam into a wall.
Stumbling back, hands grip me, the scent of caramel and peppermint teases my nose, and I look up.
I have to fumble for the name. “Oscar?” It’s been a couple of weeks since I last saw the blond-haired and gray-eyed alpha I bumped into outside the laundromat near my apartment. He’s looking good in a pair of blue jeans, a blue button-down shirt, and has an expensive-looking brown leather weekend bag by his feet.
His cheeks dimple as he flashes me a grin. “You remembered my name.”
I shrug. “This is the second time we’ve bumped into each other. Are you staying here?”
I thought a rich alpha—from his bag and the fact he was driving a Mercedes, he’s definitely rich—would stay in a nicer hotel than the budget one I work at.
He nods. “I was about to check out when I saw you with a towel and told myself I was just imagining you. If I’d known you worked here, I would have checked in sooner.”
Confused, I tilt my head.
His smile widens. “So I could see you again,” he explains.
“Oh.”
He laughs. “Ah, my flirting game needs work, I see.”
Feeling awkward, I glance down the empty hallway.
He takes a step back, his smile fading. “I wasn’t trying to make you feel uncomfortable. I thought you were beautiful when I bumped into you before, and I told myself I’d say something if I were ever lucky enough to bump into you again. Sorry.” He picks up his bag and walks away.
I chew my lip, pondering what to do.
I went to Haven Academy hoping to find something genuine, and I thought I’d found that with my scent matches, but maybethiscould be the something real I always wanted. Oscar seems nice, and isn’t this a fresh start? Why not fully embrace this new life and move on?
“Wait!” I call after him before he can press the button to call an elevator.
He turns around, curious.
I walk over to him and shift from foot to foot, avoiding his gaze. “You, uh, you didn’t scare me. I’m just, well, I wasn’t sure I wanted a relationship with anyone because… because of a lot of reasons.”
Technically, not a lot of reasons.
Three reasons. Three alphas have left me wondering if there was even a point. If I couldn’t find love and happiness with my scent matches, who could I find it with?
He studies me thoughtfully with his head slightly tilted. “Relationship is a big word. How about a smaller word?”
“Like?”
“Tea.”
“T?”
He smiles at my confusion. “The drink, not the letter. Just a cup of tea or coffee in any place you want to go. I like you, and I want to see where this goes.”
“If it goes nowhere?”
“Then it goes nowhere.” He waits for my answer, his expression as patient as any I’ve ever seen.
“Okay,” I eventually say, silencing my doubt.
