Page 36 of My Begrudging Scent Matches

When Logan tried to pawn off two more projects on Alice this week, she politely told him she didn’t have the bandwidth, which astonished him, but he didn’t press. She was glad she held her ground, even if she almost started crying in the bathroom afterward. Caleb, though, had a smirk on his face when she passed by him.

Grant was right when he said that they were no good when Alice was forcing distance between them. It was so sudden, the shift from not wanting them at all to wanting them all the time. In the office, she gravitated towards them, like there was a subtle pull to their desks, a simple comfort when they passed by her or leaned over her chair to review something on her monitor.

Little gifts have still showed up on her desk, like a bagel with almond spread from the place that she likes so much. Occasionally, a Tupperware with something homemade and delicious for lunch.

Conversations have stayed only about work and glances remain pained and lingering.

Olivia is no longer trying to convince her to call them, giving Alice the time she needs to argue internally with herself. Their mother, though, has not been quite as patient. One of Alice’s dads bought her a plane ticket home for Christmas, and while she’s planning on going, the thought of being even farther from Caleb and Grant makes her skin crawl.

The problem is this: she wants to believe them.

Every day she gets closer to being theirs, and the feeling of inevitability terrifies her. Of course, she wants them, she’s been a mess without them. A not-so-insignificant part of her wants to try making a relationship work, but then she talks herself so far out of it to a point she’s amazed she even considered it at all. The cycle repeats every day. Twelve times minimum.

Sitting at lunch on Friday with Lily, Alice tries to listen to her friend talk about the latest book she’s reading. As Lily debates with herself the physics of a particular sex scene between a Kraken and a human in said book, Alice sits up straight, an idea strikes her like lightning.

“What’s the matter?” Lily whispers, all monster physics forgotten.

“I need to tell you something. Two somethings. Well, three.”

Lily blinks her big eyes and puts her spoon down. “Go on.”

“Grant and Caleb are Alphas,” Alice says. Lily gets that look like juicy gossip is about to drop, and she has no fucking idea just how juicy. “I know this because they’re my scent matches.”

Lily freezes, processes, buffers, then processes again. She tilts her head and purses her lips.

“I’m an Omega,” Alice fills in the blanks.

“Holy shit!” Lily spouts, then lowers her voice. “Holy shit, you are?”

“Yes, and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I didn’t tell anyone, I didn’t even disclose it on my hiring materials.”

“You lied to HR? That’s iconic,” Lily leans closer. She doesn’t look mad, just surprised, and maybe even excited. “And holy shit, your scent matches?”

“I know. I’m sorry that I didn’t?—”

“Who helps you through your heat? You’ve never taken days off, when do you—” Alice gasps and her eyes widen. “The week you were all ‘sick’?”

Alice folds her hands in her lap and nods. She’s just going to have to let Lily mentally work through this one before they can move on to anything else.

“No wonder they’ve been staring at you… They want you to have their babies!”

“Something like that.”

“This is the biggest news I’ve heard all year, maybe in my whole life,” Lily says. “Why don’t you look happy about this? They’re perfect. Aren’t you thrilled? I’ve never met anyone with a scent match!”

Thrilled.

Alice has not been thrilled for a moment that she has scent matches. She has admitted to herself, though, that being with them is indeed thrilling. Electrifying, even.

“It is very complicated right now,” Alice says. Lily’s brows furrow, equal parts concern and confusion. “By no fault of theirs, though. You’re right, they’re perfect. They do want me to have their babies, definitely. It’s, um. . . I’m the problem.”

Lily puts a warm hand on her friend's arm. She’s wonderful, and Alice is filled with so much love for her in this moment. Of all of the companies in the city, they ended up as interns at the same time in the same place, and even though Alice has been keeping a huge secret from her for years, Lily is immediately open and kind, and offering comfort and friendship when she could be closed off and hurt.

“I think that for a long time, I haven’t felt like I can bet on myself,” Alice says. “I couldn’t imagine that they were betting on anything other than the scent match.”

Lily doesn’t rush to tell her this isn’t true, or that Alice should believe in herself more; she just waits and listens.

“Have you ever thought about leaving Labyrinth?” Alice asks. Lily blinks at the apparent subject shift, then looks around to make sure none of their coworkers are in the food court near them.

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