“No. According to the note, it was a cleaner break for both of us. He said we wanted different things.” He let out a bitter laugh. “He wasn’t wrong. I never wanted to leave my hometown and I should have just come out to my family but I wasn’t ready. I did it for him because it meant so much to him. Clearly, it did or hewouldn’t have left, but he could have fucking talked to me about it.”
“Your hometown that I’m guessing is not North Crossing?” I teased lightly.
He gave me a look. “Yeah, yeah, the irony isn’t lost on me. After he left, I did what I said I’d never do. He ruined that house for me. The whole town, really. Everywhere I went, there were reminders of what we were and what I lost.”
“I get that,” I said as I scooted closer, offering silent support.
“It just felt like I wasn’t even worth a proper goodbye. There was no explanation and I didn’t get an ounce of closure… but he did.”
“Fuck hockey players,” I said definitively.
That made him grin. “I agree. One thousand percent.”
He clapped his hands together, like he was physically shaking off the mood.
“But we’re not here to talk about what shitty parents and partners the players make,” he said. “We’re here to celebrate our first official night together.”
“Oh?” I prompted. “And what are we doing to celebrate?”
“Well, that depends,” he hedged. “Are you the quiet, stay-inside kind of omega, or are you a let’s-go-out-on-the-town kind of omega?”
I thought it over for a second because, honestly, it varied. But I was new to town. We were also new to each other, and you could tell a whole lot about a person by sharing a meal and a drink with them.
“I think for tonight, I’m a let’s-go-out kind of person. How about you point us in the direction of a really good place to eat? Dinner is on me, and then we find the best dive bar in town.”
“The best dive bar in town is kind of a contradiction,” he pointed out, but he looked excited at the prospect. “But I just so happen to know the perfect place.”
“Awesome,” I said. “I just need to shower off all this moving grime and change my clothes.”
He glanced around at the sea of boxes surrounding us. “Are you sure you even know where to find them?”
“I am a meticulous kind of person. I promise, I’ll find them.”
It only took a few seconds of reading labels on boxes to find what I needed. He appeared over my shoulder, reading the label and letting out a startled laugh.
“Really? You labeled your clothes by event?”
“I hardly think ‘cozy clothes’ and ‘going-out clothes’ count as labeling them by event,” I pointed out.
“Sure,” he said, but it was teasing. Another moment that felt like he’d known me for years. I liked it a lot more than I should. He needed space, not me silently falling for him.
There were so many unknowns hovering between us. I’d written off hockey players, not alphas as a whole, but it seemed he wasn’t over his ex. Or at least, hadn’t moved on quite yet.
I’d had my fair share of solid dates but nothing that went further than that. Scent matching and scent compatibility meant something to me. I didn’t want to give my heart away to just anyone. At the end of the day I was a romantic at heart and desperately wanted to believe there was a pack out there for me.
For us,I corrected myself quickly. Rylan was a part of that dream now.
Rylan wasmyomega. That changed everything. Even if he needed time, I’d spend it showing up for him and proving that I’m worth trying again for.
Rylan was already waiting when I walked back into the living room, freshly showered and changed into my normal clothes. His smile widened at the sight of me and for a moment it was hard to breathe.
The way he looked at me sometimes made me feel like he also felt more bubbling under the surface.
Fuck. I had to stop getting my hopes up for my own sanity.
“Are you sure you’re up for this? Can you keep up?” he teased.
“I’m not sure I’m the one you need to worry about,” I shot back as I tucked my wallet, keys, and phone into my pockets.
