by Layla Heart
“Long enough to know you can be difficult if you’re too bored. Minimal specs for the laptops only, they just have to work until we’ve got time to get better setups. That’s all. Unless you want to be the one in charge of picking up underwear for all of us, or getting dinner?”
“No, thanks.” Ick. I’m not buying underwear for other guys. “I’ll do the tech side. Don’t worry.” I’m no good at figuring out how much food we need for a group of people. I just eat, I don’t prepare food.
Spence gives me one last look and then climbs out. I follow him and we make our way to the store. It’s pretty empty, but at least it seems to be open.
I grab a cart and spot the electronics directly to our right.
“I’ll meet you at the checkout.” Spence keeps walking on with his own cart as he pulls his phone out, checking it. Of course, he probably got himself a shopping list... That guy can be a little too analytical sometimes.
I pass rows and rows of laptops, quickly scanning the specs of each of them. We’ll want something that’s got a good battery life and a pretty good screen too.
On my first round, none of the laptops are good enough. But I know that Spence will rip me another one if I come out of here empty-handed, so I walk past them again. Battery life and portability are going to have to be priorities. So nothing too big, no 17-inch laptops.
I stop in front of a laptop that I would normally not even look at twice, but it’s small enough at 15 inch in size, and the battery is good and it’s got decent specs on the motherboard. Not the best graphics card or storage, but we obviously can’t have it all with the limited choice in this store.
We need something right now. We can’t order them online and then wait days for them to arrive or even potentially outing where we are. So these will have to do.
Sighing, I grab three of the laptops and put them in my cart. Then I grab another one. Cyra’s laptop looked about to fall apart and it would be a good idea to replace it before it fully gives the ghost. She might not appreciate the offer, but it’ll be good to have on hand.
Four laptops in the cart, I make my way to the sparse selection of printers. It’s something I don’t know as much about, but our office is filled with laser printers, so those are probably the best choice. I grab one of the chunky laser printers, in colour, and it even has a scanning feature, which could come in handy.
Then I put two packs of paper into the cart too. That should keep us going for a while, right? I have no idea about quantities, because I’m normally not the one doing these things at the office. How much paper do we go through in a day or week? Do we need extra cartridges or whatever these use? I should probably get some. We don’t want to run out.
Anything we’ve got left over we can take with us, or leave for the next people to find. I don’t care, I just have to make sure we’ve got enough stuff now.
What about pens? We might need some of those...
I frantically look around, trying to locate the damned things. This is why I don’t normally do this myself, this is why I hire others to take care of these mundane things.
Where are the pens located? Where would I look for them? In the aisle with the books and magazines? Or maybe somewhere around the corner from here? How does anyone figure out where these things are supposed to be in a shop? People must be so confused when they go shopping, how do you remember where everything is?
I stop, glaring around, until I find Spence staring at me from a little while off, holding a stack of notepads and a box of pens. “Expected you’d be looking for these right about now.” He pushes his cart over to me, his is loaded with food and cotton shirts and boxer briefs, from what I can see. I don’t even know what everything is that he’s got in there, though I spot a couple of pizzas and other things we can just throw into the oven. Smart. Food without any cooking involved. That should help.
“How did you...” How did he manage to grab all that in the time it took me to pick out laptops and a printer? I glance his way and sigh. “Yeah, I was looking for those.”
He puts the notepads and pens into my cart, his hand lingering on them. “You have a habit of spiralling out of control when you’re stressed. After laptops and printers, these seemed the logical next step for you to be looking for.”
I snort. “You know me too well.”
He slowly shakes his head, still not looking my way. Something’s wrong.
“What’s up?” He knows me well, but I also know how to spot when his mind is spinning out of control. I realise this is the first stretch of time we’ve spent alone since the party last night, since all the shit kicked off. “What’s on your mind?”
“If you know me so well, then... why?” The last word is so soft it almost disappears into the music they’re playing in the store.
“Why what?”
“Last night. Acting like we’re together. If you know me so well, why would you do that?”
I bump my shoulder into his slightly. “Because it’s better if it’s me, and not someone who your mum can actually scare off. I’m not going away, no matter how scary she gets. So, the next time you bring someone over, at least they’ll be used to the idea somewhat.” I try to keep my voice light, but that doesn’t mean I don’t worry about him, or whoever he brings home next, even if that’s Cyra. His mum is seriously scary and the next person he chooses has to be really strong to survive in that family. I just hope I didn’t make it harder for them.
He finally looks up, smiling slightly. “I guess you’re right about that. At least it won’t shock them as much, hopefully.”
“Now you can actually show up with Max at your side, at the next party.” I bump into him again and then quickly start pulling my cart away before he can hit me. I’ve seen the way he looks at the guy. Max might be a dog, but Spence is the one making puppy eyes.
“Hey!” He quickly follows me. “And leave you with Cyra? I don’t think so.” He laughs and I grin.
There he is, my best friend, that’s what he’s like when he’s himself. He might not know it, but his quiet strength, unlike his Alpha persona, is what keeps me grounded most of the time, it’s what keeps me sane.
I don’t want to imagine a future without him near me, a future where he’s not there every time I look to the side. Maybe part of the reason why I don’t want an Omega is because it would change this, it would change the way we are together, and I don’t know if I can do that. Which would be unfair to my future Omega and would be unfair to Spence, if I’d ask him to stay single just because of me.
I guess that all of us reacting to Cyra might bring something good with it, it means that I get to have an Omega, while not losing Spence in the process. Although, the other two Alphas, especially Liam, are fucking pain in the asses. But every good comes with a bad, a side effect so to say, and I guess I’ll have to learn to live with them...
27
Spence
We missed the first twenty minutes of the ‘interview’ while we were in the store, but as soon as we’re in the car, Zack pulls his phone out and tunes in.
Currently, Cyra’s parents are ‘explaining’ how worried they were. Going on and on about all the things they’ve supposedly done to try to find her. It’s bull, every single word of it. Bullshit. And the people doing the interview are lapping it up, the anchors encouraging Cyra’s parents’ every word, milking it for all the drama they can. It disgusts me. It almost makes me physically sick, listening to them.
Zack’s phone rings and he quickly picks up. I couldn’t see the name on the screen, though I don’t think that whatever it was was a real name anyway. “Yes?” Zack glances at me. “Thanks. Can you...” He thinks for a moment, going into ‘work mode’, looking serious, his voice authoritative. “I gave you the locations of the documents. Take everything that looks important.” He listens for a while, narrowing his eyes. “Take that too. Anything that seems like it could hold emotional value for her, knickknacks, whatever. All of it.” He listens again. “Yes. Call me when you’re leav
ing for the airport, I’ll make sure that there’s a plane waiting to bring everything here.”
Then he disconnects the call, looking out the window for a while, before he lets out a deep sigh. “I hope we’re doing the right thing. I really hope we’re doing the right thing here because we can all get into a lot of trouble.”
“I know.” I focus on the road and Zack is about to turn the interview back on when I reach out and stop him. “Just... Can we not? We’ll watch reruns of it back at the house, but I’m...”
“Yeah.” He nods. “I don’t think we need to listen to those lies.”
The drive back isn’t too long, maybe fifteen minutes, and as we walk into the house, our arms filled with bags, Cyra is nowhere to be found. Max is doing something on Cyra’s laptop as Liam is still working from his, the interview on in the background.
I quickly put the pizzas and other frozen things away before going over to the other two men. “Where’s Cyra?”
It takes a moment for Liam to answer, his fingers flying over the keys as he’s typing in some code, his voice flat. “In her room. She didn’t want to listen to the lies with everyone around.”
I nod. Sounds like something she’d do. “Any luck with finding anything we can use?”
Liam and Max both shrug but don’t reply. No luck there then. I quickly help Zack unload the car, putting everything away, until we’re just left with the laptops and printer and anything that isn’t edible. Or, at least, shouldn’t be eaten... I’ve seen my niece put things in her mouth, anything is edible if you look at it the right way.
Before I even realise it, I find myself in front of Cyra’s door and I quietly knock. I don’t think she’s heard it and am about to try again, but then she opens the door, her eyes red. She’s been crying and my heart hurts at the sight. I reach out, taking her in my arms carefully. I hear voices from her room, voices very similar to the handful of minutes I heard in the car. Not too far away, the TV is showing the interview with her parents.
“Why do you even watch it?” I whisper, rubbing my hands over her back. “You know they’re just trying to spin the story into their favour, nothing else. They’re trying to make you feel bad.”
She nods a little. “I know. But they’re still... They’re still my parents and...” She sighs. “I don’t know. I felt like I should watch it. That I had to. Does that make sense?”
“If you don’t know, then I don’t know either.” I try to get her to smile and when she looks up, it almost seems like I managed it. I reach out and pull a bar of chocolate from my pocket. “I got you something. I hope you like chocolate?”
Her smile grows as she takes the bar, licking her lips. “Fancy chocolate. These are like... crazy expensive, for how much you get.” She narrows her eyes at me. “Why?”
I like it when she looks at me like that, when she doesn’t just accept what I say. I hope she’ll never stop doing that, no matter if it’ll drive me insane. “My sister says that it’s worth it. That the price is worth the quality of the chocolate. I tend to accept her as a specialist with these types of things.”
She steps back a little, out of the way. I walk into the room, having to control myself now I’m surrounded by more of her scent, plunging me in visions of summer afternoons at the beach. Fucking hell. It keeps surprising me how animalistic I get when I catch her scent and I’m not prepared for it.
Behind me, Cyra opens the bar and then I hear the distinct ‘snap’ as she breaks off a piece. “You have a sister?” Her voice is careful and she sits at the foot of the bed, putting the piece in her mouth and holding the bar out to me. “I didn’t know that. When people talk about your family, they talk about you, the Alpha kid, but I don’t remember hearing about another kid.”
I nod, sitting next to her, taking a piece too. “That makes sense. She’s not one to get in the spotlight like I am. And she won’t be the one inheriting a massive company in a few years, so people don’t tend to notice her. She likes it that way, though, so it’s all good.” I give Cyra a quick smile, which she returns. “Phoebe’s a few years older than me, an Omega. I think you might have met her kid, Star, at the party last weekend. Phoebe is friends with Max’ cousin, they’re about the same age. I had no idea that Julie and Max were related though.”
Cyra lets out a slight laugh. “I met a lot of kids last weekend. It was a pretty big party.”
I laugh too. “Yeah, they tend to be like that in those circles.” I let myself fall on my back on the bed, tugging on her shoulder so she’ll follow me.
With all the crazy going on, I like just having her at my side, even though the stupid interview is still on in the background... I glance around, finding the remote control next to me and I quickly turn it off, the quiet welcome.
Cyra snuggles against my side and then holds a piece of chocolate out for me, her eyes soft as she watches me take not just the piece, but also her fingers into my mouth, sucking softly. Her mouth opens on a gasp as her eyes grow, her cheeks pinkening.
I let her fingers go and suck on the piece of chocolate. My sister really knows what the good stuff is.
“Tell me more about your family.” Cyra’s voice is soft and her eyes are filled with uncertainty but also with curiosity.
“Want to know into what type of insane family you’re going to be mated?” I can’t help the words and she narrows her eyes at me, probably ready to tell me to forget about it, but I quickly kiss her forehead. “I’m kidding. My sister is probably the best sister you can imagine, if she’s not being a know-it-all.” I grin, thinking of how Phoebe would be on my ass about doing the right thing, mating Cyra as soon as possible, if I’d actually be accepting her calls right now... Which I haven’t, just like calls from anyone back home. I’ve ignored them all.
I don’t know how much time has passed, but it must have been a while, when Liam appears in the doorway, which we apparently hadn’t closed...
We were so caught up in stories of our past, silly things that happened in college, since we went to the same college. Though I was in my last year when she started her first year. It felt good, fun, to talk of the past instead of the mess we’re in right now. But all fun things must come to an end, obviously.
“Spence...” Liam steps inside. “Zack’s about to pick up Cyra’s stuff from the airport, did you want to join him?”
I blink at him. Okay, obviously more time has passed than I thought. “Ehhh...” I glance at Cyra, who’s now sitting up.
She looks from me to Liam and back. “I want to go too.”
But we both shake our head, answering at the same time. “No.”
She glares and I quickly hold up my hands, in case she really gets angry. “It’s better if you stay here for now. It’s better if nobody sees you. Your face is all over the news, the two of us are much less recognisable.” I get up, carefully taking her hand. “We’ll be right back. I promise. I’ll even see if I can get you more chocolate.”
Her face falls. “I wish I could have... Can you get me my old life back instead?”
Leaning down, I skim my lips over her forehead, somehow her lips still too intimate, too... forward, strangely. “I truly wish that I could. But, while money can solve a lot of things, this, sadly enough, isn’t one of them.”
“I know.” She looks up. “Be safe.”
I nod. “Will do. I’ll even try to keep Zack out of trouble.”
That makes her smile. “I’m afraid it’s too late for him.”
“Always worth a try. It’s never too late to change things.” I put my lips to her hand and then look around. “You try to stay out of trouble too. No more watching stuff that makes you cry.”
She shrugs, sighing. “I don’t know if I can keep that promise... But I’ll try.”
I take one last look at her before I pass Liam as I walk out of her room.
I wish I could change the last day. No, the last week. I wish I could get us all together without all the drama, so that Cyra can still go to her job at the cafe, and we can
just hang out, watch her from the best seats the cafe has to offer. I wish I could turn it all back to when everything was easier.
But I don’t want to go back to not knowing that she’s my mate, I don’t want to go back to a time where I didn’t feel this tug inside me every time I look at her. I want to be with her, hold her, keep her. I don’t want to go back to not knowing, I just want to go back to before the drama...
I guess the best thing I can do now is to stop the drama, and for that we need to pick up Cyra’s things from the airport, hoping that it’ll be enough to stop all this before it gets any worse. It’s hurt her enough, we need to stop it, right now.
28
Cyra
For a moment I was able to forget the world around us, just listening to Spence’s soft voice filling the room and laughing about how crazy some of the professors at our college were. Just talking about happier times and listening to him tell stories of his sister and also of how Zack used to be. Stories of Zack in his awkward times before college and everything. But now the real world has kicked in again and a bad feeling settles in my stomach.
Liam comes over, kneeling in front of me, his eyes sad as he looks at me. “You look like you need some fresh air and sunshine. Though the first is probably easier to provide than the second.” He holds out his hands and even though I take them automatically, I want to say that I don’t need it, that I just want to stay inside. But with the way he looks... Maybe he’s not really talking about me needing those things, and I nod.
“Let me just...” I look down at myself, maybe I should put something on that’s less... Less ‘homely’.
“You look fine, I promise.” He smiles, standing up and tugging on my hands.
“I bet you say that to all the Omegas.” I shake my head and he winks.
“That would imply that other Omegas could hold a flame to your beauty.” He grins and the next moment I’m in his arms. It immediately reminds me of when Max did it when we were at my apartment, which makes me think of the other guy.