Page 34 of Mate Matched: Xavier & Brady
“What’s wrong? Did you hear from that guy?”
I startled, my mind too caught up in what I wanted to ask him to do. “Huh, no. He’s banned from the app now. Brent helped me.”
Xavier studied me. “Good. Why did you ask me to come?”
With shaking fingers, I pulled my phone from my pocket. “I’ve been matched with someone, but they aren’t who I want. You are who I want.” I held up the open app. “You’ve been matched with someone else, haven’t you?”
“Yeah,” he admitted. He took his phone out and opened the app. “We haven’t arranged anything yet.”
“Unmatch him. I’ll do the same with mine. Then we can see if we finally match.”
“If we don’t?”
“Then we keep trying until we do, even if I’ve got to go through every damn alpha on that app to get you.”
Xavier chuckled, his eyes suspiciously damp. “Okay.” He clicked the button to remove the match.
I did the same, then refreshed like Brent had taught me.
We waited. “It can take some time,” I said, reaching for his hand. He took it. “Why don’t we walk around while we wait?”
“Sounds good. There’s a piece here I’ve wanted to show you for a while.”
For the next hour we wandered the halls of the gallery, making commentary on each of the paintings and sculptures that caught our attention. Xavier told me that Gio finally admitted defeat and returned the painting we both loved. It was a relief to know that part of his life was done.
It was so easy to be with him. We took our time exploring. In one hand, I held my phone, Xavier’s fingers wrapped around my other.
My phone dinged loudly in the gallery, attracting the attention of the other patrons. Xavier laughed under his free hand at their glares.
The banner along my screen had my heart racing:
Congratulations, Brady, we have a rare 98.5% compatibility match for you. Click here to open your Mate Matched profile.
I clicked the notification, and there, looking back at me, was Xavier’s profile.
Not only was he my Mate Match, he was damn near my perfect match.
Fourteen
Xavier
AtthesametimeBrady’s phone alerted him to a new match, mine also came up with a match. I hit the notification. My stomach felt as if it was tied up in knots. The match was so incredibly high, I doubted it was possible to get a higher match.
With one eye on Brady as he opened his notification, I hit accept.
It was him. All these matches, weeks of uncertainty, and there he was, my near perfect match: Brady.
My heart feeling full, I accepted, and saw Brady smirk as he did the same.
Congratulations, Xavier, you are now Mate Matched. Please contact your match to arrange your first date. May this be the first step towards love.
We didn’t need a date, but I’d take him on one, just as soon as I held him.
I opened my arms to him, and Brady came to me, tucking his head under my chin. I wrapped my arms around him and sighed, finally feeling like this whole ordeal was done.
The dates Brady had gone on were nightmare fuel. Each one had a chance of being the guy who would steal my Brady, my omega, from me for good. Yet each time they failed, I had this pit of guilt that grew because while I was relieved, I knew it hurt Brady.
During his time on the app, I didn’t accept a single date. Of course, as an alpha, there were fewer opportunities for me. Still, there had been two matches before the one I’d just declined, and neither ended up with anything more than a hello. I politely explained to each one that they were not the one I was looking for, and I wished them the best. Hopefully, they were onto a better match. They deserved it.
