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I start to ask who, then I figure it out. His ex. Of course. “That’s a good thing,” I say cautiously, not knowing where he’s going with this.
“But you remind me of him. Just with the holiday stuff. But,” he stops for a moment, then takes a deep breath. “I had a good time today. Even surrounded by decorations. Thank you.”
With that, he turns on his heels and walks away quickly. And I walk inside with a grin on my face. I might be getting to Scrooge yet.
Chapter 7
Andrew
I can’t believe I opened up like that. There’s something about Dylan that gives me the impression that he’ll keep my confidence and he won’t judge me. Maybe it’s his kind eyes or his open smile. I get the impression that he’s trustworthy.
After getting home from setting up the booth, I find myself thinking about the time we spent together. Dylan was so easy to be around that I almost asked if he wanted to hang out more. Then I think about how terrible I must have been to him, grunting and shutting him down that I’m sure he was happy to see the back of me. Yeah, he smiled at me often and made jokes, but that doesn’t mean he enjoyed hanging out with me too. He needed help—he wouldn’t want to piss me off before we were done, now would he?
I grab a beer from the fridge, wishing it was Winny’s Delight, but there’s nothing we can do about it now. Flopping on the couch, I put my feet up on the coffee table and turn the television on. There’s a holiday movie on and I groan, reaching to turn it off, but I pause. I don’t think I’ve seen this one and it has one of my favorite omega actors. I tell myself I’ll only watch it because this actor hasn’t been in a new film in years and I want to see how he does.
Despite my original apprehension, by the time the movie is over, I can say that I really enjoyed it. The main reason is because it wasn’t your typical holiday movie. Yes, there were some things like Christmas dinner and gift giving, but it mostly dealt with healing and trusting. Which is a movie I needed to see.
I went to see a therapist in the few months after Carlton left, but I didn’t do anything with the tools he gave me. The therapist was really smart and good at what he did, but I wasn’t ready to be receptive. Seeing this movie—kind of a strange way to have the message come to me—makes me realize that I’ve been processing my pain in the wrong way. I could have used it as a lesson and not as a shield.
Do I automatically love the holidays? No. Definitely not. But will I try? I’m not sure. Maybe? The delightful Pickles might get it out of me.
Could I have only met him yesterday? It seems like we’ve known each other for years. Longer even.
I sigh, picking up my phone to call Rome. We exchanged numbers before he left the bar last night. He said something while we were there that I want to ask about. I’m sure he has some advice to give me, even though we don’t know each other well.
“Hey, what’s up, Drew?” he says cheerfully when he answers. I hear babbling in the background, and I smile despite myself.
“Hey. I’m sorry, did I catch you at a bad time?”
“Nope.” He blows a raspberry and I hear a baby laughing. “Just playing with the baby.” Again, I hear babbling, then a kissing noise, which makes my cheeks heat. “Sorry, my mate’s got the baby. What can I do for you?”
“You said that you had to pull your head out of your ass so you could get your mate,” I say, not wasting time or words. “What did you mean by that?”
He lets out a breath. “Well, I’m sure Miles told you that I found my fated mate.” I hum in agreement. “He was my assistant for six months and I felt the pull to him. Like I knew he was meant to be someone important to me, but I let the heartbreak from a past relationship cloud that. I tried my hardest to push him away. Well, he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. If I weren’t such an ass, I would have acted on my feelings a lot sooner. We lost out on months together because I didn’t want to let go of my old pain.”
“What happened? How did you figure out you were fated mates?” I ask, enthralled by his story.
“We fucked on my desk.” I hear a gasp and incredulous exclamations, which makes Rome laugh. “Sorry, son. I didn’t see you there.” I hear a kid call him gross and I laugh too. “My teenager is a bit dramatic.”
“Man, a baby, and a teenager. How do you do it?”
“I have a mate that is the best at everything. He can handle it all and I just try to keep up.” I hear the pride and love in his voice and I’m not afraid to admit I’m jealous. I thought I had that, but I don’t think I ever spoke about Carlton like Rome is about his mate. Two years of us dating and I don’t think my voice ever took on that tone.
“So … after you fucked on your desk?” I ask, trying to get him back on track, but my cheeks flame as I say it.
“Yeah, we still didn’t get along. But I knew when he touched me, he was mine and I wanted to show him I was worthy. So, I went after him. Best decision I’ve ever made.” He pauses and I hear a deep chuckle. “It’s the bartender, huh?”
No need to lie. “Yeah. He reminds me of my ex, because he’s obsessed with the holidays, but he also … I don’t know, stirs something inside me. He makes me feel like I’m warm again after being out in the cold all day.” I close my eyes and curse. “That was cheesy.”
“No,” Rome says, “it was real. And I understand that. Mind if I say something?”
“Shoot.”
“How you’re describing it? Sounds like how I felt about my mate. Have you touched yet?”
I open my mouth to say yes, but then remember before I could shake his hand yesterday, his brother interrupted. And when he wrapped my scarf around my neck, he didn’t touch me at all. “No. Not yet.”
Rome hums. “Touch him next time you’re together. If I’m right, he’s your fated mate. It would make a lot of sense.”
