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“We were just going to grab some dinner and head back to Dean’s place to watch a movie.”
Atlas met my gaze. “That sounds nice. Do you…?” he trailed off and shook his head, running a hand nervously through his blond hair. It was so strange to see Atlas without his confidence but they were both trying and that was huge.
“Go ahead, ask,” Dean said as if he knew where his brother was going with this.
Atlas met his brother’s eyes this time and took a deep breath.
“Do you mind if I join you? I don’t want to crash your date but I was also going to grab dinner, and a movie sounds nice,” he finally got out.
It was an olive branch. He was making the first move and giving his brother the option to turn him down. Dean had the perfect excuse because even within packs, dates were something that needed to be respected.
Dean looked down at me like he was questioning my opinion. I didn’t want to be the one to make this decision. I wouldn’t be upset either way and months of distance couldn’t be mended by one night.
“Sure, we were just deciding where to go. Anything sound good to you?” Dean finally asked.
Atlas grinned. “Well, I’m assuming Chinese is still out?”
Dean wrinkled his nose in response and his brother cracked up.
“Look, in my defense, I don’t hate Chinese food but I swear that place puts giant onions ineverythingand if you ask for anything without, they’ll just double it.”
“They did tell you onions were good for you, didn’t they?” Atlas said around his laughter. The fact they were laughing with each other had me wanting to do a happy dance.
“Well, it sounds like I get to pick then,” I said as I tucked my phone away for now. Feeling bold now, I took Atlas’s hand in my free one. He didn’t hesitate to fall in step beside me as we walked down the sidewalk. Ezra’s diner was behind us but it wasn’t our only option.
“I think that leaves Mexican or Ezra’s diner,” Dean pointed out.
“Well, if we’re going to do a movie night right we need snacks, right?” Atlas asked, giving his brother a questioning look.
“I haven’t kept as many snacks around the house since it’s just me now,” he said. There was a hint of sadness in his voice and the moment turned a little bit somber for a second, but I wasn’t going to let anything bring the night down.
“Snacks first then. Does anybody know Ezra’s favorite? We can grab him a few things and drop it off when we order food.”
“If all else fails, we can just get a variety of things,” Atlas said. “He’s bound to like something.”
“We should still get our food to go,” Dean said as he glanced at his watch. “The bar crowd is about to hit the diner.”
“It’s almost scary that you know the nightlife habits of this entire town,” I joked.
“Well, we’re in Lockwood,” Atlas said as he pulled us into a small grocery store. He let go of me to grab a basket.
Dean still had his arm around me but we couldn’t fit through the small aisles so he was forced to let go. I didn’t miss the way Atlas moved in as I passed to rub his cheek on mine. His scent lingered as he moved away and I knew that I smelled like both twins now.
I’d never been publicly scent-marked before like this and it was everything. The omega inside of me was preening, loving the attention and knowing that every time we passed someone they would know I was claimed.
“Okay, what’s that adorable smile for?” he teased with a tap on the end of my nose.
“I was just thinking it was nice that I had mates that accepted me and wanted me enough to have their scents on me. Rejection sucks.” I gave a non-committal shrug at the last part. I needed to let it go. Life was so much better now but it still bothered me.
“Go easy on yourself. It’s not been that long. And just remember, now you have an even better pack and they’ve gother.”
“Fuck her,” Dean and I both said at the same time, earning a glare from the old man that ran the store. We ducked down the aisle giggling like teenagers but soon, we were piling the baskets high.
Dean stopped abruptly, almost knocking all three of us over. “Wait. I just remembered. I once overheard Ezra talking about having a sweet tooth at the diner. You can’t go wrong with this section.
There was a small bakery display and I grabbed a container of brownie bites and chocolate chunk cookies, two of my favorite things. I just hoped he liked them, too.
The brothers, apparently, loved their junk food. The basket was overflowing and I barely managed to throw a few things of my own in it before it ran out of space.
