of relationship they had. It seemed like they were constantly jabbing at each other, but that was just how they were. I knew—partially because my bedroom wall butted up against theirs—that their relationship was, well, balanced.
“I did give it a shot,” I said with a resigned shrug. “After the breakup. That was the time I nearly got arrested for accessory to grand theft. Remember that?”
It turned out my date enjoyed stealing things whenever the opportunity presented itself.
Ivan and Jillian exchanged a look. “Ah, yeah…”
“And the time that one omega found the old apartment without me telling him the address? He said he could smell his way to me…”
They both nodded. “You really are the unluckiest bachelor in Mir,” Ivan said.
It’d slipped my mind, but I suddenly remembered that Kole ran the psychic dating agency down the street. I spent about two seconds wondering if it was a good idea to go over there and enlist his services, but decided against it. I’d just met the guy, and I’d just spilled tea all over him. What was I going to do, go over and say, “Hey, so, can you find me a mate?” It seemed like a really weird thing to do.
I sighed. “Maybe I should try one of those apps.”
Like clockwork, the lunch rush started at the top of the hour, and the café was filled with workers on break. I worked the counter as Jillian cleaned tables and took care of the to-go orders, filling up the panniers of the delivery wolves that continuously trotted in and out.
I was never jealous of Ivan for meeting and mating Jillian, his best friend in the world, though I did quietly hope that I would someday find someone as perfect for me as Jillian was for him. It would've been easy to feel resentful and to think that my brother had gotten all the luck in our family, but the reality was that nothing was ever black and white. I knew that it was best to count my blessings rather than get down over things I didn't have, because I was certainly blessed. Even though I never had any success with partners, I had my amazing daughter. Ivan and Jillian wanted a child, but it just hadn’t happened for them after years of trying.
I figured that if it was meant to happen, it would happen eventually. Still, it would be nice to have someone to help me run the café, not to mention help look out for Elise as she got older. That’d always been a little fantasy of mine—my brother and I running the café with our mates.
As the rush hour reached a fever pitch, all distracting thoughts of romance and spilled teacups vanished from my brain. I focused on my process, charmed the customers, and got shit done. This kind of busy pressure was one of the only ways I could fully quiet my mind from distractions. Normally I could be a pretty scatterbrained and forgetful person, but when the orders were flowing in and the line was going out the door, everything else melted away and I was able to work my magic. I didn't know of anything more exhilarating than running my café.
My heart and soul were in this shop. Normally, being here with Jillian and Ivan and doing what I did best was enough to make me feel satisfied. But today, despite being completely zoned into my work, I felt an unusual emptiness inside and knew that something deeply important was missing from my life.
3 Kole
I put my tea-soaked shirt and pants into a plastic grocery bag and got an identical set of clothes from my emergency wardrobe in the back office. I looked myself over in the mirror, adjusted my glasses, and sighed.
Markos frantically trying to mop up the spilled tea from my clothes had been the most physical contact I’d had with anyone in…It'd been a long time. It was a miracle I'd managed to play it as cool as I had. Just thinking about it was getting me all flustered.
I was a seer, a reader, an omega who could visualize the destinies and fortunes of my clients. I had an innate ability to step deep into the spectral realm and see with more clarity than anyone else I'd ever known, including most of my former teachers. But to grow and maintain this ability, I’d had to make a sacrifice. I’d had to give up the prospect of any romantic relationship.
So few had my level