Page 45 of Omega in Hiding

Sully seems unaware of my conundrum as he keeps talking. “Okay, good. I was worried I’d creep you out if I came inside to have dinner. But I really did want to talk to you some more.”

“I’m not in the least bit creeped out.”

“Good.” He nervously fiddles with the silverware on the table.

Trying to put him at ease, I ask, “So how many babies did you deliver today?”

He laughs. “Four and a half.”

I squint. “How do you deliver half a baby?”

He grimaces. “Yeah, that sounds bad. What I meant was one omega went into labor, but it was a false alarm. So I did a lot of the prep and work, but no baby arrived. I call that a half.”

“Maybe you should call it a near miss.” I laugh. “The other conjures up terrible images.”

“True.” He winces.

I hand him the menu. “Just let me know when you’re ready to order.”

“Oh, uh, wait a minute before you leave.” He sets the menu on the table, looking nervous. “Can I ask you something personal?”

I tense. “That depends.”

“Fair enough.” His laugh is nervous. “I’m trying to figure out if you have a boyfriend or not. You’re hard to read and I can’t tell if you’re shy, disinterested, or taken.”

“Oh, well, I…” I’m thrown by how forthright he is.

“Doyou have a boyfriend?” he nudges, when I don’t give him an actual response.

“Uhhh.” I laugh awkwardly. “No.”

“Okay.” He appears happy with my response. “That’s one obstacle down.”

Once more, I’m uneasy with his interest in me. It doesn’t matter that I know I should move on from Paolo. Doing that is easier said than done. I don’t want to encourage Sully if I’m not ready to start seeing people.

I clear my throat. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

He winces. “I feel like there’s a ‘but’ coming.”

I tense, but know I have to keep going. Sully deserves the truth. “I don’t have a boyfriend, but I… I’m trying to get over someone.”

His face falls slightly. “But you’re broken up with this person?”

Were we ever even together?

I sigh. “It’s complicated.”

His face twitches. “Oh, okay. Is this other guy in the picture still?”

I grimace. “No. Not technically.” I hesitate. “But he’s still… you know… very much on my mind.”

Obvious disappointment paints his features. “I see.”

“Sorry.” He looks deflated now and I feel guilty. But I know I did the right thing by being honest.

He brightens suddenly. “But you said he’s not around?”

“No,” I respond warily.

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