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“We probably should get out of here,” Mackenzie tells me. “Before you break something.”
I unclench my fists, unaware that I was even doing it, blinking a few times as I come back to my senses. “Sorry, I—” I press my lips together. “I just... He gets under my skin.”
“Jessica from Radiology told me he offered her a ride home from work once and that he made a point to let her know what kind of car he drives,” Priya says.
“Fucking Jessica,” Mackenzie mutters before giving me her attention again. “Seriously. We can go, if you want.”
I shrug. “If you’re sure you’re ready to go.”
“Yeah, I’m good.” She turns to Priya as she starts to gently push me out of the booth. “Don’t let Conner take you home. I am not going to be inthatwedding party.”
“No problems there,” Priya assures her.
Even when we’re standing, I notice Mackenzie hasn’t let go of my hand. In fact, she keeps a grip on it as she says her good-byes, while Priya gives me one last friendly threat in regard to Mackenzie’s well-being, and even the entire time she pulls me through the crowd toward the bar exit. I reason that she’s still worried about my earlier edginess. Hell, she can probably scent it on me, I’d wager,and Icouldtell her I’m okay now, that she doesn’t have to continue clinging to me.
I let her hold my hand all the way out to the parking lot instead.
?The ride backto her place is a relatively quiet one, at least at first. Mackenzie lets the first several blocks pass in silence, and I can’t seem to think of anything to say to cut through it. She stopped touching me when we got into the car, because there was no valid reason for her to do it anymore, and for some reason without it I find myself uneasy. She doesn’t open her mouth until we’re nearly halfway to her apartment building, and by then, I’m uncomfortable, like I might come out of my skin.
“So... all in all, I’d say that wasn’t the worst fake date I’ve ever had.”
This draws a quiet laugh out of me, easing some of the tension inside. “You’ve had more than one?”
“Oh, loads,” she says seriously. “I told you I was a pro.”
My lips are still curled. “How could I forget?”
“Are you feeling okay? I could tell Dennis was really getting to you.”
I shake my head. “I don’t know what it is about that guy. It never used to bother me as much as it has been lately. Probably a side effect of going off my suppressants.”
“Yeah. It’s weird. It’s like I could scent it on you the moment he walked up. Almost like I could tell your mood changed. It was sharper somehow. I’ve never really been able to pick up on things like that as much as I could tonight.”
“That’s... interesting,” I note, meaning it. “I wonder why that is.”
She’s quiet for a second before tossing me a flippant “Must be an alpha thing.”
“Must be.”
It’s quiet again, and with it comes that same uneasiness. It’s completely unlike me; normally I am happy to be left to the quiet. Right now, though... I really hate it.
Mackenzie saves me again. “Was it super uncomfortable for you? Scenting all those people? I know you aren’t used to it since you’ve been on suppressants for so long.”
“No, I...” Her question takes me by surprise, but mostly because of my answer. It’s something that hadn’t occurred to me until she asked. “Honestly, I could only scent... you, for the most part.”
She turns her head to look at me, and when I glance to my right I catch surprise on her face. Her mouth parts only to close again, like she’s thinking, and it’s that same contemplative look she’d given me back on the dance floor, like she’s trying to figure something out. “That’s... Huh. I wonder why?”
“I’m not sure.” I peek at her again. “Must be another alpha thing.”
“Right.” She nods idly, but I can tell she’s still thinking. “Sure.”
Why is this soawkward? Maybe it was a bad idea to come with her. It feels like I’ve wandered into uncharted territory.
There’s a question that eats at me, a surprising one that would have never done so before all this. I consider not even asking, but ultimately, it seems that my brain refuses to let me do that. “Did you... have fun?”
“I did,” she says after a beat. She laughs then. “You make a great fake date, turns out.”
“That’s definitely a surprise.”
