Page 20 of Knot Gonna Give You Up

I’m buried in my nest, and I don’t want to leave. Today I need to do a video call with the Betas I work with, but it sounds like a lot of effort. I’ve been feeling extra fatigued lately, and I just need time buried in my cozy nest of cushions, blankets, and pillows. My nest is the spare room of the condo, something I’ve had to cobble together. Not every house or housing unit has a built-in nest, so I never expected to have one in a designated room.

Since this room isn’t circular and it has multiple windows, I’ve had to modify it a bit. Typically, I would want only one window, something small to let in just a little light. A circular room also gives more of a “nest” feel, allowing an Omega to really go wild with blankets. As it is, I’ve had to drape additional fabric on the walls to mute the daytime light, and I have light-blocking shades to help during my heat. Thankfully, I’m not due for that for another two months.

Rolling over, I sigh and snuggle in deeper with my blankets. My need for comfort has been high lately, which is a bit unusual. Maybe I’m in for a doozy heat. Normally, I take a mild suppressant to just take the edge off and ride it out myself, so we’ll see how this next one goes. If my body has found someonewith a scent I like, I’m not sure how that will play into my heat. Now that I’ve found two scents I like, it could be my body telling me to go find them. Or maybe I’ve been working too much, it’s hard to tell sometimes.

Trying not to worry so much, I call out to my smart speaker and put some music on. The smooth tone of the Beach Boys fills my nest and I smile with relief. Letting myself get into the music, I close my eyes and sing along under my breath. This song, Kokomo, always soothes my frayed edges. It’s smooth and has a nice beat to it.

Heaving a sigh, I repeat the song two times before feeling soothed enough to face my Betas. I shuffle to my couch and find my laptop still on its stand, ready to be used. Snuggling into my favorite spot, I pull the coffee table flush with the couch so I don’t have to reach, then unlock it and dial up my Betas.

Georgie and James pick up after two rings. The siblings are almost inseparable and currently live together. I grin and wave at both of them. While it can take a lot out of me to interact with people, these two are almost always a joy. It makes things a little easier to deal with.

“Hey Jojo!” Georgie says.

“Hey Gigi! Hey James,” I reply.

“Why do you sound happier to see her?” James tries to grumble. Unfortunately, he’s too friendly to pull it off well.

“Must be a girl thing,” I tell him, shrugging.

He sighs, long-suffering, “I suppose I’ll just press on. Only for you two, though.”

“Sogenerous,” Georgie tells him.

I chuckle at the antics before reining them back in, “Okay guys, let’s get down to business. First things first, how are both of you? Are there any signs of burnout?”

We discuss how each of us is doing, making sure that all three of us are okay. Being a touch helper can be draining sometimes,especially if you have a lot of people you have to physically touch for hours. There was one month a while back that Georgie had to take a few weeks off due to burnout, so we’ve all been better about workload since then.

James and Georgie have more clients than I do, as Betas, they can naturally handle more touch, but I’m limited due to my Touch Loss. My tolerance level for touching outside of my bonded Pack is very low. I’m able to find ways to cope between sessions, but it’s easy for me to get burned out. If I ever find a Pack, they would be able to touch me constantly without it draining me, and it sounds amazing. I’m not hanging my hat on that idea, though. Most people want Omegas who aren’t damaged in some way.

Focusing on the task at hand, I find we have about ten new applications for Omegas who need the help we can provide. Looking at workloads, I’m not sure if we can make it work. Maybe we need to start a waitlist. The three of us discuss the intake process, potential need for new employees, and other various details of their visits and the progress of our current clients. We review financials at the end, and I’m surprised to see our profits are increasing. We’ll need to really consider how we want to leverage that profit since we all currently take home a salary.

We hang up the call with a confirmation of next week for our next official meeting. During the week, we’ll check in with each other if needed, but the only official meeting is this one. I stretch on the couch and resist the temptation to curl back up into my soft blankets. They’re my kryptonite: soft blankets. Having one wrapped around me is one of my favorite things. My phone pings before I can stand to grab some food.

Vic

Hey Josie Girl, been thinkin’ about ya. Can we get together soon?

Me

Hey yourself! It would be nice to see you, it’s been a few weeks since you’ve been here. I’m surprised you haven’t knocked my door down.

Vic

Well, I figured I’d give it some time to settle, and then I just chickened out.

Okay,this is getting a phone call now. I hit his name, and it only rings twice before he answers.

“Hey, got tired of texting?” He chuckles.

“Uh, excuse me, sir, did you tell me that you chickened out overme?”

“Ah, yeah, I kind of did.”

I frown, “Why is that? I mean, I thought you were excited to be here. Did that change? It’s okay if it did.”

I’m not about to be the jealous bitch here and demand his time. But my heart breaks at the thought that he’s changed his mind. Maybe it’s been too long for him. I force myself to listen to him before jumping to conclusions.

“No! Definitely not, I mean it when I say you’re my Josie Girl. I think… hang on a second.”

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