Faye stepped away to a quiet corner to answer a phone call.
It was Malone Griffin.
"Hey, buddy. What’s up?" Faye answered. She leaned her back against the painted wall, trying to keep her voice down so none of the passing people would hear her.
"You!!!"
A loud roar blasted through the phone. The sound was so sharp and intense that Faye had to pull the device away from her ear, her eardrum ringing from the volume.
"How dare you send your Hulk of a Beta to babysit me?" Malo yelled. He was breathing heavily on the other end, his voice cracking with pure irritation.
Faye sighed in disappointment. She rubbed her forehead with her free hand, her shoulders slumping down as she let out a long, frustrated huff through her nose.
He wasn’t supposed to find out about Peamah.
"I told him not to let you know. He was just supposed to stay in the background and watch over you," Faye said.
"Watch over me? Is that what you call it? I appreciate you caring, but you should’ve sent Sasha. She’s the only one besides that Hulk who’s actually your puppet." Malo snapped back, his breath coming in short, rapid puffs over the line.
"They’re not puppets, Malo... they’re our friends." Faye corrected him through her teeth, her voice dropping into a tight, serious whisper.
"Are you really sure? Because if Peamah wasn’t your Beta, we’d either have become dust... or I’d be six feet underground. That boy doesn’t like us."
"At least he isn’t causing any trouble."
"Oh yes, he is! I noticed him in the hotel lobby. He wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that he was secretly watching me. He made sure I saw his stupid face. And when I booked a room, he told the receptionist that we’re married and on our honeymoon. Right now, that boy is lying on the bed in a suit. Faye, there is no way I’m sharing a room with that Hulk. He’s going to smother me in the middle of the night!" Malo complained. He sounded completely panicked, his words slamming into each other without any breaks for air.
"Sharing a room... tonight... wait, Malo, don’t tell me you’re not coming back tonight," Faye said, her voice filled with desperation. Her heart gave a sudden, violent thud against her ribs, her entire body locking up with a fresh wave of panic.
"I’m not coming back tonight. The Blue Spark Fish happens to be in some sightseeing aquarium that’s only open to newly married couples, and the viewing is tomorrow." Malo said, his tone turning stubborn.
"Dude, you have to come back. I need you tonight." Faye pleaded, her fingers gripping the phone so hard, her breathing was turning fast and shallow as she thought about the ticking bomb waiting for her at home.
"Well, I can’t. I don’t want to share a room with that Hulk, but I’m already here, and the show must go on. I’m getting that fish tomorrow."
"You don’t really understand the situation I’m in right now, buddy..." Faye started, her lungs squeezing tightly.
Before Faye could explain that she was on the verge of telling her girlfriend the whole truth, she heard someone say, "Housekeeping." The muffled sound of a knock came right through the speaker line.
Then Peamah replied in an unusually gentle voice. The big beta’s deep register sounded incredibly weird and fake as it echoed through Malo’s phone.
"Sweety, the cleaner is here."
"Oh, dear husband of mine... you have hands. You can open the door, right?" Malo replied, his voice dripping with absolute sarcasm.
"I’ve got to go, Faye. I’ll call you later. Bye."
"Wait, wait..."
The call ended. The screen went dark with a quiet beep, leaving Faye staring at the glass casing in utter shock.
Faye groaned and cursed at her phone before turning around...
...only to find her girlfriend standing there with her arms folded. Princess was leaning casually against the wall, her legs crossed at the ankles as she watched the omega with a totally unreadable expression.
Faye nearly jumped. Her breath caught in her throat, her feet sliding an inch back on the polished tile floor as her heart leapt into her mouth.
"Hey... are you following me now?" Faye asked. She forced a tiny, nervous chuckle, her hand quickly dropping to slide the phone into her back pocket.
"I just came to ask if you wanted popcorn or pretzels for the play," Princess replied.
Her eyes, however, made it obvious that she had heard the entire conversation.
But because of the pause button, she kept herself composed. She didn’t press the issue, her broad shoulders remaining relaxed against the wall.
"About..."
"Just so you know, it’s all Malo. Everything is on him," Faye blurted out. The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them, her eyelids blinking rapidly as she tried to shift the blame to her absent best friend.
"About Beam and Kiara... whatever you’re doing, it’s funny, but I need you to stop pushing the buttons," Princess said. She stepped forward, her voice calm and steady as she completely bypassed the phone topic.
Faye relaxed after realizing Princess wasn’t talking about the phone call. She let out a massive, relieved sigh, her shoulders dropping as the tight knot in her stomach loosened up just a bit.
"But you started it... with all the laughing," Faye replied.
"Yes, I did. Like I said, it was fun humiliating the two of them. But then I realized that Beam really likes Tisha. I’ve never seen her that happy, and as her friend, I don’t want to ruin that happiness." Princess explained. She let out a soft, genuine breath, her expression softening as she thought about the couple.
"Oh. I thought you’d use this as revenge... for sleeping with your ex." Faye murmured, tilting her head to study the alpha’s face.
"Yeah, I could do that. But I’m not the type to ruin someone’s relationship. I have plenty of ways to get back at Beamer, but not like that," Princess said.
"Beam is good at noticing things and putting clues together. If we keep doing what we’re doing, she’ll eventually figure out the truth even without her memories. And Beam has issues... so it’s better to leave things the way they are." Princess finished, her jaw setting into a firm, protective line.
"You’re such a lovely, cutie friend," Faye said as she hugged her girlfriend. She stepped into the alpha’s space, wrapping her arms tightly around Princess’s waist and burying her face against her clean-smelling shirt.
Princess leaned down, her lips meeting Faye’s in a slow, warm touch that made the noise of the theater hallway fade away entirely. Faye reached up, her fingers sliding into Princess’s hair as their breathing turned deep and synchronized.
Then Princess suddenly pulled out her phone and started typing. She broke the kiss with a sudden movement, her thumbs moving rapidly across the bright display while she held Faye close with her other arm.
"What are you typing?"
"Questions I need to ask you tonight?"
Faye mouth fell into a flat line, her eyes narrowing as the heavy reminder of their upcoming talk slammed right back into her brain. The romantic mood evaporated in a single second.
The romance was off...
The two returned to the umbrella...
...only for Faye to nearly have another heart attack.
The triple date had become a quintuple date.