Page 9

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JOSIE

I ’m buried in my nest, and I don’t want to leave.

Today I need to do a video call with the Betas I work with, but it sounds like a lot of effort.

I’ve been feeling extra fatigued lately, and I just need time buried in my cozy nest of cushions, blankets, and pillows.

My nest is the spare room of the condo, something I’ve had to cobble together.

Not every house or housing unit has a built-in nest, so I never expected to have one in a designated room.

Since this room isn’t circular and it has multiple windows, I’ve had to modify it a bit.

Typically, I would want only one window, something small to let in just a little light.

A circular room also gives more of a “nest” feel, allowing an Omega to really go wild with blankets.

As it is, I’ve had to drape additional fabric on the walls to mute the daytime light, and I have light-blocking shades to help during my heat.

Thankfully, I’m not due for that for another two months.

Rolling over, I sigh and snuggle in deeper with my blankets.

My need for comfort has been high lately, which is a bit unusual.

Maybe I’m in for a doozy heat. Normally, I take a mild suppressant to just take the edge off and ride it out myself, so we’ll see how this next one goes.

If my body has found someone with a scent I like, I’m not sure how that will play into my heat.

Now that I’ve found two scents I like, it could be my body telling me to go find them.

Or maybe I’ve been working too much, it’s hard to tell sometimes.

Trying not to worry so much, I call out to my smart speaker and put some music on.

The smooth tone of the Beach Boys fills my nest and I smile with relief.

Letting myself get into the music, I close my eyes and sing along under my breath.

This song, Kokomo, always soothes my frayed edges. It’s smooth and has a nice beat to it.

Heaving a sigh, I repeat the song two times before feeling soothed enough to face my Betas.

I shuffle to my couch and find my laptop still on its stand, ready to be used.

Snuggling into my favorite spot, I pull the coffee table flush with the couch so I don’t have to reach, then unlock it and dial up my Betas.

Georgie and James pick up after two rings. The siblings are almost inseparable and currently live together. I grin and wave at both of them. While it can take a lot out of me to interact with people, these two are almost always a joy. It makes things a little easier to deal with.

“Hey Jojo!” Georgie says.

“Hey Gigi! Hey James,” I reply.

“Why do you sound happier to see her?” James tries to grumble. Unfortunately, he’s too friendly to pull it off well.

“Must be a girl thing,” I tell him, shrugging.

He sighs, long-suffering, “I suppose I’ll just press on. Only for you two, though.”

“ So generous,” Georgie tells him.

I chuckle at the antics before reining them back in, “Okay guys, let’s get down to business. First things first, how are both of you? Are there any signs of burnout?”

We discuss how each of us is doing, making sure that all three of us are okay.

Being a touch helper can be draining sometimes, especially if you have a lot of people you have to physically touch for hours.

There was one month a while back that Georgie had to take a few weeks off due to burnout, so we’ve all been better about workload since then.

James and Georgie have more clients than I do, as Betas, they can naturally handle more touch, but I’m limited due to my Touch Loss.

My tolerance level for touching outside of my bonded Pack is very low.

I’m able to find ways to cope between sessions, but it’s easy for me to get burned out.

If I ever find a Pack, they would be able to touch me constantly without it draining me, and it sounds amazing.

I’m not hanging my hat on that idea, though.

Most people want Omegas who aren’t damaged in some way.

Focusing on the task at hand, I find we have about ten new applications for Omegas who need the help we can provide.

Looking at workloads, I’m not sure if we can make it work.

Maybe we need to start a waitlist. The three of us discuss the intake process, potential need for new employees, and other various details of their visits and the progress of our current clients.

We review financials at the end, and I’m surprised to see our profits are increasing.

We’ll need to really consider how we want to leverage that profit since we all currently take home a salary.

We hang up the call with a confirmation of next week for our next official meeting.

During the week, we’ll check in with each other if needed, but the only official meeting is this one.

I stretch on the couch and resist the temptation to curl back up into my soft blankets.

They’re my kryptonite: soft blankets. Having one wrapped around me is one of my favorite things.

My phone pings before I can stand to grab some food.

Vic

Hey Josie Girl, been thinkin’ about ya. Can we get together soon?

Me

Hey yourself! It would be nice to see you, it’s been a few weeks since you’ve been here. I’m surprised you haven’t knocked my door down.

Vic

Well, I figured I’d give it some time to settle, and then I just chickened out.

Okay, this is getting a phone call now. I hit his name, and it only rings twice before he answers.

“Hey, got tired of texting?” He chuckles.

“Uh, excuse me, sir, did you tell me that you chickened out over me ?”

“Ah, yeah, I kind of did.”

I frown, “Why is that? I mean, I thought you were excited to be here. Did that change? It’s okay if it did.”

I’m not about to be the jealous bitch here and demand his time. But my heart breaks at the thought that he’s changed his mind. Maybe it’s been too long for him. I force myself to listen to him before jumping to conclusions.

“No! Definitely not, I mean it when I say you’re my Josie Girl. I think… hang on a second.”

There’s shuffling in the background now, as if he’s looking for someone or something.

“Okay, I wanted to say something, but I don’t want to upset Simon, so I was checking for his car, and he’s not home yet.

” he clears his throat. “I think that I’m really nervous that you and Simon won’t like each other.

Whenever you’ve visited us, he hasn’t been around, so I’m not really sure how it will go.

I don’t want to lose either of you, you know? ”

“Oh, Vic, I’m sure it will be fine. Maybe we’ll get along, but maybe we won’t; it’s hard to know until it happens. One thing I do know is that even if he ends up being a giant asshole, you’re still my Vic and I won’t pull away from you. Okay?”

I can hear the small smile in his voice as he agrees, “Okay.”

“So, when do you want to get together? What works for you?”

“I mean, I always want to get together.”

“Well, do you want to come over now?” I ask tentatively. I’m not sure if it’s too fast or not to have him over. Maybe he’s busy.

“Do you mean it?”

“Yeah, I’m home for the night, maybe I’ll treat you and make you some food,” I joke.

“Maybe I’ll take over that part of things,” Vic laughs.

“Hey, I can boil spaghetti just fine!” I protest.

We giggle together, knowing that I’m really not half bad at cooking. However, the one time I tried to cook for him, I burnt everything. He was distracting me with his beautiful ass, it wasn’t my fault.

“If you’re serious, I’ll come over now,” he offers.

I nod even though he can’t see me, “I’d really love that.”

“Done!”

We hang up, and I look around my condo, realizing it needs a good tidy.

So I turn on my 80s mix and get to picking up.

Mail, extra blankets, socks, all kinds of little things that just pile up over time.

Thankfully, I haven’t started my dishwasher yet, so I add a few dishes to it and run it.

Feeling satisfied with the way things look, I crack a couple of windows to get some fresh air moving.

Only a few minutes later, I hear a car pull into my driveway and I bite my lip with excitement.

Scampering over to the front door, I open it to watch Vic step out of his car.

He’s so gorgeous, tall with plenty of muscles and hair that never stays fully slicked back.

I love the little tendrils that frame his face.

My body starts bouncing in excitement, and despite my typical behavior, I decide I want a hug.

Vic closes his car door and meets my eyes with a wide smile.

Grinning in response, I hustle over to where he’s standing, and he moves to meet me halfway.

My arms wrap around his waist, and I lay my head on his chest. I can hear his rumbling hum of contentment as he holds me close, his nose pressed into my hair. We pull apart, both of us still grinning like crazy.

“Well, come in, stranger! I’m glad you took the bait to come over!”

Vic laughs, his eyes crinkling at the edges as he does, “You’re irresistible, Josie Girl. I’ll always come see you if you want.”

I let Vic walk into the condo ahead of me, and as I move to follow, my eyes catch on Jesse’s window.

He’s standing there, watching with the quiet intensity he has, and I feel my cheeks heat.

I continue to smile and give him a happy wave.

He sends back half a smile and a small wave before walking off.

Oh, shit, is he mad? I suppose he doesn’t really know about Vic.

I’ll have to text him. I don’t want to ruin things with him before we’ve even started something.

“Who was that?” Vic asks as I close the door.

I squeak in response because he hasn’t moved more than six inches into the house, and our noses are almost touching.

“You startled me!”

“Sorry, Josie Girl, I was just curious who your neighbor is. Seems awfully intense.” Vic takes a step back.

“He’s quiet, but he’s so nice. We, uh, went on a date a bit ago and haven’t been able to find time again. It’s a bummer because I really like him, so we’ll just see what happens.”

Vic just hums under his breath. I frown at him.

“Why are you being weird about it?” I ask him, but Vic shakes himself out of it and smiles.

“Sorry, just got lost in thought. Show me around your joint again, it’s been too long,” he tells me.

I give him the short tour of my living room and bathroom, vaguely gesturing to my room and nest, then we plop down on the couch. For a minute, we just look at each other.

“I missed you,” I blurt out, then hold my hands to my cheeks in embarrassment.

“Hey,” Vic moves closer, “I missed you too. Don’t be embarrassed.”

I pull my hands from my face, which is now flushed with pleasure instead of embarrassment.

I’m destined to just have a red face, apparently.

I set my hand down, not paying attention to where it lands, and then realize I’ve landed directly onto Vic’s hand.

Fuck. I didn’t want to touch him, I don’t want to know if we Match or not.

I won’t be able to tell, and while I don’t think Vic would lie, what if he doesn’t want me like that?

Panic starts to overtake me as my thoughts spiral.

This is the end, isn’t it? Even if we’re not a Match, he’s going to see me panicking and want nothing to do with me.

He already knows I’m broken, then add in random panic?

My breathing picks up with the irrational thoughts, and I look up to meet Vic’s blue eyes.

His eyes bore into me, and I need to know how he’s going to respond to my touch.

I take my hand off his in an attempt to avoid further awkwardness.