Page 81 of Knot My Only Fan

“You’re pushing it, omega.” But she smiles as she keeps hold of the chunks and hands me the rest of the bar. “All yours. I hope bubs appreciates me when it comes along.”

I press my hands on the mattress and push myself up to the top of the bed as Harlow slides next to me. She grabs the remote control and turns on the television. “Colton called me earlier.”

I nod, already knowing where the conversation is going. “Lucas and Stanton had a fight on the ice and then another one in the locker room.”

Or maybe not.

“Why?”

“Because of you.”

“Me? Why? Who started it?” I ask quietly.

“I don’t know. But what I know is Lucas doesn’t like that you were with Stanton, which, considering he was with someone else himself, he has a nerve.”

I sigh. “Stanton told me it would make Lucas jealous, but it doesn’t mean he wants me. It just means he doesn’t want Stanton to have me.”

She turns on the TV before flicking her way through the channels and then the various apps, searching for something. But it seems the more there is to choose from, the less she wants to watch.

“You don’t have to stay with me,” I say, holding up the chocolate. “I’m going to eat some of this and then try to get an early night.”

“You’re trying to get rid of me?”

I laugh. “I’m trying to get on with my life, Harlow. I made a massive mistake during my heat. I should’ve listened to Mom and I wouldn’t be in this mess. But I am, and now I have to get on with it.”

“And the cafe…” She chews the inside of her cheek for a moment. “Are you still going to try to buy it?”

I shrug my shoulders in response. “I don’t know. I still want to, but everything feels so complicated now. Maybe it was just a silly dream.”

Harlow looks at me with a look of concern in her eyes. “It’s not a silly dream, Grace. You’ve always wanted that cafe, and I know you can make it work.”

Her words sink in, warming my heart. Maybe she’s right. Maybe I shouldn’t give up on my dream so easily.

But there is only one way to do that, and it means I need to hustle my limited time on OmegaFans. Limited because of the growing bean inside me.

As I unwrap the chocolate, the doorbell rings, interrupting our conversation. Harlow glances at me before getting up and leaving my bedroom to answer it.

I hear muffled voices in the hallway before Harlow calls out, “It’s Colton!”

Her feet bound along the hallway to my bedroom. “I forgot we have a date tonight. Will you…”

“Go and enjoy yourself.”

“Are you sure? He won’t mind if I cancel.”

“He traveled an hour to come see you. Now enjoy your date.”

She grins. Her eyes sparkle as they always do when she’s around her boyfriend. “Thanks. I’ll check on you later.”

“Love you.”

“Love you, too, sis,” she says, rushing over to me and pulling me into her tight embrace. “We’ll talk later.”

She backs out of the room and silently closes the door behind her.

I click on a TV show. The theme tune for Friends filters through my room as I relax into my pillow. This is my mom’s favorite TV show. We watch it together, over and over.

As I pop a chunk of chocolate into my mouth, I get ready to watch yet another episode as I ponder over why Stanton and Lucas were fighting.

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