Blizzards and Brews (Holiday Hollow Omegaverse)

Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Lindsay

S pencer’s face was set in a determined glare as he eyeballed his target. He took a slow, deep breath before shifting his arm back and letting the ball loose as he brought it forward.

The makeshift bowling ball glided across the wood floor of the bar and we watched with rapt attention that our silly game didn’t really deserve.

We were already desperate.

Adam had found an old croquet set in the huge storage room and Dustin insisted on making a bowling game. He’d already won twice now and the alphas were chomping at the bit to beat his record.

The ball came into contact with the intricate disposable cup pyramid that we’d created. The cups flew apart, half of the pyramid tumbling to the floor, leaving the cups on the edges still standing proud.

“Shit,” he cursed, letting out a groan but he was fighting back a smile.

“Ha!” Adam said as he pumped his fist into the air, doing a little victory dance.

It was official. We’d already lost our minds.

The blizzard had only trapped us a few hours ago and we were already struggling. According to the news, it was still building in size and threatening to trap us for several days. The moment they said it was ‘the worst we’d seen in our lifetimes’ I knew we were in for winter hell.

After we got the news, we couldn’t seem to turn our minds back to work. Dustin and Ollie went to scavenge through the storage room and thankfully, found some old camping gear. How we hadn’t cleared out all the junk that was in there in the last few years, I didn’t know, but I wasn’t going to complain.

Their dads had always taken them on camping trips every year. Apparently, they stored it all in the very back of our storage, which meant we had not only a few sleeping bags and blow-up mattresses, we also had lanterns. The batteries were weak but Adam replaced them, placing a few around the bar and filling the main room with the glowing light.

For now, we were trying to pass the time. It was too early to sleep and honestly, I was way too wound up at this point.

Sure, we could get drunk, but that sounded like a recipe for disaster on day one.

“My turn,” Adam said, picking up the ball. He waited while Dustin and I dove in, picking up the cups and resetting it. Dustin’s eyes met mine and we bit back laughter at the alpha’s competitive side.

“Come on, be my good luck charm,” Spencer teased, pulling me in when we’d finished. Adam’s eyes narrowed at us as Spencer teased a kiss over my temple. There was a low, rumbling growl before he launched the ball at the cups with a lot more force than necessary.

With how fast it cut through the pyramid, he’d officially gotten the lowest score yet. It tore through a few cups, leaving the rest.

“Fuck this game,” he grumbled, stalking toward the bar and pulling out a glass. He poured himself a shot of whiskey and took it before Ollie jumped in.

“Okay, enough games,” he said. “Who is hungry? We need to whip up some food.” He eyeballed the glass Adam was refilling as he said it.

“Sorry, angel, I shouldn’t have goaded him,” Spencer said, a bit sheepish now. Dustin clapped him on the shoulder.

“It’s not just that, he’s frustrated that he can’t express the easy affection he wants to like you can.” He also gave me an apologetic smile and I had to swallow the guilt bubbling in me.

Did they think holding back was easy for me?

I’ve wanted them since we were younger but I knew better. We weren’t right as a pack. Not yet at least.

There was still a lot of space to work through but we weren’t going to do it by getting frustrated and angry.

Right now, Adam needed space. I needed to think. We all needed to make it through this.

When I didn’t follow them to the kitchen, Ollie came back out to check on me.

“Are you alright?” he asked softly.

“I’m fine,” I promised. “Just a bit thrown off from the blizzard.”

“Hey, I wasn’t trying to be an asshole,” Dustin said as he walked back out to join us.

“No, it’s true and I get it,” I said, shaking my head. “Sometimes it just reminds me we have a rift between us in a lot of ways.”

“Not one we can’t cross, Lindsay,” Ollie said gently. Raised voices had us freezing and looking at each other.

“Fuck, we left the alphas unattended,” Dustin said, grabbing my wrist and dragging me with him into the kitchen. Adam was chopping up some chicken while Spencer was washing and cutting up veggies. They were working together, though Adam was much more angry and Spencer seemed to be trying to not make it worse.

The stovetops were gas, so we at least had the ability to use the flames to cook, otherwise we would really be in trouble.

“I think they have it handled,” Ollie snorted.

“Ollie, tortillas. Dustin, drinks for everyone. Lindsay, could you please grab some plates?”

I was the only one he said it in a normal tone so I just nodded, laughing as I went off to do what he asked while Dustin raised hell at his barked orders.

Day one and no one had died, not too bad, right?

“If someone doesn’t stop snoring, I’m taping mouths closed!” Ollie protested as he punched his uncomfortable pillow and tried to get comfortable.

I’d seen Ollie’s bed at home and I’d seen his nest as well, one pillow and a sleeping bag was absolutely nothing to him. Unfortunately the air mattress had a hole we couldn’t patch. The mounds of pillows and blankets, of varying soft texture, that he favored were a far cry from our current predicament. I hated that I couldn’t make it better for him in that moment.

In reality, no one was actually snoring, it was just eerily silent in here thanks to the lack of power. I’d been up for an hour already and the sun was starting to stream in.

Trying to be as quiet as possible I snuck out of my sleeping bag and tiptoed into the kitchen so I could start the coffee maker. It wasn’t until I was there that I realized that wasn’t an option.

“Guess I’m getting creative,” I grumbled. I grabbed a pot and added water before putting coffee grounds into a filter and securing the top with butcher’s twine.

I’d rifled through these drawers enough to find everything fairly easy. Honestly, I was just impressed my morning brain could manage. Then again, there wasn’t a lot I wouldn’t do for coffee.

The door swung open and a sleepy Adam came stumbling in. He blinked over at me as his eyes adjusted to the lantern light.

“What are you doing?”

“Coffee,” I said as I pointed at the pot. “We can’t use the coffee maker, so I got creative.”

He smirked at that. “Anything for caffeine.”

“You know me so well.”

His eyes softened and he nodded. “I do.”

“You want some?” I asked as I grabbed a mug for myself. He gave a quick yes, so I grabbed two instead.

“Hey, sorry about the bad mood yesterday,” Adam said gently, not quite meeting my eyes. “I’ll work on it. Maybe we could talk–”

Ollie barreled through the door, his eyes bloodshot and brown hair askew. He had the sleeping bag wrapped around his shoulders and even with the frown he wore, he was absolutely adorable.

“Adam, please tell me there’s actual coffee and you’re not just scenting around our beta.”

Ollie made his way between us, tucking in close and all but demanding we make a little comfort bubble of an omega sandwich.

“There’s coffee, Roly Poly Olly,” I assured him, giving him what he needed and squeezing him tight.

Adam joined me, his hands covering mine as his eyes met mine above his brother’s head.

I could feel the heat from his touch sink into my skin, feel the frustration from him that we’d been interrupted but also the warmth for his brother.

Nothing I said to him would make it better, not right now, so I focused on what I could control. Namely making sure our sweet omega didn’t turn into a grumpy grizzly.

Ollie was the kindest person I knew, and he didn’t often get in a mood like this, but when he did, it was always better to try and be proactive to his needs.

“You may need to make more,” he said, bending down to bury his face in the crook of my neck. “I might need to drink the whole thing.”

The door swung open again and in walked Dustin and Spencer both of them looking just as tired as we all felt.

Ollie’s head swung their direction and he all but threw himself at Spencer, the alpha not missing a beat as he wrapped him in his arms.

“Good morning to you too, sleepy head,” Spencer said, chuckling fondly. “I heard you're in the mood for coffee.”

“I got it,” I said, my arms now empty. I pulled down five mugs and lined them up.

Adam jumped into action, grabbing the bin of sugar off the shelf and doctoring the first three the way Ollie, Dustin, and I liked them. Yes, he was the kind of purist that preferred his coffee black. Of course, he said he did that to balance his sweet tooth. One that adorably enough, rivaled Ollie’s.

Turning toward Spencer who had Ollie still tucked into his chest, I raised an eyebrow at him questioning.

“Cream and one sugar, please angel.”

They looked so freaking adorable together that my jaded, little heart melted a bit more. I’d never seen Ollie affectionate with anyone, I mean outside the hugs he sometimes sought out.

I passed out the mugs, everyone seeming to focus on getting their caffeine intake as we enjoyed a moment of silence.

Adam’s gaze never strayed too far away from me, and I could tell that he was about to reach his boiling point. Of course, snowed in together in our bar was probably the worst place for it to happen.

He’d been so absolute the other night when we’d spoken, but I saw the way his eyes tightened every time Spencer called me ‘angel’ or showed me affection.

My stomach rumbled, breaking my musings.

“We need to use what we can in the cooler before it goes bad and try not to open it,” Dustin said. “Let’s get you fed.”

“I’d offer to cook, but breakfast is something I’ve never really mastered. I can cook about any kind of meat or seafood but eggs always seem to elude me,” Spencer admitted.

Adam grumbled something under his breath that had Dustin smacking his shoulder.

“I want pancakes,” Ollie said looking up to Spencer. “Would you like to help me make them? I could show you how.”

A wide smile stretched across the alpha’s lips. “I’d love that, sweets. Maybe you can fill me in on all the good stories of you and our angel while you give me a lesson. I promise I’ll be a good student.”

Ollie shivered at his words and I couldn’t blame him, remembering exactly how talented Spencer was. If the sudden burst of caramel-marshmallow scent was any indication, Ollie and I were on the exact same page.

Adam took his coffee and stormed out of the kitchen.

“I don’t think he wants to hear about you playing student and teacher with his brother,” I said.

Dustin laughed. “He didn’t storm out because of Ollie, babe. You smell all kinds of delectable right now, even to me. I bet it’s only stronger for Adam with his senses.”

Disbelief hit me, my cheeks warming at his words. I turned to Ollie and Spencer questioningly.

“He’s right, Linds,” Ollie said softly. “You smell delicious.”

With all three of their heated glazes on me, I shifted where I stood and downed my coffee, immediately pouring myself another cup.

I was completely and utterly fucked, and I was snowed in with four men who wanted more from me than I had ever given before.

They wanted everything.

And I could only hope we all survived this powder keg before our emotions got the best of us.