"Holy hell!"
Finn set the pizza box on the counter, followed by the two bottles of wine that were previously tucked under his arm. Immediately, he glanced to Rey, his face twisted up in a mixture of shock and disgust.
"Could you have at least sprayed something?" He asked, before moving to her shelf of candles, "I need to fucking commit an exorcism in this place. Or light some fucking sage or incense. Buy me some crystals." He continued to babble, before carefully lighting a few of her candles, "Next time, warn me."
Rey, who was lounging on the couch, buried under the twin fleece blankets, didn't move. She simply stared at the television screen, barely absorbing anything from whatever show Netflix had decided to auto play when she entered the app. She wasn't even going to acknowledge Finn.
But she also didn't expect him to continue whining about the smell.
"What? What about it?" She finally snapped, sitting up to glance at him, "What are you smelling?"
Finn snorted and grabbed two wine glasses from the cabinet. "Uh, this place reeks of heat and rut sex. That's what I'm smelling, Peanut."
Right. The scent of sex. Even twenty-four hours after her heat ended, the smell hung around the apartment. She had gotten used to it.
The scent kept her permanently on edge.
Like a reminder of all the ways she had failed at life.
"I guess this is why you called me over," Finn continued, before approaching Rey with the pizza box, wine bottle, and glasses. "What went wrong?"
Rey sniffled and hugged her knees to her chest. "What makes you think something went wrong?"
With a snort, Finn opened the bottle and poured them both generous glasses. "Because, if things went right, you'd at least be with him right now. Maybe even sporting a bite on your mating gland."
Just by the mention of it, Rey's hand flew to her untouched gland, rubbing at the still sensitive and inflamed skin. When Finn noticed, giving her a look of pity, she dropped her hand. Immediately grabbing the glass, she took a massive gulp, before leaning to sit back on the couch.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Finn asked, trying a new tactic. When Rey remained silent, he added, "It might make you feel better. Or help you figure out how you feel."
"I know how I feel," Rey supplied, her voice quiet. She took another gulp of wine and looked down, studying the chipping dark polish on her toes, "I've been in love with Ben for most of my life. Even when I tried to convince myself otherwise."
Finn smiled and nudged her, apparently taking her confession to be a good thing. "That's awesome, Peanut. Then what's the problem?"
Rey just shook her head and desperately tried to ignore the tears that were growing in her eyes. "The problem is that I don't deserve him. He's perfect. A perfect Alpha and a perfect man. I can't be what he needs. I've never been enough for him. For anyone, really."
"That's not true." Finn interjected. He turned on the sofa and grabbed her hand, drawing it into his own. "You're learning your role in all of this—and that's ok. We all had to do the same thing. And I promise, it's just as scary to do it at 15 as it is to do it at 25. There are new sensations and feelings and—and—it's scary, ok?" He sighed and squeezed her hand. "Being an omega isn't easy. But what makes it so amazing—what makes it all worth it—is the pure, undeniable happiness you feel when you find your mate. The person that was made for you."
Even if she wanted to listen to Finn, she simply couldn't. "Maybe Ben and I aren't made for each other."
Finn snorted. "Sweetie, we all should have seen your presentation coming. Nothing else could explain the relationship you and Ben had. You two literally define made for each other."
"I'm not made for this!" Rey choked out, refusing to listen to his words, "I can't tell emotions from scent. I don't know what triggers a rut. I don't know what I need to nest, or why I feel the way I do, or what happens when people become mates, or—"
"You can learn these things, Rey—"
"I knew biology would just get the best of us—"
"Fine."
Finn's bitter voice was so surprising it cut her off. She glanced at her friend and shifted. "Fine what?" She asked.
He set his glass down. "Fine. You aren't made for each other. That ship has sailed. What will you do now?"
Rey blinked a few times, struggling to accept his words. "But—"
"But what, Rey?" He interjected, his voice tired, "Let's not play this game. I'm not going to sit here and try to change your mind. If you're so adamant that you and Ben won't work, fine, you won't. If you've really deluded yourself into thinking that you're not good enough for him, fine, I agree."
She opened her mouth a few times to respond, but any replies simply got lost in the movement.
"I will, however, remind you of what you're giving up." Finn paused to pour himself another glass of wine. After a sip, he continued, "Happiness. You're giving up happiness." Then, after another sip, "Not to mention, eventually he'll force himself to move on and try to find another omega. Will you be supportive of that? Happy to go to his wedding? Happy to look at his mating gland and see another omega's teeth marks there? Happy to smell another omega's scent on him?"
MAKE HIM STOP MAKE HIM STOP NO MORE LIES ABOUT ALPHA
His words were quite literally making her shake. An unfamiliar bubbling built in her stomach, making her feel like she'd vomit up the glass of red wine she had just finished.
"I—"
"Because that's what's going to happen if you walk away," Finn continued, cutting off whatever desperate plea she was preparing to toss his way, "You will lose him. It will be completely out of your control."
"I won't let that happen," She finally choked out, ignoring the hot tears that streamed down her face, "I won't."
And she wouldn't. She'd speed along the process. Maybe, with her in control, it would hurt just a little less.
-x-x-x-
"You look like shit."
Ben didn't think the comment deserved a response. He pulled another beer out of the cooler and managed to get the cap off with shaky hands. Under normal circumstances, he'd enjoy the heat, the overwhelmingly sunny day—maybe even take a chance to admire the budding flowers in his mother's flower garden.
But not today.
"What did you do?"
Ben sighed and threw his head back, taking generous gulps of the cool liquid. He didn't consider himself a huge beer drinker, but he wanted to pace himself. He'd save the hard liquor for later in the day.
Maybe his grandfather's 100-year old bottle of scotch would help soothe his broken heart.
"If you really want to take the edge off, you need to avoid that lite shit. I didn't even buy that. Your mom did."
The sun felt remarkably good on his skin. Most of his life, he had avoided direct contact given the ease in which he burned, but today, he would take it. Maybe bright red skin and blisters would teach him a lesson. Remind him not to wear his heart on his sleeve.
Or to ever think that he could make a girl like Rey his own.
"I hope you weren't expecting anything good for dinner. We have leftover meatloaf. You know that crap doesn't age well. But if you ask her, maybe she'd make some—"
"DAD!" Ben shrieked, finally breaking, "Shut up! For fuck's sake!"
Han, who was sitting in the Adirondack chair across from his son, merely smirked. "Got you to finally talk, didn't I?"
Ben cursed and pinched his nose. "Fuck, dad, come on. You're being so fucking annoying."
"That's my specialty, kid. You don't get to sit here and stew in silence. That's what we sent you to therapy for. To learn to express yourself."
Oh, his therapy sessions. How Ben remembered those. Apparently, he was too Alpha. Too aggressive. Not to mention, he failed to express himself to really anyone.
Now look at him. He expressed himself to Rey and got his heart broken.
And based on Han's look of pity, he had just voiced that exact thought aloud.
"That doesn't sound like our Rey," Han responded, before grabbing a beer for himself, "That girl has always been wild about you."
"Sure, she has," Ben spat back, hating how bitter his voice sounded, "Which is precisely why she told me we couldn't be together."
Han just shrugged and sipped his beer. "Well, you've never been a quitter before. Go fight for you girl."
"She just broke my heart!" He practically shouted, his face heating from anger. Or the beer. Probably both. "I think I'm allowed to sit here and be sad."
His father just shrugged. "I'm not saying you aren't. But love is hard. Sometimes, you gotta fight for it."
Ben looked down, his stomach in knots. He had always loved Rey. He knew that. No matter how desperately he tried, how frequently he reminded himself of her designation, it didn't work. Nothing did. His feelings for her were simply too strong.
And now that she was an omega—the designation literally meant for him—it was even harder.
"She doesn't want me to fight for her," Ben explained, the defeat evident in his voice, "She made that very clear."
But Han rolled his eyes. "Every woman wants to be fought for. No—nix that—every person wants to be fought for. It's how someone knows they're worth it." He set his empty bottle down and looked at his son. "If love was easy, there wouldn't be millions of songs and movies and books written about how fucking difficult it is."
Ben sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "What should I do?"
"Leave. Go to her. Fight for her. That's the Solo mentality."
"Is it now?" Ben shot back, anxiety eating at his nerves, "Then why were you and mom always fighting?"
"Because love isn't easy." Han explained again, his tone bored, "And we're still together because I fought for her. I changed my behavior when I needed to. I opened myself up to her because she's my mate and I love her."
Ben cursed and rubbed at his eyes. It was always exhausting when his father was right. With a nod, Ben rose to his feet. Han simply grinned and grabbed himself another beer.
"Attaboy. Don't forget to tell your mother you're leaving."
And he did just that before hurrying to his car. Suddenly, he was extremely thankful he started with beer instead of the hard stuff. Now, only Rey would muddle his mind on the drive home.
Go to Omega!
Claim Omega!
-x-x-x-
After Finn left, Rey allowed herself to wallow in her misery for approximately an hour. Then, she took his words to heart.
The only way to minimize her pain in all of those would be to control what happened next.
Because in her life, she had never been able to control the unfair shit that happened to her. Losing her mother. Growing up without her father. Ben presenting while she didn't. Presenting so much later in life. She simply had to sit back and let these things happen.
That feeling of uselessness—of being forced to just accept what happened to her in life—was precisely why she was staring at a stack of deconstructed moving boxes.
This was something she could control.
As she moved to start putting them together, the front door opened. Before she even turned, the scent of Alpha overwhelmed her senses.
"Rey—" Ben began, his voice desperate, "I want—"
But she wouldn't hear it.
She couldn't.
"I'm moving out." She interjected instead, successfully cutting off his words. She watched as he processed her words. Ben didn't emote very often. Other people may not have even recognized his tells. But Rey could.
She noticed the wobbling of his lip. The way his hands clenched and unclenched. The way he shifted on his feet, unsure of what to do or where to go. Then, there was his scent. She still struggled with understanding the ties between emotion and smell, but he certainly didn't smell…happy.
"What?" He choked out, staring at her with those dark, intense eyes of his, "What do you mean you're moving out?"
Rey swallowed and looked down, unable to meet his gaze. "I just think this is what's best," She explained, her voice quiet, "It's the only way we can ensure we don't set each other off again."
Ben just stared at her, his chocolate eyes dulling under the warm light of their kitchen. "Is this what you really want?"
She looked down. "Yes."
After a few moments of silence, she finally willed herself to look back to Ben. His downcast eyes and shaking hands were new to her. And his scent—
Well, it was strong. It felt like it was cracking her chest open and ripping her heart out.
But she was doing this for him. Because she loved him. Because he deserved everything, and everything meant an Omega who knew how to handle her Alpha. Which explained the next words that escaped her lips in a fury.
"I think you should have coffee with my co-worker Zorii."
He met her gaze, his eyes hardening. Whatever sadness she thought she saw was gone. Suddenly, the Ben of her youth—the one that she found so difficult to read—was back.
"She's an omega and really great," Rey explained, her voice cracking with every word, "I think you two would really hit it off. She's the perfect type of Omega for you."
Ben just continued watching her. Only when she was unable to continue staring into his dark eyes did she look down. She tried to count the crumbs on their kitchen tile. Anything to calm down her treacherous heart.
"Rey—"
"I should continue packing." She forced out, knowing she wouldn't survive whatever he was going to say, "I'm trying to leave by the end of the week."
And before he could respond to that, she disappeared into her room and burst into tears.
She knew to most people, her logic didn't make sense. She loved Ben—so much, in fact—yet she was pushing him away?
Ben had always been perfect to her. He deserved everything.
A second-rate Omega with enough issues in her life to stunt her growth and keep her awake at night was not the answer for his fairy tale. He'd figure that out eventually. Probably grow to resent her. Maybe even hate her.
She didn't know. But she wouldn't get to that point.
She'd move out. Find him the perfect Omega. Then, maybe, just maybe, she'd derive some happiness from seeing Ben have the perfect storybook ending he always deserved.
It would hurt. But most things in her life did.
-x-x-x-
Ben got into the hard liquor that night. He didn't have his grandfather's 100-year-old scotch on hand, but he did have a bottle of sherry his parents had brought back after a trip to Spain. He gladly drank into that, looking for anything to act as a balm for his decimated heart.
Because that's what Rey had done that evening.
She destroyed his heart.
He was even stupid enough to think the text he got from her after a few hours would be an opening for them to talk. For him to beg and plead and explain how desperately he loved her.
Instead, it was Zorii's number.
He took the bait. If it was what Rey wanted, then he would do it. If he couldn't make her happy by being with her, then he'd try this avenue.
Or, at least that's what his drunken brain provided.
Before he knew it, he was set to have coffee during his lunch hour with this unknown omega.
He felt sick.
That evening, for the first time since college, he fell asleep by the toilet.
-x-x-x-
The next morning went by in a bit of a blur. Ben did his usual routine—up at the crack of dawn, time at the gym, coffee at his favorite café, in his office by 8:30—so nothing was technically out of the ordinary. But the pain of his broken heart—along with the knowledge that he was meeting up with an omega at lunch—had him on edge.
He was torturing himself. But, at this point, given his current relationship status with Rey, he'd try to do anything that would make her happy. Even if it meant seeing a woman that he had absolutely no interest in.
It was why he strolled into the coffee shop three blocks away from his office and slid into the chair across from Zorii. With wavy brown hair and bright blue eyes, she was certainly beautiful. And unlike many Omegas he had met in his life, she didn't smell bad. Her scent was nothing like Rey's mouthwateringly delicious smell, but it was relatively nice.
In fact, if he wasn't so fucking obsessed and in love with his best friend, he may have actually considered pursuing the woman.
"You must be Ben!" She exclaimed, holding out her hand to shake his. After a short handshake, she smiled and pointed to the two drinks on the table. "I got you coffee. I hope that's okay!"
Ben cleared his throat and stared at the mug on the table. He offered a polite smile back. "Thank you. You really didn't have to do that."
"I wanted to." She replied easily, in happy spirits, "I was so happy when Rey mentioned you. I thought, 'wow, he's just what I need'. She practically read my mind."
He wasn't sure what to say. He wished he could have seen the interaction. He wished he knew what propelled Rey to want to push him away so desperately.
Especially given how desperately he loved her.
"I need to be honest, Zorii," He began, his voice tired, "I'm not really looking for anything right now. I just had my heart—"
"What?" Her surprise caught him off guard. Great—he wondered how many people would get hurt as a result of whatever stupid game him and Rey were playing.
Ben sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I was saying that I know Rey set us up, but the truth is, I'm in love with her and I'm not looking to date anyone."
Zorii stared at him, her eyes wide. After a few moments of awkward silence, she spoke. "Wait… What exactly do you think this is?"
"A date?"
She blinked. "Is…is that what it's supposed to be?"
Ben cleared his throat. "That's what Rey indicated it was."
Zorii groaned and slumped in her chair, her cheeks tinging pink. "Oh, god this is awkward. I didn't know that's why she wanted to introduce us."
Now he was just confused. Relieved, but also incredibly confused. "Why else would she introduce us?"
"Well," Zorii sighed and shifted in her seat, seeming embarrassed, "I just started a wedding photography business on the side, and I needed help forming the contracts for clients to sign. I was talking to Rey about it a few weeks ago, and when she brought you up, I thought that was why. To help."
Ben nodded slowly. "I see. I'm not an attorney, Zorii."
"I know, but Rey said you did pre-law for undergrad so…" She shook her head. "Sorry, I just thought that was what she was implying when she said we should meet." She paused for a moment, studying Ben, before adding, "Wait. So, you're in love with Rey? Why are you on a date-not-date with me?"
He dropped his head and just laughed bitterly. He had asked himself the same question since the moment he woke up that morning. "Because despite Rey and I being best friends, and perfect for each other, and that I love her so much it fucking hurts, she doesn't think she knows enough about being an omega. Or some bullshit. Fuck if I know."
Zorii frowned. "Sounds like commitment issues. I'm…" She sighed and looked away, "Sort of in a similar position. I've been…hooking up with the same alpha for nearly two years now. I'm in love with her. But whenever I want to be something more—even just official, if not mates—she gets spooked. She had a rough childhood, and I just think she's scared of stability and what forever means."
"Sounds like we're two peas in a pod," He said glumly, his head and heart still focused back on Rey, the only omega he had ever really wanted, probably packing to leave his home—their nest—as they spoke. "I just…I don't know what to do. I thought I'd meet you if it made her happy. But she's moving out and I…I want her so badly, but the thought of losing her—losing my best friend—feels like…Fucking death. I don't know."
Reaching across the table, Zorii grabbed his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry. That must be so tough. But maybe she needs this time on her own, you know? She may need to come into her identity as an omega without you around."
He squeezed her hand and looked down. "I wish it was that simple. She's moving out. And when she does, I'm afraid I'll lose her forever. I…" He could feel the tears building in his eyes, "I can't do that."
"Then try whatever you can to prevent that from happening. Win her back. Make her realize that you two are soul mates."
He wished it was that easy. God, he'd do anything for Rey just to believe him.
"I'll try," He explained, his voice quiet, "But I'm starting to lose hope."
Zorii squeezed his hand again. "Well, if you ever need to talk about this, or want an Omega's opinion, you can call me. Maybe we can swap notes."
Her words were oddly calming and did make him laugh. "Thank you. And I can help you with your contract. Like I said, I'm not a lawyer, but I can definitely help you get something together."
She grinned. "Oh, thank you, Ben! You're a life saver. Can you meet at all this week? I'm wooing a potential co-worker right now."
"How about tomorrow night? I can get off around 5:30. We can meet here or grab dinner. Whatever works. Just make sure you have your rates and capabilities set before then."
Zorii nodded. "Perfect—we can text and figure it out." She rose to her feet, followed immediately by Ben, and smiled. "Thank you. And don't give up on Rey. She's going through a lot and…Well, she spoke so highly of you, looking back, there was no way I ever would have thought this was a date. She was practically reciting a love poem. You know, describing your scent and the color of your eyes and all that."
He cleared his throat. "Really?"
"Yes, really. So, don't give up." Zorii smiled and then surprised him by lurching forward to give him a hug. After he awkwardly patted her back, she eventually pulled away and waved. "See you tomorrow night!"
Ben remained inside for a few moments, considering Zorii's words. And his father's words. And well, his own internal monologue. Rey was struggling—he knew that—which meant she needed support. Maybe he rushed her to accept her designation. He couldn't be sure.
But what he did know was that he loved her, and he needed her to know that much. He needed to be with her. He would tell her tonight, no matter how terribly they fought or how desperately she tried to avoid him. In his mind, it was a full proof plan.
Too bad he didn't consider the clinging scent of another Omega before he returned home.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi all! I just wanted to let everyone know that I've adapted my two-shot The Golden Rule into a novella with original characters (although, these original characters are certainly Ben and Rey flavored).
My novella, still titled The Golden Rule, is available to purchase or on Kindle Unlimited. The book is available on Amazon under The Golden Rule: An Enemies-to-Lovers Office Romance Novella by J. Darcy!
I would really love everyone's support as I try my hand at e-books—I will absolutely still be updating my stories (in fact, an update for two of them are coming this week!) but I will also be working on original works that will be sold on Amazon. You can visit my website or subscribe to my newsletter at jdarcybooks .com for more info! In fact, my next book is available for pre-order and will be out at the end of the month!
You guys have been so incredibly supportive with my Reylo stories, so I hope I can entice some of you with my original works! But don't worry—more Reylo is still to come :)
J