Page 50 of The Omega Switch: Part 2

For the next hour we worked side by side, arranging the laboratory exactly the way she wanted it. Every once in a while, Nora would peek into the workshop from the boutique to check in, reassuring Ivy that everything out front was under control. This was good - it would let Ivy stay in the laboratory without constantly worrying about the store. I noticed how much more relaxed she seemed now that she had help running things.

The movers finally left, and Ivy stood in the center of the room, turning as she took everything in.

"It feels..." She searched for the right word before smiling to herself. "Like it might actually work." I leaned against one of the new workbenches.

“I can’t wait to see what you come up with next,” I said, looking at her with pride. The woman had the mind of a true genius. She laughed, then reached for the notebook she'd been working in earlier.

"Actually, would you mind taking a look at something?" She asked.

"I'd love to," I said as she opened the notebook and showed me her work. They weren't finished formulas yet, but I immediately recognized the excitement in her eyes.

"I have a few ideas for new products - entirely new. Nothing anyone can take away from me.” As she spoke, I noticed that where there used to be nervousness and hesitation, there was now just confidence. She spoke like she was sure of herself and her knowledge.

I looked over the sketched diagrams while she explained how different botanical extracts could release over time, creating a prolonged stage of calming rather than a single burst of relief. One idea led into another - she started talking about nesting blankets infused with slow-release botanicals, bath oils designed specifically for anxious omegas before a heat, and other concepts.

I found myself forgetting how to speak. She was truly brilliant. Not just because of her creativity and knowledge, though those were impressive. It was because every invention she came up with was to answer the question of how she could make someone’s life a little better. It was compassion translated into chemistry. She finally paused to catch her breath, then looked at me sheepishly.

"I've been talking for too long, haven't I?" she asked, biting her lip.

"I was hoping you wouldn't stop," I said. She smiled as a blush spread across her cheeks.

Hours passed as I fell into the enchantment of working on the concepts with her. Every now and then I’d give my opinion, adding in an idea on how people might react to a certain fragrance or how the chemicals might interact with one another. I reached across her to retrieve a pipette just as she turned around, and we collided. It knocked a small beaker from my hand.

A green dye used for aesthetics splashed across the front of her apron. She looked down dramatically, then lifted her eyes to me.

"Elias." She said in a warning tone.

"I can explain," I said, raising my hands up.

“No need to explain. You made me green. Now it’s time for your color.”

Before I could respond, she dipped the end of a pipette into a beaker of dye and flicked a tiny droplet directly onto my forehead.

I blinked in surprise. Her eyes widened, and in the metal reflection of the table I saw that I had blue spots all over my forehead.

"I probably shouldn't have done that," she said, cringing. I slowly reached for another pipette.

"No, you probably shouldn't have," I warned. She squealed as I flicked a few harmless drops toward her sleeve, immediately ducking behind the workbench with another laugh.

For the next several minutes, our professionalism disappeared, and I felt like a kid again. We hid behind stainless steel tables like children in a play fight, launching tiny droplets of dye at one another while our lab jackets turned into tie-dye crafts.

Her laughter echoed through the laboratory, and I realized I would gladly lose every battle we ever fought if it meant hearing that sound again. Eventually we surrendered, taken over by laughter, both of us smiling as we sat down on the ground. Her lab was now a mess of food dye. Easy to clean, but a mess, nonetheless.

“I’ll help you clean up,” I offered, and she turned to me, her face a kaleidoscope now with little freckles of color. I reached to push a stray lock behind her ear before I could help it. That’s when it hit me. Her perfume came out, strong and healthy. The moment the fragrance reached me, everything else disappeared.

It was rain falling into delicate white blossoms. The feeling of comfort. It wasn't simply beautiful - it was healed, certain, and warm. It was everything Ivy herself had become. My instincts surged so powerfully I had to steady myself against the workbench. She noticed, then her eyes went wide as she scrambled, reaching into a cabinet and pulling out a dropper. She quickly tried to rub an oil into her scent gland, and I realized she was embarrassed.

"Ivy," I said, and she lifted her eyes to mine in uncertainty. "That’s the most extraordinary scent I've ever experienced." She stared at me, swallowing hard.

"I mean it," I said softly. "I’ve smelled fragrances and perfumes from more people than most. And none of them have ever made me feel what yours does."

Her shoulders relaxed. Her perfume had begun to bloom around us, soft and warm. She took a hesitant step toward me, and I found myself doing the same. Her eyes drifted to my mouth before lifting again, silently asking a question neither of us seemed brave enough to voice. I leaned forward slowly, giving her every opportunity to stop me. She didn't.

Our breaths mingled, the space between us shrinking to almost nothing -

"Ivy!"

Nora's voice broke the silence. We both jerked apart as though waking from a dream. Nora stood in the workshop doorway, her face pale.