AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He had no way of knowing which one it would be. No matter how much he reasoned with himself, he could come up with as many arguments for the worst-case scenario as for the most positive. Maybe he should count on something in the middle?
Someone tapped his shoulder, startling Adar. Fuck, he’d been so lost in thought he hadn’t noticed Oliver had gotten up and was trying to get his attention. “Sorry. I was…thinking.”
“S’okay,” Oliver whispered.
Adar pulled back a chair. “Want to come sit with us, angel? We were talking, hanging out.”
Had that come out too defensively, as if he were trying to hide something? Perhaps not because after a moment’s hesitation, Oliver nodded and sat next to Adar.
“Hi, Oliver,” Delton said. “How have you been?”
Adar had discovered that many people stopped talking to Oliver once they knew he barely spoke. As if he somehow had become invisible. As if him not using his voice meant his ears didn’t work either.
But not Delton. He had addressed him as easily as he would anyone else, and it made Adar strangely happy.
“Good,” Oliver said softly. “But heavy heart.”
Delton nodded. “I think we’re all feeling it, this heaviness on our souls and the need to be together. Adar and I said the same thing. We don’t understand what’s going on, but we’re following our instincts here.”
Oliver pointed at Delton and raised his eyebrows.
“How am I doing? I’m good, thank you for asking. A little out of sorts because I’m not used to spending this much time in a large group. I’m more of a one-on-one person, as evidenced by my career.”
Oliver smiled as he pointed at himself.
“I know you feel the same way. And Adar probably too.”
“Damn straight,” Adar said with a sigh. “Add to that, I rarely spend this much time indoors either. I’m an outdoor person.”
“Is that why you chose a career in security?” Delton asked.
“It was more of a fluke, to be honest. I met Bray in the gym, and we became workout buddies. He had started his own company and needed some extra hands occasionally, so he asked me. I liked the work well enough, and he paid well, so I kept doing stuff for him until he offered me a full-time job. I had no idea what else to do with my life, so I said yes. And then we ended up on the PTP ranch, and as they say, the rest is history.”
“You?” Oliver gestured at Delton.
“How I ended up here? Or how I ended up in my job?”
“Both?”
“Unlike Adar, my career was a deliberate choice. I’ve always been a book nerd, spending most of my childhood and teenage years with my head in a book, much to my parents’ frustration. I loved reading fiction, especially stories with a lot of depth and featuring strong characters. Reading those made me wonder if people could really become that strong through circumstances, and so I started reading up on that topic. That led to me going down the whole rabbit hole of psychology, which soon became my passion. Once I had my license as a psychologist, I picked up on that old interest and specialized in trauma psychology. So it wasn’t because of some trauma I survived. I was extraordinarily lucky because I grew up with wonderful, supportive parents who loved me very much.”
“My parents were loving,” Adar said. “Though they were old-fashioned and strict, especially for my younger sister, an omega. That was how I met Enar for the first time. My sister became pregnant and didn’t want to keep the baby. I heard about Enar from an acquaintance, so I took her to see him, and he helped her. I’ve never forgotten his kindness.”
Funny, he hadn’t talked about that in a long time. In fact, he couldn’t remember ever mentioning it to anyone. Maybe to Enar, but even that, he wasn’t sure of.
“He’s amazing,” Delton said. “I admire and respect the hell out of him. Maz too, but there’s something special about Enar.”
“Pure,” Oliver said.
Adar smiled. “I remember Fallon using that word for him when you all arrived. It struck me because it’s such a beautiful description of who Enar is at the core.”
“Trust him.”
“Yeah, he’s pretty easy to trust,” Delton said.
Oliver pointed at Delton. “You too.”
“I am?” A smile bloomed on Delton’s face. “Thank you. What a beautiful compliment. I will treasure that.”
