Page 70 of Knot All is Forgiven

Slime

You're the one that needs that reminder, Alphahole.

Sometimes, it feels like I'm living with children. Slime and Cyrus have always butted heads, their personalities so different that they view the world in such fundamentally opposite ways it's hard to believe that they were ever meant to be in the same pack.

But then Slime left us, left me, and the hole he left was more noticeable than I could have imagined. Slime keeps us young, his goofy attitude lifting Cyrus out of the anxiety spirals he is prone to.

He brought out a side of me I didn't know existed, and I was, am, better for it. It's one of the things I've missed most about being with him.

I decide to throw the two of them a bone, hoping to stop the argument before it begins.

I sent her a gift basket

Mainly from me but I put peach flowers and wisteria in there for you two

Slime

She did not react well to my gifts

just fyi

Yeah, because you sent them like a creepy stalker

Cyrus

You guys have given her gifts?

Slime

I set her some milkshake glasses and straws and a necklace with an Omega moon charm

Cyrus

But I'm the one who told her about the Omega moon!

Slime

We were all there that night, dude. You don't own the moon.

I have no doubt Cyrus is now going to search for a gift to give her, trying to find the right thing to express how much he cares about her and has missed her.

I just hope he doesn't go too overboard.

Chapter twenty-seven

The massive basket inLanie's arms obscures her face as she walks through my office door, grunting, "This came for you."

I scurry out of my chair and take it from her, setting it on the small table in the corner of the room. My office is larger than it needs to be, so I added this table and a few chairs to fill it up, but it rarely gets used. The basket gives it purpose.

"Who in the world sent this?" Lanie asks, shaking her head. "The flower design is… something. It's not cohesive at all."

I roll my eyes at her before examining the gift. Wisteria, peach roses and peonies, and several varieties of maroon flowers are artfully arranged with dark greenery in the back of the basket. Agiant stargazer lily in the middle gives away who it's from. The front has a massive teddy bear that is cradling…

"Mangos!" I squeak, grabbing one out of the basket and squeezing it. It's firm, just how I like them, for a sour, crispy bite. Limes and an odd round tool are also on the teddy's lap.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who this gift is from.

"Do we have a salt shaker in the break room?" I ask my assistant. Without waiting for an answer, I snag the fruit and the tool and squeeze past her, determined to prepare a snack.

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