“Tries, sure,” Marcus grumbled, putting my spoon in his mouth. “If you figure out the coffee machine, make me one too.”
“Oh, fuck off,” Indi said, but it held no heat. “Joon just… has trouble communicating. He’s uncomfortable being vulnerable. And when it happens, he brats out to push people away."
"Okay," I said slowly, considering. "How did you make him stop pushing you away?"
"I didn’t. I just… don’t let him."
I raised a brow. "Don't let him get mad?"
"That's not what I'm saying," Indi said. "He pushes like some kind of test. It's not like he does it on purpose, but it's his way of seeing if you're going to run away once you see the real him. I just don’t let it work. Keep showing up."
I nodded, though it sounded a bit crazy; I could follow the logic.
Hurt people, hurt people and all that.
"That bullshit, for the record,” Marcus grumbled. “We shouldn’t be expected to take a fucking lashing because Joon won’t face his shit.”
Indi shrugged. "You don't have to. I just don't let him talk to me like that. Dom the brat out of him, if you have to, Marcus. You’re a big fucking boy.” They rolled their eyes, offering me a smile. “But, if that's not your style, you can wait him out. Let himgo sulk and blow off some steam, and then address him when he’s ready to be reasonable."
"I feel like we're talking about him like he’s a dog," I mumbled disapprovingly.
“That’s not the intention," Indi said. "He just needs special care, and if you've never encountered it, I can see why it's confusing."
What they said made sense. Or, at the very least, it explained why things with Joon always felt a little bit like walking up the down escalator.
Marcus was back to being quiet. There were obviously some things he needed to sort out, so it was probably a good time for me to give everyone a little space.
"I'm going to go check on Joon."
Marcus slid out of the bench seat so I could get out.
"Thanks for dessert," I said to the alpha, standing on tiptoe to offer a kiss. “And dinner. I had a really fun night.”
"Me too, final girl,” he said, bending to meet me halfway.
I smirked. The nickname wassodumb, but apparently, he’d decided to keep it.
And, I couldn’t say I hated it, so…
Indigo turned back to the coffee machine with a triumphant whoop. “I got you, fucker.”
I laughed, heading off to find Joon. Halfway up the stairs, my phone chimed with an invitation to join Marcus in his room later that night.
Scheduling his life so rigidly was a little weird, but I kind of found the quirk endearing. I didn’t hesitate to confirm my attendance in his bed that night, smiling to myself as I reached the top of the stairs.
Cameo appeared from his bedroom, coming down the hallway towards me with his hair mussed. When I’d popped in to see him earlier, he’d been reading in bed, but something aboutthe tired look in his eyes told me that maybe there had been a nap in there somewhere, too.
Cute.
"Ciao, tesoro," Cameo said, stopping for a heavy kiss that made me sink straight into his arms.
"Hi," I whispered breathlessly.
"What’re you doing? If you’re going to bed, I'm game."
"Not yet," I said with a smile. "I upset Joon, so I'm going to talk to him."
“Boring,” the alpha complained, tilting his head at me. "Why’re you worried about something silly like that?"
