Page 63 of Follow the Rhythm
“Why are you whispering?” Kieran whispered back.
“I don’t want them to think I’m too easily impressed.”
“Of course, we wouldn’t want to ruin your reputation.”
I’d been worried that he’d be hard to talk to, since he was always so quiet, but conversation flowed easily. He told me about growing up with Michael in what he called councilhousing, and spending most of his time with his grandma, or Michael’s family.
“When did you start playing music?” I asked.
“My dad played bass and left his behind when he fucked off. I taught myself how to play, and Michael bought some drums off a guy who most definitely stole them.” The corner of his mouth tipped up. “We started so many shit bands with other kids on the estate.”
It was nice just listening to him talk. I figured I could listen to him talk about anything - maybe I’d even let him tell me all about cars someday. His voice was deep and gravelly in the best way.
“What about you? I know you went to a fancy boarding school with Ellis, but that’s about it.”
I pressed my lips together. I was never good at this, at mining my past for the acceptable, easily digested anecdotes other people had about growing up. No one wanted to hear the whole depressing story. But Kieran had been open with me, and I remembered what he’d said: that he wanted me, not just because I was an Omega, but because I was me.
I told him the short version - that I grew up with my mom and Aunt Natalie until my mom passed away from cancer.
“My mom was an artist, not professionally or anything. I have a few of her paintings.” I hadn’t had the courage to hang them up yet.
“She was an Omega?” he asked.
“No, she was a Beta. My dad was an Alpha, though.” It was rare for Omegas to be born to two Beta parents.
“Did he pass away too?”
“No, I just never met him. My mom didn’t talk about him either, except once. I was being a little brat, begging her to tell me who he was so I could invite him to this stupid ‘Daddy Daughter Dance.’ I could tell it made her sad, but I did it anyway.She finally just told me he didn’t want us. I stopped asking about him after that.”
“How old were you?”
“Like eight. After she died, and I was old enough to understand, my aunt told me the details.” I paused, considering how much I should share. “My mom had been with a pack for years, but they found an Omega and kicked her out while she was pregnant with me.”
Kieran’s eyes blazed. “What? That’s horrible.”
I nodded. “That’s why I don’t trust Alphas. Or… haven’t trusted them. Historically.”
“I’m sorry, love. I don’t blame you for being skeptical.” He reached for my hand across the table.
I cleared my throat, embarrassed. “Enough of my sob story. What’s it like being rich and famous?”
Kieran looked at me closely. “It’s not a ‘sob story,’ it’s your life. I’d like to know more.”
“No, you don’t. Trust me,” I said bitterly.
“Yes, I do. I want to know everything about you.”
Anger blazed through me, sudden and irrational. Why did he want to knoweverything?Everythingwasn’t fun or sexy or mysterious. I pulled my hand away and clutched both of them together in my lap.
“Why?” I challenged.
His eyes were intense. “Why do I want to know you? I would have thought that’s obvious. You intrigue me.”
I scoffed. “Oh, I see. I’m the interesting, damaged girl you can fix.”
“What? That’s not-”
“You want to know everything? Fine, here it is. After I presented as an Omega, I dropped out of college because the thought of joining a pack when my mother had been rejected from one made me so anxious I couldn’t function. Then my auntNatalie, the one fucking constant left in my life, got sick, too. And she died. And I didn’t want to do it anymore.” I said it all in a heated rush, throwing it in his face.
