“Is that your professional diagnosis?”
Her face splits into a full-on grin, flashing me her teeth. The stomach knots are back. “It is. No need to seek a second opinion.”
“You guys are grossing me out,” Priya groans from across the table, breaking apart our quiet conversation. “I liked you better when you were grumpy,” she adds, pointing at me in accusation. “At least then I wasn’t so jealous.”
I chuckle under my breath. “Trust me. No need to be jealous. Well.” I peek over at Mackenzie. “Not of Mackenzie, at least. Maybe of me.”
Mackenzie’s lips part at the compliment, but Priya makes an ack sound. “Couples.”
But of course, because nothing about this situation has been easy—the night simply can’t end on a good note. I notice him approaching out of the corner of my eye, my body immediately tensing as my smile dissipates. I’ve never really fully scented Dennis before; blessedly, I have had the good fortune of missing out on it while being dosed on suppressants, but catching a whiff of it now makes my nose wrinkle, assaulted by the smell of what feels like cheap cologne.
“Noah!” His voice is loud, carrying over the chatter of the people around us, and everyone at the table turns to look at him as he approaches. “I can’t believe you actually came. I didn’t think this was your kind of thing.”
“Yeah, well.” I keep my expression passive. “Now that our secret is out, it didn’t feel right to let my mate go alone.”
“Of course,” Dennis says with a smile that feels disingenuous. “Mackenzie. Good to see you again.” He eyes her up and down. “You look fantastic.”
My fists clench under the table as he eyes her, and it is only a moment before I feel the gentle slide of Mackenzie’s hand over mine, calming me. “Thanks,” she says blandly.
“It really is so nice to see you guys out together,” he gushes. “I know everyone was worried when the rumor started flying about Noah. It’s lucky that he had you up his sleeve, isn’t it?”
I can’t say why I am on the verge of vibrating with anger—something about Dennis has always gotten under my skin—but without the safety net of my suppressants, I can feel the urge to deck him a lot more strongly than I have in the past. Thankfully, Mackenzie’s hand gives mine a squeeze, and something about her touch keeps me from tipping over the edge.
“We’re both really lucky,” she says, keeping her eyes locked with his. “It seemed silly to worry about what people might think of me when my mate’s job was on the line.”
“Right,” Dennis says, still smiling with that same slimy smile. “So fortunate. We would have hated to lose our best cardiologist.”
The table is silent then, the rest of our party looking uncomfortable as I quietly seethe, and it isn’t until Mackenzie clears her throat that any of us move.
“Yeah, well.” Mackenzie never lets go of my hand. “We should probably get going. Right, Noah? You have an early shift tomorrow.”
I briefly wonder how she knows that, but am too distracted with not wiping that smile off Dennis’s face to dwell on it.
“Right,” I agree tightly. “Early shift.”
“Oh, of course,” Dennis says. “Don’t want to keep you. I know how important work is to you.” Another gross smile. “You guys have a good night.”
No one speaks until Dennis is out of earshot, and then there is a loud burst of air as Priya blows out a breath. “Wow. That guy is a dick.”
Mackenzie whips her head around. “You caught that?”
“Oh yeah,” she answers. “He does not like Noah.”
“We probably should get out of here,” Mackenzie tells me. “Before you break something.”
I unclench my fists, unaware that I was even doing it, blinking a few times as I come back to my senses. “Sorry, I—” I press my lips together. “I just . . . He gets under my skin.”
“Jessica from Radiology told me he offered her a ride home from work once and that he made a point to let her know what kind of car he drives,” Priya says.
“Fucking Jessica,” Mackenzie mutters before giving me her attention again. “Seriously. We can go, if you want.”
I shrug. “If you’re sure you’re ready to go.”
“Yeah, I’m good.” She turns to Priya as she starts to gently push me out of the booth. “Don’t let Conner take you home. I am not going to be in that wedding party.”
“No problems there,” Priya assures her.
Even when we’re standing, I notice Mackenzie hasn’t let go of my hand. In fact, she keeps a grip on it as she says her good-byes, while Priya gives me one last friendly threat in regard to Mackenzie’s well-being, and even the entire time she pulls me through the crowd toward the bar exit. I reason that she’s still worried about my earlier edginess. Hell, she can probably scent it on me, I’d wager, and I could tell her I’m okay now, that she doesn’t have to continue clinging to me.
I let her hold my hand all the way out to the parking lot instead.
* * *
?The ride back to her place is a relatively quiet one, at least at first. Mackenzie lets the first several blocks pass in silence, and I can’t seem to think of anything to say to cut through it. She stopped touching me when we got into the car, because there was no valid reason for her to do it anymore, and for some reason without it I find myself uneasy. She doesn’t open her mouth until we’re nearly halfway to her apartment building, and by then, I’m uncomfortable, like I might come out of my skin.
“So . . . all in all, I’d say that wasn’t the worst fake date I’ve ever had.”
This draws a quiet laugh out of me, easing some of the tension inside. “You’ve had more than one?”
“Oh, loads,” she says seriously. “I told you I was a pro.”
My lips are still curled. “How could I forget?”
“Are you feeling okay? I could tell Dennis was really getting to you.”
I shake my head. “I don’t know what it is about that guy. It never used to bother me as much as it has been lately. Probably a side effect of going off my suppressants.”
“Yeah. It’s weird. It’s like I could scent it on you the moment he walked up. Almost like I could tell your mood changed. It was sharper somehow. I’ve never really been able to pick up on things like that as much as I could tonight.”
“That’s . . . interesting,” I note, meaning it. “I wonder why that is.”
She’s quiet for a second before tossing me a flippant “Must be an alpha thing.”
“Must be.”
It’s quiet again, and with it comes that same uneasiness. It’s completely unlike me; normally I am happy to be left to the quiet. Right now, though . . . I really hate it.
Mackenzie saves me again. “Was it super uncomfortable for you? Scenting all those people? I know you aren’t used to it since you’ve been on suppressants for so long.”