I laughed, feeling myself relax a little now that I had some space. Maybe he wasn't so bad, and I'd just been wound up because of my nose. It's happened once or twice before, when an alpha's scent really didn't sit well with me I’d get irritable and squirrelly for no reason. "We'll just see about that. I'll even let you go first as a thank you for the drink."
It took aboutfifteen minutes for me to realize that Jason was a shitty loser. I wasn’t even particularly good at air hockey, but for all his talk, he was somehow worse—or I was just stupid lucky tonight—and with every plastic puck that I sank into his goal, the shift in his mood was palpable.
Foosball didn't go much better.
By our third match, my glass was empty, and I was tired of playing 'just one more game.' Luckily for me, Jason was frustrated enough that he seemed eager to part ways for a moment, eyes darting for the Zombie Killerz machine on the other side of the room.
"I'm just going to get a refill. Why don't I meet you over there?" I suggested.
He nodded, mumbling about going to see if the guns were synced properly as he made his way over the faded carpet to the back corner.
I took the opportunity to text Tara as I headed back to the bar. Sure, I wasn't much of a drinker, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
And this? This was desperate.
where are u? this wasn't some kind of ploy to get me on a date with Jason, was it? bc if it was, that's so MEAN!
he’s SUCH a sore loser!!!
srrryyyy!! left a bit late but we'll be there ASAP!!!
oops!!
TARABLE
I sighed. Honestly, I should've anticipated this. Tara was never on time for anything, even last-minute plans. But damn, I was sick of all this alone time with Jason.
"Can I have another?" I called to the bartender, leaving my glass on the counter.
He collected my empty with a grin, moving to start mixing my drink. "Not that it's my business…" he said when he'd finished, leaning towards me to lower his voice, "but are you on a date?"
I covered my surprised laugh with an entirely unconvincing cough. "God, no. We're just friends. We have a few more joining us soon."
"Probably for the best," He chuckled, dark eyes narrowing slightly as they looked around—likely making sure Jason wasn't in earshot. "Sore losers always make for shitty partners."
Dimly, it occurred to me that he was flirting.
My cheeks heated. He was cute, and for a moment, I thought about flirting back—until a pair of dark eyes with long lashes popped into my mind, killing that idea before it even started.
Indigo.
God, I really was losing it over some alpha, how embarrassing!
"Can you hang onto my drink for a second? I'm going to go to the restroom."
"Hiding out until your friends get here? Smart move, pinky. Use the men's; it has better cell signal—besides, there's basically no one here."
"Oooh, thanks for the tip," I said with a light laugh, leaving behind my fresh glass.
For a men's bathroom, the inside wasn't so bad. Three painted black stalls and a dull grey tile with a vanity holding two sinks took up most of the floor space. And after a quick wipe of the countertop with a paper towel from the dispenser, the counter was dry enough for me to sit on. I pulled myself up, scrolling my phone to kill the time.
How long could I stay in here before it was weird? At least five minutes, right?
Maybe longer, as long as no one came in?
I'd built this goddamn algorithm brick by brick, so of course it didn't take long for Indigo to appear on my for you page. It was a clip from one of their streams where they were playing a smaller horror game. They were making small talk with the chat when something jumped out of a dark hallway at them, and they jumped, eyes wide and mouth open. The poster of the video had cut it so that their face froze like that, playing a funny sound as the image zoomed in and rotated blockily.
Even if it was a little cruel… I had to admit it was funny.
