Page 5 of Pippin & Nacho

His smile turned crooked, and his dark brown eyes filled with mischief.

“Don’t say it,” I sighed.

“Say what?”

I rolled my eyes. “I know you. You’re like a nagging mother hen.”

He shrugged and continued tapping out a rhythm with his drumsticks. “I just want to know if you and Pippin have gotten it on yet.”

I didn’t really like the nickname they gave Sam. Pippin, from the Lord of the Rings, wasn’t the brightest, though he was brave. Sam wasn’t like that at all. We’d watched the movie a couple of years ago when it came on TV. Sam didn’t like the name that much either, but our friends giving us nicknames also made us part of the crew, a part of the family.

“God… You’re such an ass.”

“That’s what Stone always says.”

“He’s right,” I deadpanned.

“Come on… please tell me you’ve finally confessed your—”

“Confessed what?” Sam asked, right on fucking cue, because that was the story of my life. I gave Stix a death glare before smiling at Sam.

“Nothing. Hey, did you hear that Alpha’s going to make me a server, too?” I said to him, quickly distracting Sam from my conversation with Stix.

“I heard that!” Stix said. “Now you and Pippin can work closer together.”

I was going to fucking kill him, friend or not.

Sam’s eyes grew wide as a smile spread across his face. “Seriously?” He crossed the small room and pulled me into a hug. “I’m so proud of you.”

I held him back, inhaling his scent, permanently branded into my soul. It was our typical lime and coconut scent, which was clean, mixed with his unique smell. Sam loved it, so I always made sure we had a bottle on hand. Even better, it was cheap.

“Thanks, Sam. The extra cash is going to help.”

Sam did pretty well as a bartender, even working three or four days a week so we could pay the bills and rent on our tiny, rundown apartment. It was barely enough, but we made do.

I pried myself away from him before I clung tighter, never letting him go.

“Pretty soon, we’ll get a house like Stix and Stone did,” he said.

“Maybe,” I said with as much enthusiasm as possible.

I never strived for much in life after years of having nothing. While dreams were nice, they weren’t practical in our lives. Dreams just led to disappointment. Even with extra money, we’d never be able to afford a house. Stix happened to come into money thanks to his wealthy deadbeat dad, who paid him off, never to see him again so that he could live with his new family. What an asshole.

I quickly checked my pockets to make sure I had the extra pair of earbuds charging in their little case. Those were one of the few things we splurged on because they allowed Sam to focus while working. A bar was loud and crowded, which could be overwhelming for him, so it was important to knock out some of that noise. I always had an extra pair on hand just in case he lost his or they needed recharging.

“You ready for work? Got your earbuds?”

He ran long fingers through his floppy red hair, and his green eyes twinkled. He had such pretty eyes. They looked like gemstones. They weren’t the type of green muddled with yellows and browns. His were bright like summer grass. “All set.”

“Awesome. Let’s get ready and remember to take breaks, okay?” I would remind him throughout the night, regardless. Alpha would be around to help out, too.

“I will.”

Sam also wrapped an apron around him, and I watched his every movement. I sighed, shutting down any pining thoughts of my best friend to focus on work.

Before Alpha’s Rejects opened, Nate double-checked to make sure my earbuds and phone were fully charged. Locks of curls fell in his face as his brows furrowed in concentration, scrolling through my phone to find calming music for me. I could do it myself, but Nate liked taking care of me, and I liked him doing it. It made me feel needed.

Sometimes, I would pretend that he loved me. Nate did love me, but not in the way I wanted him to.

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