Chapter Eight
Isaac
I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror at the restaurant and admired the way my hair fell to the side of my forehead. I hoped Thomas also liked the extra effort I put into my look tonight. The suit jacket was a bit tight since I bought it two years ago, but it still looked good on my frame and the gray of the shirt brought out the glimmers of blue in my eyes. I really wanted to show off for my omega. Washing my hands, I gave myself a little pep talk.
You’re a great catch. Your mate likes you and will eventually admit it. Just keep showing him you’re worth the risk.
My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out. I would make sure to turn it off after this message. I had forgotten to earlier. Thomas deserved one hundred percent of my attention.
The message was from Andrew. Andrew, Brian, Daniel, and Matthew were four college-aged omegas who had been abducted along with Charlie a couple months ago. I had helped the four of them feel safe after the incident and get in touch with their families. Ever since, they had kept me updated with their daily lives and asked me for advice on the alphas on campus. So far, none of the alphas they had told me about seemed worth a second date, but it was a rite of passage into adulthood for young shifters to try out the dating scene. I would just make sure that they knew they were worth much more than just a frat boy fuck boy.
I read the message. I would reply and then get back to my mate.
Andrew: If you really like a guy but he tells you that you are the type of omega that is fun to date but not right for bringing home to meet the parents, what should you do?
Me: Honestly? Walk away. That is a big red flag, sweetie. You are much better than that. Don’t waste your time.
Andrew: But I really like him.
Me: But you will really like someone else someday and that person will be much better than someone who dares to not value you. Go find Brian, Daniel, and Matthew. Grab a bunch of treats from the campus store, throw on the newest K-drama on streaming, and forget about that dumb boy. Okay?
Andrew: Okay. Do you want to come visit us? We can show you around campus and you can point out some good alphas for us instead of these toads.
Me: Not right now. I am kind of trying to convince my mate that I am worthy of him. But once things are solid between us two, I might convince him to join me on a road trip to meet my honorary little brothers. Sound good? I need to go back to paying all my attention to him now. You need anything else?
Andrew: Nope. Go get your man.
Andrew: But I better hear the whole story soon. Or the four of us might just need to do a road trip back that way instead.
Me: I’ll tell you as soon as he allows me to go public. Until then, be good and stay away from that jerk.
I turned my phone on vibrate and put it into my back pocket. I decided not to shut it down completely in case my sister ended up needing me. But hopefully no one would disturb the rest of my date night with Thomas.
Returning to the table, I saw that our dishes had already arrived. I couldn’t wait to dive into my lasagna and taste the burst of flavor. I’d brought Thomas to Capone’s not only because the distance from our town made it less likely to be seen and outed by family or friends as dating, but also because I had seenamazing reviews online for their menu. And I could eat lasagna for every meal and often did.
“How’s the food?” I joined Thomas at the table and picked up my fork, ready to dig in. “Sorry I took a bit too long; I got a message from a friend and had to help them through a crisis.”
“Everything okay? If you need to go help them, we can reschedule tonight’s date? I’ll call the waiter over for take-out boxes.” Thomas looked around for the waiter, but I waved him off.
“No.” I put down my silverware, reached out, and grabbed my mate’s hand. “No need to call the night short. Let’s enjoy out meal.”
“You sure?” Thomas stopped searching for the staff and faced me again. “I really don’t mind. I know how it is to have to help family and friends through rough patches.”
“Yes. I’m very sure.” I patted his hand, before picking up my water glass. “Everything has already been handled. It was just a quick freak-out; they needed me to remind them that jerks aren’t worth their time. They are probably heading to the club with the rest of their friends by now, with the plan to party all thoughts of the idiot out of their mind. They’ll be okay now.”
“As long as you are confident in that, then I will gladly continue our dinner.” Thomas gestured to the large pasta dish in front of him. “Because this is the best spaghetti carbonara I’ve ever tasted.”
“I read that dish and the spinach lasagna are extraordinary here.” I took a bite of my dish and moaned. “I must admit I was worried that it was overhyped. But my taste buds tell me that the ratings were all justified.”
We spent the next few minutes just enjoying the food and atmosphere, the silence between us comfortable with no need to fill it. The waiter stopped by to refill our wine and water glasses, make sure everything was well received, and then went on to hisnext table for their order. I watched Thomas close his eyes as he chewed a large bite, a small upward tilt of his lips informing me that he was enjoying the moment. My dragon purred at the sight of our mate enjoying food. We loved being able to feed our omega well.
“After dinner, do you want to catch the latest release at the movie theater? I think they are showing a romantic comedy, but also a crime thriller. Either sound interesting?” I pulled out my phone to verify which movies were showing at the cinema in that town.
“I like all different genres so either one could work. Let’s look up each title and see if one calls out to us more.” Thomas finished the last of his dinner and pushed the plate to the side. “Did you want to order dessert before we leave though? I saw that they had tiramisu.”
“We can take a look at the dessert menu when the waiter stops by again.” I thought I saw spumoni on the list earlier and hadn’t had that treat since I was young. “And I searched up the two movie options if you want to hear about them.”
“Tell me what you found.”
