“I miss him, Frank. Is that such a crime?” I adjusted Frank’s chair. He reached for the cigar box, but I grabbed it just before his fingers brushed against the wooden edges.

“You hiding my cigars is a crime against humanity,” he muttered, angrily. “I’m going to stop giving you advice if you keep doing that.”

“Frank, they’re terrible for you. You already know this,” I growled.

“I already gave up the damn sugar. What else do you want from me? Next thing I know, you’ll take away my TV,” Frank said.

I laughed and sat down next to him. I rolled a blanket on top of his thighs because he always kept the room at sixty degrees. “I just don’t want to get fired. What if I’m sick and another aide is called in? They’re going to know that I’ve been letting you sneak those things,” I said.

Frank waved his hand at me, as usual. “Fine. I can suffer, I suppose,” he said.

I sat back in the chair and watched the muted images on the television screen. They displayed Holloway Jordan’s hospitalized body. Underneath him were the words: “Pending Lawsuit?”

“So, you’re going to give him a second chance,” Frank said. “I had a feeling this was going to happen.”

“I’m not,” I said as confident as I could. The truth was that I had no idea what I’d do. All I knew is that I didn’t want to stop seeing him.

“I can see it in your damn eyes, omega. So, tell me. What exactly happened?” Frank asked.

Frank was never judgmental, even though he liked to make a bigger deal out of situations with his words. Frank would always support me, no matter what, but his words of wisdom always helped me gather my thoughts.

“I went to his house. We talked for a little bit. I slept over,” I admitted, shutting my eyes tightly.

“You… slept over?” Frank asked.

“I didn’t do anything, so don’t even go there, Frank. We just talked and played video games,” I said.

Addison’s scent flowed back into my memory. I smiled, gazing at the wall. I couldn’t stop thinking about that alpha.

“You’re not telling me the whole truth. You can’t lie to an old omega. You probably held hands and kissed all night,” Frank said.

“Actually…” I stopped myself. A guilty smile shrouded my omega innocence.

“You hooked up with him?” Frank asked, eyes wide.

“We just held hands. Platonically. We’re best friends,” I said.

“Best friends!” Frank started laughing hysterically. His grand display ended up with him hacking out a lung.

I ran to grab the box of tissues. I handed them to Frank. “You’re getting way too worked up about this,” I said.

Frank’s face was a deep shade of red. “I live for my gossip,” he said.

I rolled my eyes and walked toward the bathroom. It was time for his medicine. I grabbed the insulin kit and walked back to my chair. “Do you want to do it, or me?” I asked him.

He groaned. “I can do it myself,” he said. “You always like to torture me after I call you out.”

I broke out laughing. “Not true,” I said.

Frank took his glucose levels. His fingers were swollen from the arthritis, and his wrists shook as he held the kit. It made me realize how fragile every moment was. “There,” he said. “All set. My levels are fine. Now, can I have a cigar?”

“Not today. You can have one next week,” I said.

His upper lip quivered with mild contempt, but I couldn’t be bothered to help him in that department. “So, you still love Addison?” he asked.

I shrugged. “Love is an all-encompassing word. I care about him, you know? But I don’t know if I’m ready to be with him again, or anything like that.”

Frank held out his arms. I hugged him as our time was coming to an end for the day. The next aide would be coming any minute now. “I like to give you a hard time. What can I say? It’s amusing sometimes. I hope you don’t get offended. It’s the way I talk to friends,” he whispered.

“Frank, you’re the least of my worries right now,” I said.

He released and exhaled quietly. “If you love him, keep an open heart for him. That’s all I can say,” he whispered.

I was trying my best, but it was hard not to shut the door to my heart when I felt like things were moving too fast. “But we were together for so long. I’ve heard stories of people rekindling their love, but I’m not sure it’s actually possible,” I said.

“I’m 74 years old, Kristoff. If there’s one thing I can tell you, it’s that anything is possible,” Frank said.

“Anything?” I winked.

“Oh, get a room,” he said, waving me out the front door.

I checked my phone. It was only five o’clock, which meant I could go home, turn on a good rom-com with a big glass of wine. I could pass out and have a great night’s sleep.

But as soon as I entered my car, I got the urge to see Addison. He was a short drive north, at his parent’s cabin. I loved his family so much, but I wasn’t exactly invited.

I wanted to know about Addison’s trip to the hospital. I knew that experience was tremendous for him, so I wanted to hear everything about it.

I made a split second decision. I was going to crash his parent’s house.

The drive was less anxiety-inducing than last time, but my pulse was still racing. I pulled off to the side of the road, as a sign read: “Flowers.”

I walked up the dirt path and waved at the omega behind the booth. “You’re the first customer all day,” he said. Behind him, the sun was barely peeking its head out from the mountains.

“I’m surprised. It’s such a beautiful Californian day,” I said.

“The drought made me realize people want flowers on rainy days.” The man chuckled and ran his finger against his dark brown mustache. “Anyway, everything is half off right now. Me and my husband are trying to get rid of the ones in the front here.”

I bent down and examined the sunflowers and tulips. Then, I reached into my wallet and counted my money. I didn’t have much, but I hadn’t been spending too much lately. I could splurge a little on my friend Addison.

“I’m not sure what flower I should pick out. I’m really bad at this,” I said.

“What’s the occasion? Will they be for your boyfriend?” he asked.

Friend. Is that what he was to me? It didn’t feel right calling him that. It felt too informal. Addison held a piece of my heart, in a way that no one else had before. Was he my best friend? Maybe, but even that felt inappropriate.

“It’s for someone who is very near and dear to my heart. He’s not a friend, but he’s not a boyfriend either. Well, he’s my ex-boyfriend, but he’s more than that. Ugh,” I groaned.

The man laughed as he stood next to me, examining each flower. “It sounds like you’re in quite the predicament,” he said.

“I am,” I sighed. “I love him but I’m not sure I’m in love with him. Does that make sense?”

“The sunflowers are cute, and it’s what I’d choose if I were you. Roses are a bit too formal,” he said, touching the end of his chin with his forefinger. “Tulips. They’re nice, but they’re not my favorite.”

“I’ll go with the sunflower. It’s not too suggestive,” I said.

“Good choice. You don’t want to walk into a weird situation with a bouquet of roses in your hand,” he said.

I laughed and gave me him a twenty-dollar bill. “Keep the change, okay? Oh, and thanks. I think this is a great choice,” I said.

At least I wasn’t walking in with a full bouquet of roses. That would have been inappropriate. Outlandish. Downright wrong.

But Addison was my wild rose, covered in thorns. He was the golden crown, thrown across the floor after the prom. The worst part was that I was still in love with our experiences. He was still a part of me, but I was scared of being left behind in his wake again.

The car ride was shorter than I expected. I knocked on the front door, but the loud music coming from the inside of the house must have covered my noises up. I decided I was family enough. I twisted the door handle open and peeked my head inside.

“Hello?” I called out. The loud jazz music clanged and crashed violently. I saw Addison at the end of the hallway, staring at the framed Omega Wolves jersey. The number 23 shined brightly in front of us his face.

“Addison!” I yelled. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you today. I got you something,” I said, holding out the sunflowers.

Addison turned around, chest pumping with choked air. His face was glistening with sweat. He tried to give his best smile, but I could see that something was wrong with him.

“You came for me?” he asked.

At that moment, something inside of me changed. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was starting to go into heat, and it was all because of Addison’s reintegration into my life.

“I came,” I whispered. I lifted up the flowers, hands shaking.

Addison took the long, scratchy stems into his hands. Our fingers connected for a brief moment. He smelled the center of the orange flowers and closed his eyes with pleasure. The tears in his eyes slowly started to dry.

“I missed you,” he whispered.

Shit. I missed him too.