Page 66 of Finding the Forward: Part Two
I texted AJ that we were coming home early as I sat in my usual seat, giving Lucky a pat. Carlos passed out pink under-eye masks.
“Does Lucky want some?” Carlos asked.
I shook my head. “They make his fur sticky.”
“Fair.” Carlos threw the package to Sarah who was making grabby hands. Catching it, she shared with Nia then passed it back.
Dean cuddled into Jonas in the seats across the aisle. Yeah, I’d like to spend the night in bed with AJ.
A loud fart echoed through the plane.
“Ugh, Lucky,” Carlos yelled. “Who fed Lucky cheese?"
Yeah, not me. It wasn’t Lucky who farted, either.
Dean scowled at his phone and leaned across the aisle to me as he sat with Jonas. “Verity thanked me for her room, which means AJ showed it to her when she was over. He wasn’t supposed to do that.”
“I hope she’s safe. She’s not responding to my texts.” I frowned, worry settling in the pit of my belly.
Jonas gave me a pointed look. “Obviously, you didn’t read the group chat. She’s fine.”
Oh, she must have come over to watch the game. Between the stress of the day, the game, and the food, I dozed off on the quick flight and woke up to a very bumpy landing.
Coach Atkins stood to address us. “The streets are fucked. It’s probably better to take the metro than driving or calling a car. Please be safe. Obviously, there’s no game or practice tomorrow.”
Our car wasn’t parked here, anyway. The metro it was.
“You okay?” I asked Dimitri as we got off the plane. He was scrolling on his phone and frowning.
Dimitri shook his head. “Family emergency. Sorry, I shouldn’t let it affect game play.”
“It’s fine. It happens. I hope everything’s okay,” I told him. He was raising his teenage siblings. His sister lived with him and attended a fancy omega academy here in the city. His brother was at an exclusive boarding school on the West Coast.
“Me, too. Here, you left Lucky on the plane.” Dimitri pretended to hand me my imaginary cat and walked off in another direction.
We got our things and got on the empty metro. AJ had texted me back, but Verity hadn’t. The location app wasn’t working.
“I can’t get ahold of Verity,” I whispered to Jonas, worried. Shehadgotten back from Hawai’i. When we’d called AJ before the game, like always, I’d talked to her.
“She’s okay, promise,” Jonas replied. “Check the group chat.”
“Oh, okay.” I’d do that later. Right now, I just wanted to get home before my balls froze off.
The short walk to our place was brutal. Snow soaked my shoes and pants. Shivering, we took the elevator up to our floor. A wall of warmth hit me as we walked in. At least the heat worked. Only the fairy lights were on. A fútbol game played on the TV. The fire flickered in the background, making it feel cozy and inviting. It smelled like chocolate and popcorn.
AJ lay on the couch, his arms around Verity. She slept in his lap, a blanket over them. He looked over at us and waved, a smug look on his face.
“You asshole.” I made a face at Jonas as I took off my coat. “You knew she was still here.” It made perfect sense with the storm for her to stay over, rather than risk going back to her place.
“You should have read the group chat. Verity and Mercy’s place flooded. For the time being,bothof them are staying with us. That’s why AJ showed her the room.” Jonas put his shoes on the rack by the door and hung his coat up.
I dropped my bag on the floor and rushed over, my heart bursting at seeingbothof them. They looked adorable together. An empty bowl of popcorn and two mugs sat on the table.
“She was tired and couldn’t stay awake,” AJ whispered as he pulled me in for a kiss.
Desire and want pulsed through our bond. Mmmm. Sure, I’d seen him this morning, but I’d missed him even more than usual.
“Princess, they’re home. Their game tomorrow is canceled because of the storm.” AJ nuzzled her with his nose.
