My omega wants to say yes immediately. She wants to fall asleep surrounded by all three of their scents instead of going back to my apartment without Adrian and Bash.
And the truth is, I want that too.
This house already feels safe to me. These alphas feel safe to me. Sitting here with them feels natural enough that the thought of leaving feels painful.
I want to stay here tonight. I just don’t know if I’m ready for what saying yes would mean.
“I should probably go home,” I say, reaching for a rational explanation that won’t sound like I’m rejecting them or their kindness. “I have my notes there. My work clothes for tomorrow. I didn’t bring anything with me because I didn’t expect to stay.”
Bash watches my face with that intense gaze of his that always feels like it sees more than I intend to show. “It’s okay,” he murmurs.
I stop talking long enough to take a breath and gather myself. “I’m overwhelmed,” I finally admit. “I want to stay, but I need to go home and actually think about what all of this means. Tonight was very different from what I expected, and I need time to process it before I step further into this.”
The words hang between all of us, honest enough to leave me feeling exposed.
Adrian nods immediately.“ Then go home,” he says simply. There’s no frustration in his voice. He says it like the answer is obvious and there’s nothing I need to apologize for.
Bash stays silent for a second before adding, “This is about what works for you, not us.”
He means it.
I can hear it in his tone and see it in the calm steadiness of his expression. Neither of them looks disappointed that I’m leaving tonight. Neither of them tries to push me into changing my mind. They simply accept what I need and make room for it.
I look between them then, at Adrian’s open expression, at Bash’s gentle eyes, and finally at Elias, who’s already standing from the couch beside us.
And I feel it again.
That shift in the room.
“I’ll get the car,” Elias says, and then he slips out of the room toward the direction of the garage. The space he leaves behind is immediately noticeable. I stand from the couch and pull the blanket from my lap before folding it and setting it back against the cushions just to keep my hands busy. Adrian steps closer while I gather myself. Close enough that I catch the clean cedar-and-cotton scent of him, and my whole body immediately turns toward him. He leans slightly closer. “I’m really glad you came tonight.” Something tight gathers in my throat at the words. I can hear how much he means them. He’s looking at me the same way he did before any of this started. Like I’m interesting to him. Like I’m worth paying attention to regardless of what I’m presenting as.
“Thank you,” I say quietly. “For making it feel safe instead of… weird and awkward.”
His expression brightens immediately as he smiles. “Any time,” he says easily. “Although next time, maybe bring a toothbrush. Just in case.”
I huff out a surprised laugh. “Bold of you to assume there’s a next time.”
“I’m not assuming,” he says, his smile widening. “I’m hoping. There’s a difference.” Heat spreads slowly through my cheeks at the honesty in his voice, and I duck my head slightly to hide it even though I’m pretty sure he catches the reaction anyway because his expression turns smug in a way that makes me want to throw the blanket at him.
“Come on,” he says. “Elias should have the car ready.” He moves toward the entryway ahead of me, and I follow, turning towards the door to find Bash a few steps back. He’s watching me withthat particular stillness of his, arms loose at his sides, close enough that the bergamot-and-dark-spice of him reaches me like a tangible thing. His jaw works once, like he’s choosing his next words carefully. “Tonight mattered to me. Having you here. I want you to know that.”
The directness of his words makes me smile. “Me too,” I say. “It was easier than I thought it would be.”
A shift in his expression—not quite a smile, but the ghost of one forming at the edges of his mouth. “You keep surprising me,” he says. “Just so you know.”
Then he offers me his hand, palm open. I reach for him without hesitation. My fingers thread through his, nothing like the tentative touches from earlier tonight. Bash's thumb brushes slowly across my knuckles once, and I squeeze his hand without thinking. Then he pulls me gently with him toward the door where Adrian is waiting.
We make our way through the house and out into the cool air of the garage, where Elias is already waiting beside the car with the engine running and the passenger door open for me.
“Text us when you get home,” Bash says as he lets go of my hand slowly. “So we know you made it.”
“I will,” I say. Adrian wraps me in a brief hug that I never want to leave.
Elias opens my door for me and I slide into the seat. A moment later he circles around to the driver’s side and pulls smoothly out of the garage. I glance back toward the house as we head down the driveway towards the road. For a brief moment, Adrian and Bash stand framed in the warm glow spilling from inside beforethe garage door slides shut between us, and I turn back toward the windshield as the house disappears from view entirely.
The city passes outside the windows, all lit intersections and empty sidewalks due to the late hour. Elias doesn’t try to fill the silence, and I’m grateful for it. The engine hums beneath us while I hold my jacket across my lap and try to sort through all the emotions in my chest.
My body notices the distance first. The farther we get from the house, the more my omega protests the separation, a low ache settling deep in my stomach that increases with every mile.
