Page 17 of Thorns That Bloom
“Then you better not let him find out, Theo,” he says, his voice stern.
Snorting, I roll my eyes. “Yes, Pop. I wasn’t going to walk up to him and mention it. I’m notthatclueless, alright? I just want to make a better impression. To apologize and make himfeel at ease around me without making things worse. So, I was wondering if you could give me some pointers on how to act, considering…you know.”
“Everyone deals with that sort of thing differently.” He looks at me in that annoying way, like I’m his sweet, silly little boy. “How Dad dealt with it won’t be how this person does. Not to mention we were already together when it happened. And you’re…coworkers?”
I nod.
Yep. Coworkers. Strangers. Nothing more.
“Well, thanks for that great insight. Exactly what I was looking for,” I say with a disgruntled sigh.
Pop kicks me in the shin under the table. When I turn to him, groaning in pain, he’s smirking. He takes his glasses off, which always means he’s super serious. “I’m proud to hear you’re trying to be so considerate of him, but without knowing this person, I can’t give you advice on how to act. Your dad had issues with people’s pheromones for a long while after. Maybe try to keep them under the lid when you’re around, huh?”
“Of course,” I say. “I figured.”
‘I think this man might be my fated mate,’ I want to admit. It’s the unhinged conclusion I came up with, the only one that makes any kind of sense at this point.
Later the same day that I bumped into Sam, after I came back from breaking up with Emily, I searched online about what the thing I experienced could’ve been. The two words stuck out in the sea of results, forum comments, and article previews. At first, I tried to look past them. I wasn’t too investedin it just yet. Wasn’t going to just jump on a crazy idea like that right away. I told myself that it would pass and that it must’ve been nothing.
So…when these feelings didn’t pass—when they are still very much here and still drawing me to that man like a moth to a flame—what other explanation is there?
I want to voice all of this to Pop and have him validate that absurd hypothesis, but I’m too terrified of the possibility that he won’t. After all, he’s a pragmatic guy.Logical. And nothing about this is logical.
“Are you interested in this omega?” I hear him ask in a cautious, somewhat playful tone, and quickly blink to meet his eyes.
Logical to a fault. He can read me like a damn book.
Pursing my lips, I look away with a frown. “Maybe…?”
He laughs. “Look at you. You haven’t come asking random questions about someone like that since you were like fourteen and youreallyliked that older girl at school. You were so adorable. Wonder where she ended up. Bonnie, was it?”
I glare at him, possibly making him relive my teenage years a little more. Now I’mdefinitelynot asking about what he thinks about fated mates. And maybe I shouldn’t mention the fact that Sam is pregnant, either. And that I don’t even freaking know if he’s taken, or what happened to him, or anything at all about anything.
God, I’m actually a hot mess, aren’t I? What am I doing having these thoughts?!
“Must be quite a guy, considering you just broke up with Emily,” he notes, gently tapping his glasses against the table.
Grumbling, I finally flash him a smile. “I think women might not be for me,” I conclude, slapping my hands over my knees.
He grins widely. “Like father, like son.”
Before I can even laugh, I get distracted by my phone buzzing inside my pocket. I take it out lazily to see a message from Martin.
dunno where you went and for how long, but can you get pizza on the way back? pepperoni. please, I’m dying
“Martin?” Pop asks, judging by my expression.
“Martin.”
He chuckles while standing. He knows the drill. Living with Martin and Enya has advantages. Lower rent for a bigger place, close to work and to my parents, big-ass room. It also has disadvantages, like…Martin.
With a sigh, I get up, too. “Gotta go get food and head back to listen to the daily report. Wouldn’t want to bother you with more of my questions, anyway,” I bite back at him teasingly one last time.
“I’ll tell your dad you came over. Text us before you show up, and maybe you can see him next time.” As I hug Pop, a wave of guilt passes over me. I should visit more. I don’t have the excuse of living too far or being too busy. And I don’t want them to feel lonely, especially considering…
Considering that if it weren’t for me, Gail would be visiting, too.
“See you soon,” I say while pulling away, and face toward the door.
