I took a deep breath. This was what I'd called them for. "Actually, I am a bit freaked out. I told Cameo I'd be fine by myself the other day, but I haven’t been able to sleep. Every little sound has been freaking me out."
Though the words were true, saying them made me feel like a child.
"Do you need company?" they asked.
"Yeah, I think so."
"Okay, give me a sec."
Silence hung between us for a moment. I worried I'd freaked them out with my honesty. It wasn't like it was their job to make me feel better.
"Okay, Joon and I can come get you. Do you mind staying with us at the house tonight?"
They wanted me to come over? For some reason, that felt like a bigger deal, but right now, I didn't care. I just didn't want to be alone.
"That would be great."
"Cool, I'll text you when we're outside, probably twenty minutes or so."
"Sounds good, thank you."
"Don't worry about it, doll. We'll be there soon."
The line cut and I was left in the dark of my room again. But at least there was some hope now. Indi and Joon were on their way, and for some reason, that alone calmed some of my nerves.
I wasn'tsure what I expected the Lombardi pack house to look like, but a massive, airy,light blueVictorian with white trim hadn’t crossed my mind in a million years. Maybe not in a billion, it was just so…normal.
Not that it made sense to pull up in front of something out of the Addam’s Family either, but… there was really no explaining the downright confusion I felt as Indigo opened my door, offering their hand to help me out of the car.
Their fingers dwarfed mine as I stepped onto the gravel driveway, the rocks shifting under my sneakers with a crunch. I hardly felt the bite of the winter air with Indigo so close, their body heat leeching from their skin and into mine as I kept close, staring up at the large, airy windows.
“Wow, your place is?—”
“I know,” the alpha complained, nose wrinkling with distaste as they squeezed my hand. “The fuckin’ HOA won’t let us change it, something about being in a historical neighborhood or some other bull?—”
It was silly, but internally I pouted at the loss of contact.
“Please,please, don’t get them started.” Joon interrupted as he slid across the seats towards the door, taking Indigo’s hand when the alpha offered it to him as well, helping him out of the car after me. “We’ll be here all day listening to them bitch.”
“I like it,” I said quickly, giving Indigo a grin as they took one of our hands in each of theirs, leading us along the stone path towards the porch. “It’s like a fairytale, or something.”
Winter was never good for curb appeal, but it was easy to imagine how the rock-ringed flower beds and bushes would come alive in the spring, offering a bouquet of colors and textures for the eyes.
Charming, even in my imagination.
“Wait until you see the inside,” huffed Joon behind us. “Villian lair central.”
Whatever ideas that’d started to form about the inside of the house popped like a bubble.
“Villian lair?” I asked in confusion, pausing at the bottom of the steps.
Indigo shot their partner a look that told him to behave as they passed to head up the stairs. “It’s a home. Joon is just mad that I wouldn’t let him paint my room yellow.”
“It would be nice to see something a little less depressing than black!” the omega countered, their hand finding the small of my back for a soft nudge to follow Indi.
I was grateful he’d come with his alpha to pick me up, especially since neither of them tried to force conversation on the drive. Their constant bickering and teasing gave me time for my nerves to settle, the embarrassment of being afraid of my own apartment withering away in the glow of the streetlights.
It was kind of a surprise, given how things had been the last time I’d had any real face time with either of them, but… with just a few minutes in Indi’s car, days of anxiety and discomfortslipped away with every hum Indi made along to the radio or brush of Joon’s thigh against mine.
