The producers asked us for a list of things we needed for the week, and they supplied me with a cezve to make my coffee in. I was prepared to bring my own, but I’m glad I didn’t have to. It was my grandmother’s, and thinking about flying with it makes me a little nervous.
I’m stirring the coffee and sugar into the water as it boils over the stove when I feel a presence behind me.
“Is this how you make Turkish coffee?”
I need to play it cool. Not too giddy, or I’ll scare her away. But the fact that she’s showing interest in something so important to me is making it hard to keep my excitement under wraps.
“Yeah! You add the sugar in with the grounds and serve it unfiltered. It’s a symbol of friendship and community, a way to come together. My grandmother used to say that there was nothing that couldn’t be fixed over a cup of coffee.” I glance over my shoulder with a soft smile. “Can I make you a cup?”
She sets her empty mug beside me on the counter. “I’d love to try it.”
They have espresso cups on a rack on the counter, so I grab a few. “Guys?” I call over my shoulder. “Let’s all have some coffee, yeah?”
Every time we need to discuss something as a pack, like when we decided to come on this show, I make us coffee, and we sit around the table to talk. There is something about the whole thing that encourages open communication and community, and it’s precisely what we need right now.
I try not to watch like a creep while Ariana takes a sip of her coffee. I tried to make it a bit sweeter than I do for myself, because I know she doctors her coffee to the point where it is almost unrecognizable. She doesn’t screw her face up, so I’m going to consider that a win.
“Ariana, did you know Grant is a model?” I gotta get the conversation rolling if we’re going to get anywhere, and I’m assuming my packmates didn’t give her any background.
“You make it sound more exciting than it is,” Grant mutters. “It’s not a big deal.”
“How is telling her what you do making your job more exciting? It’s a factual statement.”
He turns his body toward Ariana. He’s all done up today, his lavender hair perfectly framing his glowing face. He even put on a little mascara.
I see you, Grant. Trying to appeal to her feminine wiles. Well played.
“A local designer asked me to model his clothes. He’s up-and-coming and trying to get into a few of the larger fashion shows. It’s not like I’m in magazines or anything.”
“Yet.” He glares at me, and I wink at him over my cup.
“That’s really cool. What do you do when you’re not modeling?” She’s got her body angled towards him, a clear sign of interest, even if she’s not doing it purposefully.
I watched a lot of those body language videos online. Guess it’s paying off.
“I’m a pharmaceutical sales rep. I don’t love it, but the money is good, and I’m always meeting new people.”
I shove my hand in the air, like I’m asking for permission to speak. “I am a very expensive pencil pusher for a cell phone company. Not the dream job, but I get to work from home, so it’s awesome. And Derrick is a physical therapist, but you knew that already.”
She winces a little. What did I say?
“Ah, I was wondering which of you…” Her words trail off, and she takes a small sip of coffee. “Anyway, I’m assuming that’s how you met Derrick, at work?”
Grant shakes his head as he clutches his cup. “No, we met in college. We had a few of the same courses, and once we found out we were scent matches…”
Her cup clatters to the table. “Scent matches?”
Maybe we should have started with that.
“Yeah, uh. All of us? I mean, not Derrick and Ivan, obviously, but I’m scent matched to both of them.” Grant rubs the back of his neck.
What if she’s not okay with sharing her Alphas? It wasn’t something she ever talked about, because she would never entertain the idea of being with an Alpha.
Is this going to be over before it starts? Asking Derrick and Grant to choose between her and one another would be not only cruel but also impossible. Not that I’m keen to give up Grant, either.
“So you’re all together?”
Grant’s voice is cautious. “Ivan and I aren’t romantically together, but we’re still… together together.” Polite way to avoid saying we fuck when we want to. “I’m in love with Derrick. We’ve been in a relationship since we met.”
