When he looked up, he found the rest of the shop empty. Mr. Spinach had been the last customer of the day. Olivier didn’t want to stand, didn’t want to count the measly earnings tucked away in the cash register. If he did, it would only prove that the days of Olivier’s Strings were numbered.
So he looked at the rest of the shop—the shelves of guitar strings, the violins perched in their glass cases. Past the windows, the streets of downtown Meadowfall were lit by orange street lamps, and small groups of people strolled down the sidewalks.
Someone paused outside, peering into the shop.
It was someone with broad shoulders and a strong jaw, someone with spiky blond hair that Olivier knew far too well. It was an alpha, whose gaze swept around the entire store and locked on the glass counter. Then, Olivier.
It was Eric.
Olivier’s heart stopped. He should’ve known, when Eric made that phone call. But he hadn’t thought Eric would track him down this soon.
Surprise flashed in Eric’s eyes. He opened his mouth, and the expression on his face... it was unreadable.
Do you still hate me? Olivier shrank away from the window, his chest squeezing. His fantasies of meeting Eric seemed ludicrous, suddenly. He was in heat. He couldn’t be trusted to make the right decisions.
It wasn’t as though Eric would come any closer, though. It wasn’t like Eric would remember those days in the past, it wasn’t like he’d remember kissing Olivier’s wrist.
Except Eric stepped toward the door, determined. Olivier closed his eyes, dread pooling in his gut.
Eric was probably still furious with him.
And Olivier... wanted to give all of himself to his brother.
2
Eric
Eric peered through the storefront window, his heart pounding.
He couldn’t forget the call he’d just made—Olivier’s voice in his ear, Olivier sounding like he’d been right next to Eric.
It had been... intimate. It wasn’t something he should be doing. He’d just lost Alice last month; his heart still hurt. Eric still remembered the grave, the paperwork, the burial.
You didn’t go looking for an omega when yours had just died.
All Eric had wanted was to shake off the grief that had been hanging around him like a shroud. He’d wanted to distract himself with work. So he’d decided to visit Olivier’s Strings in person, look at the store he’d been setting up branches to compete against.
Total Sounds had planned for two branches in Meadowfall. Eric had taken up the project a few months ago, sent a couple of his staff to scout out product prices in town. Then he’d overseen the building construction, run thousand-dollar ads to advertise the branches’ grand opening.
He’d spent months on the project, never once thinking that the person who owned Olivier’s Strings... was his brother.
It couldn’t have been. There were so many other Oliviers around. Eric had glimpsed the name in his reports, and he’d blown it off.
He hadn’t wanted anything to do with Olivier, anyway. Olivier had hurt him first.
Years and years ago, Eric’s mom had married Olivier’s dad. Olivier hadn’t wanted to speak to Eric, until Eric convinced Olivier to teach him the Beta Fish game. Over time, Olivier had snuggled under the sheets with Eric, and they’d read storybooks with a flashlight, way past bedtime.
When Eric was twelve and Olivier presented as omega, Eric had sniffed at him. Ollie had smelled like carnations, and somehow, Eric had gotten it into his head that Olivier would be his omega when they grew up.
On Olivier’s eighteenth birthday, Eric had presented as alpha. He’d thought Olivier would want him. Gods knew Olivier had trembled when Eric kissed him, he’d moaned when Eric touched him, and musk had rolled off Olivier’s skin.
Eric had wanted to mark him that night, with the traffic beneath them and the fire escape rails cool against his palm. Olivier had stared up at him, his pupils blown wide.
I love you, Eric had said.
I don’t love you, Olivier had answered.
Then Olivier had walked away, shattering Eric’s heart.
Eric had sworn never to speak to his stepbrother again. He’d left for the boarding school in Highton, he’d graduated from his pre-college program, majoring in business in college. Then he’d met Alice, and gotten married.
He’d never forgotten Olivier, though. Never forgotten the love, and the lung-crushing pain.
So Eric had built his life around that—keeping his heart sheltered, marrying an omega he’d befriended, but refused to truly love.
Alice had still gotten the better of him, anyway. Even though Eric hadn’t loved her like he’d loved Olivier, she’d still become a close friend. And so her death had hurt, and Eric had sworn a second time that he wasn’t looking for an omega.
It was dangerous, allowing people into his heart.
Eric hesitated next to the door of Olivier’s Strings, knowing he should leave. He should return to his parents’ place, where he’d left Jenn. He’d already fucked up by calling Olivier once.
Ten minutes ago, he’d held his phone, expecting to say I’m back in town, you fucker. Except Olivier’s voice had been soft, tired, and Eric... couldn’t do it.
He hesitated next to his car, thinking about leaving.
Except... he’d also screwed over Olivier’s shop, big time.
I should say sorry. And then I’ll get outta here.
It wasn’t as though he owed Olivier anything. Olivier had betrayed him. Olivier had lied, and he was a damn bastard. For years, Eric had been furious with him.
He held on to a thread of that old anger. Strode up to the door, pushing it open.
The bells jingled. Inside, the shop smelled like the woodsy scents of alphas, the grassy scents of betas, and the flowery scents of omegas. Past that, Eric smelled wood and polish, and jasmine and carnation.
Even though he didn’t want to, he stopped, breathing in deeper, chasing that carnation scent.
It had been so long. And Olivier’s scent was... comforting. Familiar. It eased the grief in Eric’s chest.
Olivier stood at the counter, frozen, his eyes wide.
Eric read
