I hadn’t seen Addison in many years, but I never forgot the intimate details about him. His smell would come into my nose every so often. Sometimes, it would happen when I was alone in my bed. Other times, I’d be out shopping, and the wave would just hit me. His importance to me was so devastating at times that I’d have to rush home to get a grip on myself.

I couldn’t forget his boy-next-door smile or his charming blue eyes. Nor could I imagine a world without his muscular body, running around the backyard, showing off his new moves.

But as I pulled up to the Matthews’ residence, I came to a slow halt. The grass was a little unkempt, and there was a lack of childhood spirit, but it was still the same house I lost my virginity in. It would always be the space where I fell in love with Addison.

I felt a cold wave of shock wash over my body. What if Addison turned angry? Or what if he had another boyfriend now? What if he told me to leave?

I quickly pulled out my phone and typed out the words, “Hey, Addison. This is kind of weird, but you know that your parents invited me over for dinner, right?”

I waited almost a minute in silence for Addison to respond, but he didn’t. I saw those three little dots pop up in the corner. He was typing something lengthy. Of course, they disappeared after a few seconds.

I couldn’t leave right when I got there, so I carefully stepped out of the car and began walking toward the front door. Then, I saw the bright, beaming headlights of a new Cadillac pull up.

Shit.

Addison stepped out of the car and ran his palms down the pockets of his faded jeans. He didn’t smile, but he didn’t frown either. He merely walked up to me and waved. “To answer your question… no. They didn’t tell me,” he said.

I gulped. There were a million things I wanted to say, but really, I just wanted to reach out and touch his face and thick pink lips. I wanted to kiss around the edges of his prominent eyebrows and smell his cologne again.

I went against my impulses because I knew the past was gone, and that we had to move on. “I guess we just walked into an ambush, huh?” I asked him, awkwardly smiling.

“It’s fine. Let’s just keep it casual. Cool?” he asked.

“Sure, Addison,” I muttered.

The alpha I once knew walked right past me. He opened the door to his old home and called out to his parents. “Hey guys, I’m home!”

“Son!” Both Dill and Caleb came running out in cooking-appropriate attire. They jumped back when they saw me behind him. “And there’s the man of the hour! Come here, Kristoff.”

Addison’s eyes rolled in the back of his head. For a second there, I thought I caught him smirking, but as soon as I looked at him, his face changed back into his solemn self.

I awkwardly hugged his parents and felt the strain of the situation take over my body. I shouldn’t have been there. I thought the distance was enough, but Addison didn’t look happy at all.

All four of us walked into the kitchen. The food smelled delicious. Light jazz music played over the speakers in the living room.

I loved his parents so much. They were elegant and had their own set of taste. I was never sure how they gave birth to such an alpha jock, but I guess it kind of made sense. Addison rebelled as best he could.

“So, were you guys going to tell me about this lovely reunion, or were you trying your hardest to hide it from me?” Addison asked his parents.

Caleb massaged his son’s shoulders. “Calm yourself, boy. You’re always so high-strung,” he said.

“It’s just not cool. You could have mentioned it to me,” Addison went on.

I cleared my throat and shifted my eyes toward the door. Hearing the angered tone in Addison’s voice really bummed me out. “You know, on second thought, I think I’m going to call it a night. It was nice seeing you all again, but I’m feeling tired,” I said.

“Stop,” Addison muttered. I turned around to face him. The heavy emotions took hold of me, but I didn’t say a word. I wanted to hear what he had to say, but I was intent on leaving.

“I’m… well, I’m sorry. I’ve had a hard few months,” Addison said, sitting down.

“He hates talking about his feelings,” Caleb said.

Addison ran his hands over his face. “Why are you guys putting me on the spot like this?” he asked, eyes glazed with pained desperation.

I didn’t know how to react. I wanted to hold him, to tell him that it wasn’t his fault that someone got hurt. But I just couldn’t do it. I wasn’t his omega anymore. I wasn’t even his friend.

“Because you barely leave your mansion, son,” Dill said. “Don’t act like you haven’t been drinking every day. I’ve heard the alcohol dripping from your voice nearly every time we’ve talked. We wanted to invite Kristoff to dinner because he knows you best. We thought it would be good for you to talk about what happened.”

Addison stood up from his seat and faced me. His chest was close to mine, and I could smell his sweet cologne once again. “Thank you for coming, Kristoff. But I’m damaged, and I’m never going to come back from this.”

I watched as he walked to his old room. He slammed the door, and the house turned silent.