Page 6 of Alpha & Omega

My thumb hovered over the message icon, debating if I should reach out. It was hard to put myself out there, but Iwaslonely, and Hudson gave me the green light. I trusted him to be okay with someone I chose to date. Of course, I wouldn’t introduce him to just anyone.

With a deep breath, I hit the icon, and the app opened a messaging screen. Now to decide what to write and not look like an utter moron. I was truly out of practice, not that I was everinpractice. Ava and I got pregnant early and were married for eight years before she took off. I hadn’t had a serious relationship since.

Me: I’m intrigued by how young you are and being a bar owner. I’m

a chef at a restaurant I own. You would understand how much hard

work it takes and how little time we have left over to meet people.

I’d love to chat.

There. That didn’t sound too horrible, right?

I looked over at the clock, which read it was past eleven at night. AlphaSk8tr was probably working at his bar, so I wouldn’t hear back for a while. I put my phone on the charger and tried to ignore it as I crawled into bed. Soon enough, I would find out if he was interested or not.

I picked up my latest romance novel, about a gay couple who work together as private investigators before falling in love, and read it until I fell asleep.

Afterseveralpassesthroughthe skate bowl at the skatepark, I tossed off my shirt. The day was hot as hell, and the sun shone bright without a cloud in the sky. With my exposed skin, the light breeze ghosted over the accumulating sweat, cooling me down, and then I went back at it.

The park was crowded since summer was almost here, being early June, but I dodged around the skaters, pushing my limits on speed and tricks.

I was so out of practice, messing up way too much. With work and trying to keep my bar alive, I was lucky to get out and skate once a month. If I were really lucky, I would get out here twice a month. For years, I was a pro at skating, winning several competitions. Now, I wouldn’t even make it through the first rounds, which was kind of depressing. Regardless, the choices I made benefitted not only me butthose of my family.

When my legs started to burn from the exertion, I stopped and headed over to where my crew sat, drinking beer, smoking, and munching on snacks under a shade tree.

Stix and Stone were still skating, but Pippin and Nacho, along with Blaze and Ajax, were snuggled together, making me feel even more lonely. It made me incredibly happy to see them find love because, if anyone deserved happiness, it was my crew, but I also ached to have that. I tried not to think about it too much, but they made it my central focus since last night after all their damn nagging.

I grabbed a beer out of the cooler, popped the tab, and took a swig before I lit a smoke.

“Sooo, did you join a dating app?” Nacho asked.

I raised a brow at him. “Didn’t you all bitch at me enough last night?”

“We’ll keep nagging you until you find someone,” Ajax chimed in. “If we know you, which we do, you’ll put it off and keep putting it off until you’re a withering husk.”

“Well, I’ll have you know I did sign up to one. I joined MatchVibes, that new dating app for LGBTQ+ folks.”

They all crowded me when I pulled my phone out of my backpack and swiped it open.

“You’re actually going to fucking date?” Jazz asked, combing her blond bangs, streaked with pink, away from her face as her twin, Blondie, sat right next to me, staring at my phone as he rested his head on my shoulder.

“Yep, these clowns over here pressured me after work last night until I gave in.”

“God, finally. If anyone needs to get laid, it’s you,” she said.

“Ugh, why can’t you all just leave me alone about my sex life? Who I fuck or don’t fuck is really no one’s business.”

Pippin rested a hand on my other shoulder. “Because we love you.”

“Fine, I love you all, too, but still…Anyway, I’ve had some hits on the app, but I haven’t had the balls to look at them yet.”

Jazz instantly snatched my phone out of my hands, leaving my jaw dropped. “Hey!”

She ignored me as our friends gathered around her. “Hmm, this dude is forty-five. Nope. Way too old.”

“Hey!” I said again. “I don’t care if he’s older.”

She gave me a hard stare with her brown eyes. “He’ssixteenyears older. No way.”

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