Page 153 of Sunshine

“You’re working.” I sniffled. I couldn’t stop the flow of tears, couldn’t force the pain back inside my body.

“Are you in your car?” His voice was soothing but took on a tone of authority.”

“Yes.” I hiccupped. I couldn’t figure out how it went so wrong. Maybe I shouldn’t have argued back, I should have waited for her to calm down.

“Are you okay to drive? I can come get you.”

“I can drive,” I managed. I put the keys in the ignition and turned it on. My hands shook. I put my earbud in, so I could talk on the phone hands free.

“Oh my god,” I squeaked, my shoulders freezing. Tears started falling again. “The cupcakes. I can’t. She didn’t make them. Said she never agreed to do it.”

“If only we knew a really sexy chef who would cut off his own arm for us,” Julian said with a laugh. “I’m texting our alphas now.”

Some of the panic died down at the mention of our alphas.

Our alphas. And my omega.

“It’s not his job to pick up my messes,” I said, feeling a burst of guilt. Maybe Talia was right, and I was selfish.

“It’s not. But he would love nothing more than to swoop in and save the day,” Julian said. “Take Front Street. I’ll wait for you outside.”

“The Bachelorette Party,” I said. “They’re expecting mocktail cupcakes.”

“Logan will get the details from Ginny. Aren’t you glad you hired an assistant now? Those cupcakes will be ten times better than anything that thankless harpy could come up with.”

I focused on the road, driving in a daze, going way under the speed limit. It felt like it took five years, but I finally pulled in front of the fire station.

As promised, Julian was waiting outside for me. He looked dashing in his blue uniform, and his hair pulled back into a ponytail.

I parked in the front, and by the time I got out of the car, Julian was there, pulling me into a fierce hug.

I started crying again. I couldn’t stop it, couldn’t hold back. Letting out my hurts and fears had felt like lancing a boil, but now it wouldn’t go back into its box. Julian led me into thestation, and I was ashamed to see his company standing around, looking worried.

I waved my hand, trying to tell them I was fine, just overreacting. It came out in a watery gurgle, and Julian me into the living room. It smelled fresh and clean, and the same blue flannel blanket sat on the back of the couch.

Julian pulled me into his lap, and I stopped trying to get myself under control.

Instead, I cried like my heart was breaking.

In a way, it was. This was the last big fight with Talia. In my heart, I knew there was no fixing this, no patching this up. I couldn’t keep doing this dance with her, and frankly, I deserved better.

It was over.

I cried harder. Talia had helped me make my own dress for prom when we were too poor to buy one. She’d sat up with me all night when I had panic attacks about my parents’ death. She’d helped me cram for tests and bought me cute necklaces just because.

It was so, so hard to reconcile that with the other side of her. The mean and petty side. How self-centered she could be, how either she was focused on making you feel like the center of the universe or neededyouto make her feel like the center of the universe. How mean she got when she felt like you deserved it.

How did I decide what was too much?

I cried until I ran out of tears, and then I settled for sniffling into Julian’s uniform. He cuddled me against him, and it was the most soothing feeling in the entire world. I could see why omegas wanted to cuddle all the time.

Chloe hovered nearby, bringing us both mugs of tea, and then retreating. He passed me the tea. I sipped it, the warm sweetness soothing my throat.

Julian kissed my temple, and I sighed. Despite the misery, I felt at peace. Having bonds in place to steady me helped take the edge off the feeling that I was spiraling inside my own thoughts.

“There you go,” Julian said. “It’s okay. We’ve got you.”

“I’m sorry for the trouble.” Shame flashed through me. I was bothering Julian, at work with my stupid friend squabbles.

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