Fabian's reply was immediate. "No. I see all of you."
His voice was soft, only loud enough for me to hear. I could no longer see the limo past Fabian. When did he get so close to me? And why was it making my heart race?
"Your skin is spotless, but you're scarred," Fabian continued. "You've been hurt so deeply that you're afraid to think differently."
I stared at him with my jaw open. I realized with a flash of shame that my body was trembling.
How? How did he know? I hadn't told him anything about my past, yet he may as well have stuck his hand into my chest and ripped out my heart for the way he was seeing it so clearly.
I tried to laugh it off, but it came out as a pathetic sound. Fabian watched me, waiting.
"Fine," I said. "You're right. Happy?"
The corner of his mouth quirked upwards. "Yes."
I rolled my eyes. I didn't know why he cared so much. My past wasn't any of his business, or anyone else's. That was why I'd kept it close to my chest all these years. Now here was Fabian, trying to worm it out of me.
And for some reason, I wanted to tell him.
"I didn't used to be like this," I said in a quiet voice. If I whispered, maybe it would feel less like an admission to the whole world and more of a secret between us. "I used to try."
Fabian's eyes widened and hope lit up his face. He nodded slowly, listening. It was clear he was waiting for me to talk at my own pace. He didn't push me or interrupt. He just watched me with that soft expression.
When the silence had gone on for too long, I said, "Back when I was in high school, you wouldn't have even recognized me. I would wake up two hours early just to get ready every single day. I did everything—buying the nicest clothes I could afford with every spare dollar I could scrape together from my part-time job, slogging through the ten step skin care routines, putting every single strand of hair into the right place… I've done it all before."
I couldn't look at Fabian—I felt too pathetic—so I stared at the ground. But all that did was give me a view of Fabian's expensive leather shoes compared to my ratty old sneakers that were in constant danger of falling apart. That only made me feel worse.
I snapped my gaze up back to his. "But all that effort was wasted. Nothing I did mattered. No matter how good I thought I looked, no alphas ever gave me a second glance." I grimaced. "Except to make fun of me. They always snickered at me and talked about me behind my back when they didn't think I could hear them. But I could. Maybe they knew that and just didn't care. I don't know." I shrugged. "The day I gave up was when I finally mustered up the courage to ask one of my crushes on a date. He flat-out laughed in my face and said he would never go out with such an ugly omega."
"Oh, Stan," Fabian murmured.
"So I thought, what's the point? I stopped doing all that crap. It was a worthless waste of time."
I didn't have any big statement to end my impromptu speech. I hadn't meant to spill my guts out like this, but somehow Fabian pulled it out of me. I felt raw and exposed, and despite the warm summer evening, I rubbed my arms like I was cold.
"Thank you for telling me all that," Fabian said softly.
Still feeling too shaken up to speak, I just nodded. I couldn't look at him, though. Not after I verbally vomited all over him.
Fabian reached out his finger and tipped my chin up so I was forced to make eye contact. His eyes were glowing golden again, full of warmth.
"I understand fully now," he said with a smile. "So let me tell you again. I have never once lied to you. Frankly, you're one of the handsomest omegas I've ever met. And if you don't believe me, ask yourself this—would you really take the opinion of some idiotic high school alpha over mine?"
I blinked as his words settled over me.
"No," I said slowly, finding myself surprised with my own honesty.
Fabian smiled wider. "That's what I like to hear. I was going to be quite offended if you said yes."
He winked playfully, then pulled his finger back. Once again, I was disappointed at the loss of his touch.
"It's getting late and beauty rest is key. I'll see you first thing tomorrow morning. Daniel will be here to pick you up at 9 AM, so you have plenty of time to burn that outfit," he teased.
Despite my frayed emotions, I couldn't help but chuckle. "I'll think about it."
Fabian lingered on my doorstep, still looking at me. Then he finally turned around, waved goodbye, and disappeared into the limo.
6
