Page 13 of True for You

“Are you from around here?”

My eyes leave the TV and meet Parker’s dark eyes. “I am. My mom and I have lived here for as long as I can remember. I’m pretty introverted so I didn’t have a ton of friends. Thankfully I met Ben at,” I pause, careful not to give too much away. I don’t mind that people know I met Ben at a group for people who’re on the queer spectrum, but it’s not my business to accidently out Ben. Just because I know what his deal is from being his friend and roommate doesn’t mean he wants anyone else to know. “We met at an event. We hit it off and became friends. Being friends with Ben means being friends with Ryder who’s the biggest extrovert which meant becoming friends with everyone else. The rest, as they say, is history.”

“That’s awesome. I’m glad they could help you connect with everyone else.”

“Me too. I love everyone from the studio. It’s so fucking cliché to say but it really does feel like we’re a giant, goofy family.”

“I feel the same way,” Parker says softly, a little smile playing at his lips. “Everyone there is so welcoming and I’m so freaking glad we click the way we do. This one time while I was still camming I invited a special guest over and let’s just say we didnotclick. It was fucking awful.”

I wrinkle my nose at him. “That sounds like it would suck and not in the fun way.”

“Oh my god,” Parker murmurs, letting out a chuckle. “It was the opposite of the fun way.”

I shake my head, pinching his side. “What about you? Where are you from?”

“Not from around here,” he explains, his face taking on this slightly pained look. “I’m originally from this tiny town in the middle of nowhere. The kind of place where everyone knows you and everyone knows your business. I’m very happy I don’t live there anymore.”

“You needed to get out and spread your wings. Find yourself?”

“Exactly that.”

“I get it. I’ve never personally needed to like run away in order to find myself, but I know people who have.” My mind drifts back to Ben and Ryder but quickly focus back on the present. “I’m glad you got out because it led to us meeting.”

“It’s the best thing that could have happened,” he agrees, leaning back on the couch and slowly pulling me along with him. I lay between his legs, our bodies pressed together. I run my hand over his cheek, my stomach swooping at his gentle smile.

I can’t help myself and I realize with a smile that I don’thaveto contain myself. I lean down and kiss Parker’s lips. We spend the rest of the night trading gentle kisses and watching TV until Ben comes home.

A part of me is disappointed when Parker leaves to go back home, but I know he’ll be back. I started today feeling like absolute shit and wondering why my alpha rejected me and I’m ending it feeling blissful, like I could walk on the clouds. I have so much more I want to learn about Parker and it makes me happy to know we’ll be able to take the time to do that. I already like him so much and the exciting thing is that we’re only getting started.

Chapter Seven

Parker

I twirlmy phone in my hand as I walk, indecisiveness swirling around inside my head. My worries and anxieties are slowly closing in, making me second guess myself. On the one hand, I could text Christopher. Just to check in. Heismy mate after all. But on the other hand my mind keeps telling me to give him space. We spent the entire day together yesterday and I don’t wanna come off as clingy, or being too much in his business, or cross some invisible boundary that I’m unaware of.

Fuck, all I can hear over and over in my head is the sound of my ex, telling me I should learn how to give people their space instead of always bothering them.

Christopher is an independent omega. He lives with his roommate. He has a successful job. He doesn’tneedme to be bothering him all the time. If anything, texting him all the time would hinder his ability to work. It’s better if I just wait for him to text me, that way I know I’m not bugging him.

Just because Caleb and I weren’t right for each other doesn’t mean anything for Christopher and I. We can make this work. I can give him space while also being available for whenever he wants to spend time with me. I don’t have to hold onto the baggage of Caleb and the sooner I get that through my thick alpha skull, the better.

Sliding my phone back into my pocket, I walk into the store. I’m in need of some new clothes. My favorite pair of jeans just got the biggest split down the inner thigh. I guess that’s what I get for trying to pull a yoga stretch at work while wearing tight jeans. If we did blooper reels at the studio, that day would have been the funniest yet.

I get lost in shopping, grabbing myself two pairs of jeans, a pair of khaki shorts, a light blue polo, and a pair of socks that have little bananas on them. They made me smile so I just had to grab them. I have a feeling Christopher will think they’re charming.

With all my purchases slung over my forearm, I step into a different section of the store. I’m not sure what possessed me to come to this section but somehow I’ve found myself in the paternity part of the store. There’s pants with stretchy bands in them to help with someone’s belly and paternity shirts that will fit over round midsections. One shirt catches my eye. It’s black with these long flaps in the front that would allow him to wrap the shirt around himself. It has a real artsy feel to it and for some reason I just can’t stop picturing Christopher wearing it. It would fit him and his personality so perfectly.

Is this overstepping though? Would it be weird if I got this for him? God, I wish this little voice inside my head would just shut the fuck up and stop trying to sabotage me before this relationship even has time to blossom.

I run my finger over the soft material of the shirt and tentatively pick it up. Just then someone clears their throat behind me. My back straightens and my shoulders tense. Looking behind me I find an omega about my height staring back at me, his face slowly lighting up with recognition.

“Parker? Wow, it’s so good to see you,” Caleb, my ex-boyfriend, says, looking surprised to see me but not upset.

“Hey, Caleb,” I say, trying to keep my voice from rising in panic. It’s not that I’m upset to see him. More that this is just another physical reminder of what my clinginess can do, it can push people I care about away and that’s the last thing I wanna do with Christopher.

Caleb shifts slightly and that’s when I notice his round, incredibly pregnant belly. I try not to stare but it’s hard. My brain is tossing chaos around like it’s a party. “Yeah,” Caleb murmurs, his cheeks brightening slightly when he catches me looking at his belly. “About that. I think I owe you an explanation.”

“You don’t,” I say right away, shaking my head. “You were right, Caleb. I was suffocating.”

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