Blood pounded anxiously in my ears, but I stretched my hearing to eavesdrop on the omegas. They spoke in hushed tones, so I couldn’t understand them. Why were they being so quiet? Was something wrong? Or were they discussing a topic they didn’t want me to hear?
Crimson cleared his throat next to me. “You have to actually push the button for it to work,” he pointed out sardonically, gesturing to the machine.
I grunted and punched the button. The room filled with a repetitive mechanical groan as espresso streamed into my mug. It drowned out any ability to hear the omegas, which only irritated me further. I didn’t evenwantthe damned coffee.
The longer I stayed in the kitchen, the more I wanted to bolt. I shouldn’t be here. Why did I bend to Jade so easily? I should’ve let him drag me down, kicking and screaming. At least I could’ve landed a punch to his annoying face for all this fucking trouble.
The machine stopped its ruckus and the kitchen went quiet again. Suddenly, my thoughts felt too loud. A panic fell over me.
Now what? What was my next step? Go sit at the bar and face the omegas?
Desperate for more time, I punched the button again. The machine hummed in a blaring groan, shooting another acrid stream of espresso into my mug. Then I realized how loud it was, like a big neon sign that attracted everyone’s attention. I could practically feel their hot gazes glued to the back of my skull. When I turned around, it’d be over. I’d have to face my fears.
The tar pit in my chest roiled. My heart sank deeper into the muck, dragged down by the weight of my anxiety. I gripped the sides of the mug so hard my knuckles paled. I couldn’t waste more time with a third shot. I had to turn the fuck around already.
I sank my teeth into my lower lip, biting hard, then stormed away from the coffee machine. There was nothing to do but to sit at the bar with the omegas. Across from Poppy.
But when I turned, the middle seat was empty.
Poppy was gone.
Alaric and Taylor glared at me, two furious cats with their metaphorical claws out, ready to rip me to shreds.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Alaric spat first. “Poppy’s ourguest.Not only did you act like a total dickhead, you completely ignored him.”
My heart sank. It dropped like an anchor, disappearing under layers of black sludge until it settled at the very bottom.
I opened my mouth to reply, but Taylor hadn’t had his turn yet.
“Poppy had a rough night,” Taylor said, his voice thick and low with a tiger’s growl. “We invited him for breakfast to cheer him up, but you just made him feel worse.”
Taylor’s comment stabbed me like a sword to the back.
Fuck.
Fuck, fuck, fucking shit.
I was so angry at myself. I wanted the world to swallow me, make me disappear. At least then I’d stop hurting Poppy.
Still clutching the damn coffee mug, I ran out of the kitchen and into the living room. The scrap of relief I felt to see him curled up on the couch was nothing compared to the tidal wave of worry rearing its ugly head.
I’d made him feel awful. I was probably the last person he wanted to see right now. Wasn’t it better to leave him alone?
Indecision gripped me like prey clutched between talons. So, I stood there like a total moron, staring silently at Poppy from behind, clinging to a stupid mug like it actually meant something to me.
“Viol?”
The small, cracked voice shot straight to my core.
“Is that you?” Poppy asked without looking.
Was that hope in his voice, or trepidation? Which would make me feel better?
It was easy to push Poppy away. Facing him was fucking hard. But I’d already made him feel like shit this morning by ignoring him, and I wouldn’t do it again.
“Yeah,” I finally said, my voice just as fucked up as his.
Poppy peeked over his shoulder. When his wet eyes locked onto me, they shined with faith.
