Page 16 of The Omega's Fake Mate

I pulled my lower lip between my teeth. “We didn'tmeet. Not exactly.”

“What do you mean? I saw you looking at him.”

“Yeah, but... well...” I waved my hand in the air. “Looking isn't meeting, is it? I didn't go and talk to him or anything.”

“Why not?”

Why not, indeed.

Kade pointed at my face. “You're growing red.”

Was I? I could feel my skin heat up. Ugh. Shit like this didn't happen to me. It just didn't! So of course, I had no idea how to cope with it. “I didn't talk to him because... I don't know. It would have been awkward. We weren't twelve anymore, you know? And I was kind of shitty, never calling back after he told me that he...” I stopped.

“After he told you what?” Kade leaned in, clearly intrigued.

I pressed back against the bench, wishing I could become one with it and disappear. “Nothing,” I lied, even though I remembered that call as if it was yesterday.

My friend raised an expectant eyebrow at me. “You two were friends... right?” he asked, catching on.

What to say? I kept quiet because I didn't know how to respond. Zander and I were friends, but we were also... kind of more than friends? I never thought too much about it as a kid. I just went with it. Hugging Zander was easy, holding hands was natural. I even kissed him on the lips once. Just once. The day before we moved.

Kade laid an arm around my shoulders. “Did I bring up bad memories?”

“Notbad.” That wasn't the right word. I'd loved my childhood in Oceanport. Zander was a big part of that. It was only that I didn't know what to do about him now that we were grown-ups. Everything seemed more complicated now. Was Zander even single? I glanced at Kade. It was his fault I was in this mess now. So why not let him help me get out of it? “I kissed him before we moved. And then on the phone, he told me that he loved me.”

“Awww.”

I glared at Kade. He was enjoying this story a little too much.

“What did you do?” he asked.

“That's just it.” I shrugged helplessly. “I didn't do anything. He poured his heart out to me and I basically just saidme tooand hung up because dinner was ready. My mom made pizza that night. With pepperoni and cheese!”

My friend looked at me in disbelief and then he laughed. “Oh God. You still go crazy for pizza.”

“Well, it'spizza.” I had no idea how people managed to think rationally while they could smell fresh pizza cooking in the oven. Even now, saliva gathered in my mouth at the thought. “I didn't realize until later that he reallymeantwhat he said, you know? He wasn't just sayingI love youthe way you say it to friends. I decided I'd call him the next day, but... you know me. I never did. And he never called again.”

Kade squeezed my shoulder. “I'm sorry.”

“I'mthe one who's sorry.” I groaned. It had been such a long time since I'd had to think about any of this. Letting my head tilt back up, I peered up at the sky through the branches of the cherry tree, which had already shed its leaves. “I really thought I was over him, you know?”

“But you're not?” Kade's expression softened, his features turning sympathetic.

“I don't know,” I admitted. “I don't know what I feel around him, but it's weird. I try to avoid it.”

The corners of Kade's lips curved up. “Maybe you need to explore it. Find out what it is you're feeling.”

“I don't know about that.” Even if I was somehow attracted to Zander when no other alpha had ever interested me, he lived in Oceanport and I was returning to LA next week. I didn't have to try being in a long-distance relationship to know I'd be horrible at it. “I'll only be here for a few more days. I think I'll just sit it out.”

“I guess that's up to you. But if he's theonlyalpha you can get interested in...”

“I've always considered my lack of interest in alphas a good thing, you know?” It spared me a lot of drama. Kept me from getting into the sort of mess my brother had gotten himself into.

“All right,” Kade relented. “Whatever you think is best. It's your life.” He glanced at the book I still held in my hands. “Are you going to read that, though?”

“I'll try it. I guess.”

After brushing Zander off all those years ago, wasn't that the least I could do?