I’m sure when whatever shit inevitably goes down, she’ll be glad I’m here. Growing up the way I did and holding the positionI had, I’m more valuable to her in that sort of setting than she realizes, and in the meantime, I can make sure she eats more than the forty cans of pears she has in the pantry.
“I told you, you don’t have to cook for me.”
I smirk as she comes out of the bathroom, sidestepping around me toward the fridge.
“And I told you I would earn my keep until you forgave me for scaring you.” I plate our bacon with the omelettes and shut off the stove. “Or hiding out in here, whichever you get over first.”
She sets two bottles of water on the table then drops down into a seat with a huff. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself, Niko.”
“I’m sure you are.”
“Liar,” she says as she hides her smile while taking a drink.
She does that a lot.
Smiles at me then stops herself or hides it.
It’s a little strange, almost as if she has to try extra hard to be a crabass around me. Or like it bothers her that she doesn’t want to be one around me. Either way, I don’t really understand why she feels the need to hide something so normal, but maybe that’s actually the answer.
If she likes me, she has intense feelings surrounding it which causes her to be a jerk. However, that also leads to her feeling bad about it. The circle of agony makes perfect sense to me, and that’s all that matters.
I don’t know why Liv was at Omega’s Haven. It’s possible refusing to allow herself to be happy plays into why she is reacting this way.
Grinning at my inner monologue, I set down our food then slide into the seat across from her.
The idea that I might make her happy makesmehappy. Which I will admit is weird. I generally don’t give a shit,especially not after what I’ve been through, but I like that Liv might genuinely enjoy my company. There’s even a small part of me that gets excited by the thought of it.
Another reason I invited myself along.
Aside from Tati, there was only one person in my previous life that I wanted to make happy and I thought I did, but after the way that ended, feeling this way about Liv should probably scare me. Or at least make me leery.
It doesn’t.
It hasn’t since I first saw her.
I like Liv, and the more time we spend together, the more that grows, and whether I want to admit it or not, it’s part of why I didn’t want her to leave, and an even bigger part of why I’m here now.
I don’t make connections easily, I never have, and I wasn’t about to let this one slip through my fingers until I figured things out.
The fact that she obviously needs me is just a convenient excuse.
“I didn’t realize you could cook,” Liv says around a mouthful of omelette. “Not that it’s ever come up in conversation.”
I arch a brow as I finish chewing my own bite. “Because we’ve always had such deep and meaningful chats.”
She snorts and my smile grows.
I’m still not sure why she has this effect on me. Why her halfassed smiles make my chest go tight or how her voice, when it’s stripped of defensiveness, makes my stomach twist into knots. Honestly, I didn’t put a lot of stock into either of those things just like I didn’t overthink how easy it was for me to strike up a friendship with her. I haven’t thought twice about the way I’ve gradually become more invested in her, more attached, or how I’ve started seeking her out on an emotional level. Not until she flashed her tits at me, anyway. Several parts of my bodyacknowledged that in a way I’m definitely not used to, and that in itself is a huge fucking sign for someone like me. It’s probably best if I ignore all of it.
I’m sure the forced proximity will make that easy as hell.
Barely refraining from rolling my eyes at my internal sarcasm, I watch as Liv finishes her food, a little bit of anxiety creeping into her pretty green eyes as she does.
“I’m going to sleep out here.” Those grassy orbs go wide as they dart to my face. “Or I can crash in the truck.”
I’m not stupid enough to think my being here isn’t going to give her some kind of anxiety. We are omegas, sharing space like this isn’t easy, it’s not really heard of in my experience. The idea of shacking up probably bothers me a lot less than it bothers her, and I have no intention of making that worse by being somewhere she doesn’t want me.
And both of those thoughts are unfortunately more things for me to ignore if I want to keep my sanity. Analyzing why she might not want me in her space while trying to figure out why I want to be in it will definitely drive me nuts if I put any more thought into it.
