“The answer is yes, both,” I reply to her earlier question.
“Interesting,” she says as Ethan comes over to our table.
“You guys are unfashionably early. Is there anything I can get for you while you wait?” he asks, taking out his little pad and pen. He’s quite handsome, even with his faded gray T-shirt and questionable apron wrapped around his waist.
“I’ll have the southwest omelet, please,” Sloane says.
“Same,” I reply, and Ethan nods his head as he writes it down.
“Ethan, order’s up,” a female voice says, and Ethan acknowledges them with a wave.
“Sorry, I’ll get that right out, and as soon as my shift is over, I’ll come hang out,” he says, and Sloane gently grabs his wrist.
“Take your time, Ethan. We’re early and in no rush.”
Relief flushes the Beta’s face as he heads back into the busy diner.
“What does interesting mean?” I ask Sloane, going back to our original conversation.
“Huh?” she replies.
“Why is it interesting that I’ve been with both men and women?”
“Oh, just that you were only ever pictured with women in the tabloids. So your interest in men comes as a surprise,” she says matter of fact, and my guard drops suddenly, realizing there isn’t judgment, just surprise.
“How many of these tabloids have you sifted through?” I ask, feeling some shame wash back. I don’t want Sloane to think I’m this untrustworthy man whore. I don’t know why I care so much about what she thinks, but I do.
“Which one are you most worried about, Mr. Connery?” she asks, and I can tell she’s teasing me. Whatever she sees on my face has her hand reaching out and grabbing mine over the table. “I don’t judge you, Max, if that’s what you’re worried about. There’s nothing wrong with exploring your sexuality. I’m sure that it’s hard being in the public eye.”
I lick my lips and don’t pull away my hand. Hers feels so small and smooth against my own.
“It was mostly to curb the loneliness,” I say, and as soon as it leaves my mouth, I regret it. How entirely fucking pathetic of me, spilling my guts to this Omega. I go to pull my hand away, but the fierce woman grabs my hand even harder, not letting me.
“Hey,” she snaps, forcing me to look at her. I don’t see pity there, just passionate honesty. “Thank you for being honest. Being lonely sucks. But you have friends now.”
“You and mascot?” I say.
“Don’t call him that. You know his name,” she says in a no bullshit tone. It does something to me. God, I’m going to get kicked off this team quicker than I’m on it if I keep flirting with her. But she said we’re friends. I can be friends with a pretty, straight forward Omega, right?
“You and Ethan,” I repeat, feeling guilty for referring to him as just mascot. It was rude.
“Yes, Ethan and I are your friends. We’re both here to help your image and be your friends.”
“Don’t you have a ton of other people you’d rather be hanging out with?” I ask her, and she sighs.
“We’ve only lived here for two seasons. It’s hard to make friends when everyone your age is finishing college or starting their lives. I’ve become friends with Piper, Charlotte, and a few other WAGs, but they’re both super busy. Piper is working on her fellowship, and Charlotte has her hands full with the kids. So we’re not all that different, Max.”
“So you’re lonely too?” I ask her.
She looks down at our joint hands and then back up at me. “Yeah, I suppose I am.”
For the first time, I look at her beyond her designation or beauty, and I think I found a kindred spirit in the most unlikely of places.
We joke while we eat, and it comes so naturally, just eating dinner together and talking. I learn that Sloane likes organization, fashion, her favorite flowers are peonies, and she doesn’t eat red meat. I tell her about my rookie season, some of my childhood, and what it was like living in California.
We’ve eaten and drank as much as we can stomach, and the diner finally slows down.
A disheveled Ethan unties his apron, bundling it in his fist. Sloane scoots over, and the Beta smiles before sitting next to her, an exhausted huff leaving him as he gets comfortable.
