Page 15 of Begrudgingly Yours
He nods, and I can see it in his face that he agrees. “I thought you had moved on from Rory. You never mentioned her past that night… I thought I was the only one who was still affected by her.”
I sigh. “Shit, D. I’m sorry. It’s been hard to even think about her. She left us that morning and I guess my alpha was ashamed of that. But I haven’t moved on. I can’t.” I shrug, being vague. It doesn’t make me feel like a very proud alpha to admit the omega of our dreams walked out on us. My alpha has felt unsettled ever since, like he failed in some way. I don’t fully understand it, but I do know one thing. It’s literally impossible to move on from Rory Cromwell, in every possible way.
“Fuck,” Dax mutters. “That’s?—”
“I know,” I say.
“That’s fantastic!” My best friend’s eyes brighten, and his scent flourishes into something vivid and bright.
“You give me whiplash,” I laugh. “I thought it was awkward between us because we were pining after the same girl, but you thought it was because weweren’tpining over the same girl? We’re a couple of idiots.”
Dax playfully pushes my shoulder. “Yes, we are. But this isthe best case scenario, don’t you see? If we’re pack, we were always destined for the same omega anyway. And now we know one that we both like. This is the greatest news ever!”
I watch as he goes over to his desk and rummages around for something. Both my alpha and I are ecstatic at the change in Dax’s mood, his happiness luminous in the air.
“Now, we just have to figure out how to ask her out.” He pulls out a piece of paper and starts writing things down. I try to make sense of the words and symbols he jots down, but it looks like a bunch of hubbub.
“Both of us?” I ask, tilting my head. “Dax, if we go to her implying that she’s our mate, it’ll freak her out.”
He pauses his writing, deep in thought, then he nods. “You’re right. We’ll have to be subtle then. The other day, she was obviously affected by us being in her proximity again, but that doesn’t mean she’s interested. We have to gauge that.”
I think back to dinner the other day, the way her cranberry scent went ashen and how she couldn’t look us in the eyes. There was arousal, but also fear. I agree with him that the signals were mixed, with no way to tell if she’s interested in us or if our night together was a one-time thing.
We have to keep our heads on straight about this. If there is any sort of chance of courting Rory, I don’t want to ruin it. We may only get one shot at making this work.
We may only get one shot at making herours.
NINE
Class on Friday is nerve-wracking. I was excited to see my name under the callback list, but I was just as excited that Rory had made the cut. I knew she would. Her monologue was breathtaking and such a refreshing take on Juliet’s usual meekness. I’m excited to see how she continues to play it today.
Professor Chapman emailed everyone on the callback list about the different scenes we’re expected to perform today. I’m not used to memorizing this many lines in a short amount of time, but it’s good practice. There’s no telling how much time I’ll be given in the industry and it doesn’t matter if it’s New York or Los Angeles, I know it’s going to be a competitive atmosphere. I need any leg up that I can get.
I fell into theater on a whim. In high school, I had a hard time making friends. Being the kid who never had any clean clothes, always reeked of alcohol, and was constantly covered in bruises made it difficult to have a social life. My peers would whisper about me, make up rumors. To be honest, those rumors always ended up being better than the truth. I definitely preferred people thinking I was involved in an undergroundfighting ring over knowing that my dad didn’t know how to take care of himself. He didn’t know how to fight his demons, so he fought me instead.
The drama department was where I first felt accepted. I took theater as an elective during my sophomore year and met some lifelong friends. Shiloh and Harland pulled me out of my shell and showed me how wonderful it was to pretend to be someone else.
They’re both already in New York, attending NYU. I’m happy for them, but I needed to stay in-state for college. They’re my brothers through and through, but I know we’re not pack. The instinct to protect them doesn’t cross that family threshold.
Still, I need to give them a call later, see how they’re doing.
The aisle seems a mile long as I walk to my usual seat. Just as I’m about to head down the row, Nicole Monaghan cuts me off and gives me a sly smile. “Hey, Jett.”
I discreetly take a breath before returning her friendly hello. “Nicole.” I give a polite nod. “Feeling ready for today?”
She laughs and playfully pushes my shoulder. “Am I ready? Of course I am. I’m pretty confident. You should be, too. I don’t think anyone else here is more suitable for Romeo.”
The grin that takes over my face is sincere. Thespians complimenting each other should never be taken lightly, although I do think our classmate Rocco would be a good choice for the role as well. “Oh, really? Thanks. I appreciate that.”
Nicole tilts her head suggestively before putting her hand back on my shoulder. “I hope we both get the leads. Just imagine, we could finally act across one another.”
Give this girl an inch and she takes a whole mile and a half. I move my shoulder so her hand drops and my mouth goes into a tight line. I don’t know exactly when this change between ushappened. We’ve always been affable, but over the past year or so, she’s laid it on strong. I’ve given her all the hints I can that I’m not interested, but she seems to deliberately look over them.
Maybe I’m being too friendly, but I’m not sure how to get my point across without being rude.
Before I can respond to Nicole’s brazenness, the sweet smell of cranberries unfurls toward me. Rory walks past us in the aisleway before taking her seat in the front row. My eyes travel after her, admiring the way her hair is down, shining like ink in the darkened room.
“There’s the future D-lister,” Nicole sneers under her breath.
