Page 71 of Packing for Vacation

Hi Amokura, thank you for messaging me. For what it’s worth, I think your dad is pretty amazing too.

Hopefully you and I can meet sometime in the future.

I would LOVE that

Also just so you know, my uncles gave my dad so much shit and called him an idiot for what he did, and I lowkey agree, but I still hope you take him back

Lizzie

I wonder if they realise I stole their worn shirts.

The first night down here I left their clothes in the suitcase, but I could still smell their scents, and I cried myself to sleep sometime around 4 am.

I’ve still been tearing up at least once every night, but now their t-shirts are on the bed, taking centre-stage in my makeshift nest. I used the two t-shirts to cover a pillow each.

I sleep between those two pillows every night, breathing in the faint kawakawa, earth, pine, and sea scents.

It’s the only way I get any rest.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Scott

Before things went tits up with Lizzie, we’d discussed the idea of moving into Matiu’s place and making it a home for our pack. That conversation is still on my mind when I pull into his driveway, amplifying the anxious feeling in my chest. I haven’t been able to take a full breath for days now, and if I think too hard about the fact that we’ve managed to lose a second scent-matched omega—one whom we truly love—I think I might actually break down and cry.

Matiu is already waiting at the door by the time I let Barry out of the backseat. Barry wastes no time, leaping at Matiu as soon as he reaches him, licking and crying, his tail wagging like mad. It’s only been a few days since Matiu left the bach, but Barry has missed both him and Lizzie, and has spent a lot of time moping in the lounge, staring at the door with his sad eyes.

To be honest, I’ve been doing the same thing.

Matiu pulls me in for a quick half-hug. “What have you been up to?”

“Oh, nothing much,” I answer. “Just partaking in some mild stalking.”

“Scotty.”

“Online stalking,” I clarify, leaving my jandals at the door and following him inside. Barry is already off, exploring the house as if he owns the place. “Research, I should say.”

“Of Lizzie?”

“Not exactly, I don't wanna upset her more. Just her old pack. They were all tagged in a photo together six years ago, so it's easy to track them all down.”

“So you're stalking Lizzie.”

“No. I’m just getting to know these douchebags through their lovely social media profiles. One of them has started talking to one of those AI porn bot fake-hot-woman accounts, did you know that? He comments on every video they put up. I hope he gets scammed out of all his money.”

Matiu is silent for a moment. “Sometimes I wonder how she ever got with those men in the first place.” He looks at me. “Don’t tell her I said that.”

“I won’t. But she was young. She wanted a fairytale. They were all older, they seemed impressive because of course they did, a bunch of guys in their thirties with their own house. It’s not really anything special but I can absolutely see how a twenty-four-year-old would be won over by that. Besides, we’re not exactly in a position to judge her decision-making skills right now. Look at us.”

“Yeah I know, bunch of sad losers.”

“How’s Amo?”

“Good. Though currently unimpressed with me, she was looking forward to meeting Lizzie.”

“There’s still hope,” I say. The words sound strangled. Matiu nods once, his jaw clenched. We stand, staring at each other for a beat too long, until Matiu shrugs his shoulders.

“You might as well show me the results of your stalking, eh?”