Three Alphas, Three Mates

Chapter 37 - I Have a Plan

"Carson," I start. I don't want to say the stereotypical cheater line, "How long have you been there?" so I just stand awkwardly in the middle of the hallway, waiting for him to say something.

I expect him to get mad, upset, enraged. I expect him to tell me how he won't stand for this kind of treatment any longer. He just sits there. He doesn't even look at me. He just leans his head back against the wall, in silence.

I don't know what to do. I end up just sitting beside him, pulling my knees up to my chest. I leave some space between us. Not a lot, just enough for him to decide how close he wants to be. I know he hates... other scents.

But it's not like Aiden and I really did anything, technically. We didn't kiss. The only things he touched were my hands. And I touched his chest, but no clothes came off. Emotionally it was intense, but nothing physical happened. None of the usual stuff Carson gets mad over.

So why do I feel like I'm still in the doghouse? Oh yeah. The Axel situation.

I sigh, rubbing my forehead. "Carson, I..." I don't know what else to say. I wrap my arms around my legs.

He rests his elbow on one of his knees. "Mia." He's the one who tries this time.

I turn to him, giving him my full attention. "Yeah?"

He stares into my eyes. "I... Earlier...." He's about to say something, but the words die off his mouth. He shakes his head.

My heart drops. I pull my knees closer to my chest. I keep saying today's been a rollercoaster. Well, here's the worst part. The part when the ride is already over and you're just waiting to be freed from the bars. All the highs are gone. The loops. The curves. The fun parts. You're either left with the rush of the adrenaline... or the need to rush to a trash can. Right now, it's the latter.

"Which did you choose?" he asks.

I raise an eyebrow. "What?"

"With Krys?" he clarifies. "Which mask did you..." Realization dawns on his face. "Oh..." He leans further against the wall. "You didn't do a mask either. Just like you didn't watch the movie."

I shake my head. "No, I did. I chose the water one. See." I point to my face. It better look extremely moisturized like the girl in the picture. My relationship is at stake.

He nods, to my relief. "Well," he keeps going. "I usually choose the brightening citrus, but that's just me."

I laugh a little. What? "You do facial masks?"

He nods without any hesitation. "Krys doesn't exactly give us a choice when it comes to it, but..." He looks back at me, smirking. "I won't pass up an opportunity to pamper myself. Lord knows I need it with this pack."

I laugh again. He chuckles, but then his face falls. The laughter dies off. The silence takes over—again. I want to try to save the good vibes, but I don't know how.

"Well..." He rubs his hands down his face before standing up. "I really went all out today with Bri and the guys, so I'm gonna go to bed."

I don't mention the fact that I don't see a drop of sweat on him.

"You can go hang out with her and Krys... Or Aiden and Axel. Whatever you want." He quite literally walks away. That's it. He just leaves.

I furrow my brow. "Carson?" Hello?

"Yeah." He doesn't stop.

"I thought we could hang out, actually."

He shakes his head. "I have training to do later. I really need to go to sleep."