24. Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-four
Axel
I shoved my duffel bag into my van before popping into the pub. Dylan and Milly were doing the final bits and pieces before opening up for the day.
The two of them had ganged up on me a few days ago and insisted that with Dylan leaving in September for his new job, I needed to replace him with two part-timers so we weren’t stretched so thin. A new girl, Soraya, would be doing a trial shift with Milly tomorrow.
With Dylan working Monday-Friday each week, it would be nice not to be working every weekend, so that’s what finally got me to relent.
“Heading off now?” Dylan asked when he spotted me in the doorway.
I nodded and made my way over to him.
“Dyl, do you know any of the rules of rugby?” I asked.
He cocked his head like a curious spaniel. “None.”
I laughed and held his face between my palms, planting a kiss to those pink, pillowy lips of his. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Bring me back a shirt with your name on it?”
“You mean Pippa’s name on it?” I raised my eyebrow at him.
He stood on his tip toes and whispered, “If you bring me one back, I’ll wear that and nothing else while you fuck me from behind. I’m pretty sure you’ll be seeing your name on my back, babe.“ He stepped back with a smug look on his face.
My cock immediately swelled, and I had to tuck it into my waistband before I accidentally pointed the thing at my cousin, who was counting the till about twelve feet away.
“ You are nothing but trouble. This better have gone down by the time I pick up your brother.”
Dylan snorted, then kissed me goodbye.
I’d texted Cooper that I was setting off, so I found him waiting on the curb outside his flat. He dived into the passenger seat and proceeded to pull out several bags of sweets.
“Road trip snacks.” He grinned and connected his phone to the Bluetooth to play music.
I was glad Milly had nudged me to do this. I’d missed spending time alone with Cooper more than I’d realised. As we drove down the motorway towards Cunningham City, belting out our favourite songs, I felt lighter.
Cooper had been the most consistent person in my entire life, and I’d forgotten how settled I felt when I was with him. Like putting on a comfortable pair of boots that had moulded to the shape of your feet perfectly.
I drove us straight to Pippa’s apartment block, she’d given our names to the concierge who let us upstairs so we could drop off our stuff before the game. Pippa was already at the stadium.
We both sported ‘King’ rugby shirts on our walk to the match and we spotted several other families in red and white striped Vixon Vipers shirts along the way. The men’s team, the Raynard Warriors, had been playing like shit for years now while the Vipers had been winning cups for nearly a decade, and they now had such big support that they got prime time on the sports channel.
Cooper spotted a food van outside, so we both ordered a box of fried chicken wings and a pint of lukewarm beer in plastic cups to take inside.
It turned out that we needn’t have bothered because Pippa had got us seats in the family VIP box, which had a full working bar and a buffet.
Cooper and I were the first to arrive, so we sat in the far corner while the staff finished setting everything up.
While we sat and munched on chicken wings, I tried to pluck up the courage to have the conversation with Cooper that I’d been putting off.
“Um… you know when me and Dylan got together, did you feel weird about it?”
Cooper looked at me with his eyebrows bunched up in confusion. “Maybe a little? Only at first. I already knew he’d had feelings for you, so I guess it wasn’t totally out of the blue. But then I saw you two together, and I got it.”
I nodded my understanding.
“Dylan’s always been… a bit like a bird desperate to flee his nest. Always unsettled, and now you’re together, it’s like he’s finally putting down roots for the first time. And don’t get me wrong, I liked Lauren a lot, but it was like you always had to be this stoic alpha for her. You’ve been… softer these last few months. I think he’s good for you, too.”
Cooper’s incredibly touching and insightful response almost threw me off why I’d asked him that in the first place.
“Wow. That’s possibly the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me, thanks Coop. But the thing is, you know how it was weird at first, but now you can see we’re both happy you’re okay with it?” I hedged again.
“Yes…?”
“Well, you know I’d feel the same way, right? So long as you were happy?”
“I guess, but you’re an only child Axel so it doesn’t really seem worth thinking about, no sibling of yours I’m going to shack up with in the future.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose in exasperation.
“What I’m trying—and clearly failing—to say is, if you maybe didn’t like omegas, or if you liked alphas as well, I wouldn’t care at all so long as you were happy, okay?”
Cooper’s face went so red so quickly that for a second, I was worried he was choking. He took a long sip of his drink before turning to face forwards.
Leg bouncing, he began biting the tip of his thumb—a nervous habit he shared with his brother.
“You don’t think I’m a freak?” he barely said above a whisper.
I wrapped an arm around him and sort of wrestled him into a hug. “You’re not a freak, Coop. Lots of people feel that way. Milly’s known since she was twelve that she only likes omegas. Have you really never told anyone?”
My heart panged painfully at how lonely that sounded. How isolating this must have been for my best friend, who brightens up every room he enters.
“Not really. Just… um… I’ve been on the apps before. Met a few… um… alphas on there.” He looked like he might throw up.
“Was it… okay? They treated you okay?” I managed to spit out.
Cooper shrugged, and my heart sank. “It turned out they were… looking for something different than me. I don’t go on them anymore. Please don’t tell Dylan? I know he’s your boyfriend now, but I’m not ready for him to know yet.”
“I won’t tell him, I promise. But… for full disclosure, we spoke last week about whether there was anything going on between you and… Patrick. Dylan said that he really hoped you knew that your family would be supportive and you didn’t have to keep it from them. But it’s still for you to tell them when you’re ready, so I won’t talk to Dylan about it again. I just thought you should know that he said that.”
At that, Cooper bent forward, resting his elbows on his knees and covering his face with his hands. I stroked a hand up and down his back as he processed what I’d told him.
Sensing his need for a change of subject, I said, “Bet you twenty quid that Pippa scores a try.”
He peered at me from between his fingers. “That’s not fair, I can’t bet against her when she gave us free tickets.” He huffed.
By the time we reached halftime, all the awkwardness of our conversation had dissipated. Although Pippa hadn’t scored yet, she was on fire as usual.
The family VIP box was full and everyone had been yelling throughout the first half.
When I popped to the bathroom, I shot a quick text to Dylan to check in on how his shift was going. He didn’t reply, so they were probably pretty busy. It was a Saturday afternoon, after all.
Pippa scored in the second half, and the Vipers won by a landslide, so celebrations were in order afterwards.
A couple of hours later, we met Pippa and some of her teammates at a local bar they frequented.
For the first time in a long time, I got completely drunk with my best friend. Tonight, I had no responsibilities, nowhere to be and nothing I had to do tomorrow so I could finally let loose.
“How’s things going with that omega boy of yours?” Pippa asked when we headed to the bar to order a round of shots.
“Things are good. Really good. He’s turned out to be everything I didn’t know I needed.“ I smiled at my cousin, who was nearly as tall as I was.
“I love drunk Axel; you’re such a giant marshmallow.” She snickered.
“What about you? Any love on the horizon?”
“Love might be a stretch. I’ve been sort of seeing one of the team physio’s, but I think she’s moving back overseas after the season ends.”
“She hot?” I asked.
“Like, claw out my eyeballs because it hurts to look at you, hot,” she replied wistfully, and I laughed.
“Sounds horrible.”
Several more rounds of shots later and a smaller group of us made our way to one of the bigger nightclubs in the area.
The building vibrated with the bass that pumped out of the speakers, and the air smelt like sweat and sex inside.
It was heady and an odd reminder that I’d never really done this. I went to work for my dad as soon as I finished school, and other than Cooper, most of our friends had left town to go to uni, even if it was only in the next city over.
There were lots of omegas on the dance floor, eyeing me and Cooper like we were fresh meat. I wished Dylan were here.
I should take him out dancing soon; I bet he’d be really good at it. I knew I wouldn’t be able to take my eyes off him, and he’d probably turn me into a growly possessive alpha, but it would be an experience all the same.
Searching out for where Cooper had ended up, I eventually found him in the middle of a mosh pit, jumping up and down like he was having the time of his life, so I left him to it and headed for the loo.
The quiet in the bathroom was a relief. Every time the door opened, it was like being attacked by a blast of hot air and music. Like any club, the place was filthy, and the soles of my shoes stuck to the floor.
After I’d popped into one of the stalls to pee, I washed my hands and retrieved my phone from my back pocket.
It was past midnight, so Dylan should be home by now, and I was drunk enough not to concern myself with whether I might be waking him up when I called.
It rang for a while, and then, “Ax?” He sounded sleepy. I could just picture his sweet little face with a pillow crease along his cheek and his brown curls sticking up in every direction.
“I really fucking love you, Dylan,” I slurred.
He chuckled down the line. “I didn’t know you were a sappy drunk.”
“I’m not. It’s just that whenever you aren’t in my arms, I wish you were, and I don’t like sleeping without you, and also, I wish you were here right now. None of the cute little butts on the dancefloor are yours, and it makes me sad, you know?”
He laughed again. “Yeah, babe. You aren’t a sappy drunk at all. If it makes you feel any better, I’m in your bed right now. I couldn’t be bothered walking home.”
“That’s… that’s awful.”
“Why’s that awful?”
“Because you’re in my bed, and I’m not in my bed. That’s the worst news ever. I bet you’re naked, too; your cute little butt is in my bed, and I’m not. This is why I shouldn’t leave town.”
“Maybe don’t make any drastic decisions after that much alcohol. My cute little butt will be here waiting for you tomorrow.”
“It should be tomorrow, like, right now,” I told him.
“The sooner you and Cooper get your drunk asses to bed, the sooner tomorrow will come. Text me when you get back safe?” Dylan asked.
“Okay. I love you.”
“I love you, too. Night, babe.”
When I put the phone down, the room spun a little, so I decided Dylan was probably right. It was time to call it a night.
I found Cooper and Pippa, and the three of us ordered a taxi back to her apartment. Cooper immediately fell asleep in the back seat, snoring like a baby bear, his head slumped against my shoulder, and I patted his cheek.
“You two really can’t handle your liquor, can you?” Pippa asked.
“No, I’m usually serving it more than I’m drinking it.”
“I’m just a boy,” Cooper grumbled from my shoulder and me and Pippa both cracked up.
The next morning, however, was not so funny. I woke up spooning Cooper, clearly having reached for him like I would Dylan in the night.
I rolled away, and abruptly, my throbbing head made itself apparent.
“Dylan must sleep really well; you’re so snuggly,” Cooper muttered sleepily.
“Find your own alpha to snuggle,” I replied, smothering his face with my pillow.
“You’re really going to make me regret coming out to you, aren’t you?” Cooper sighed.
“Probs.”
The drive back to Foxwood Hollow was brutal despite the large fry-up breakfast and several cups of coffee I’d inhaled at a nearby cafe.
Cooper and I remained in mutually agreed silence and listened to music on very low the whole way home.
When I pulled up outside Cooper’s flat to drop him home, I sent a quick text to Dylan.
You at your Mum’s? x
Dyl-pot
I’m in your bed, as promised ;)
I smiled even though my head hurt and my eyes stung from the long drive. It perked me up enough that I felt a little less like death warmed up by the time I pulled up into the pub car park.
It was Dylan’s day off, Milly was working with Soraya who was doing a trial shift. She’d worked in a large bar in a bigger town, so my main concern for her was sheer boredom.
Unable to stomach even the vaguest scent of beer, I slipped down the side of the pub for the outside entrance to my flat above.
The second I unlocked the door, I could smell him, and it was like I could finally take a full breath. Taking the stairs two at a time, I dumped my duffel bag in the hallway and found my beautiful Dylan sitting in my bed, knitting and listening to an audiobook.
He hit pause on his phone. “Hey, babe, how’s your hangover?” he asked as he began placing his knitting into the little tote bag he carried around for it.
As soon as I was sure I wouldn’t accidentally get impaled on a knitting needle, I crawled onto the bed and tugged him down so he was lying underneath me. Then I dropped my full weight on top of him and smushed him into the mattress.
“I missed you. That’s dumb, isn’t it?” I asked, my face buried in his neck, making my voice muffled.
“I missed you too.” He kissed the top of my head.
Fuck, he smelled so good.
“I bought some fresh orange juice for you, I even got it with the extra bits how you like it. Want some?”
I felt like I might cry. It was probably the hangover and lack of sleep, but I’d just never had anyone in my life really… care for me.
That’s not to say people didn’t care about me. More that I learned to be self-sufficient pretty young, and I didn’t realise what I’d been missing. Had no idea what it felt like for someone to buy me my favourite orange juice because they knew I’d be feeling rubbish.
I’d always fed into the bullshit that it was the alpha’s role to take care of their omega and to always be the strong one. It had been eye-opening to see the beauty in the give and take with Dylan.
He wore his heart on his sleeve and could be so vulnerable with me sometimes that it made me want to keep him in our nest forever and never let the harsh reality of the world near him. But then there was the other side of Dylan, the fiercely strong and determined side. His inner pitbull that would go to war for the people he loved. And then, finally, there was his endlessly caring nature. The part of him that knitted soft beautiful clothes for his family and friends, wanting them to be warm and comfortable and to know they were loved by him.
I sniffled, and a couple of tears might have escaped my eyes, but I told myself I wasn’t crying, not really.
“Yes, please. I’d love some orange juice,” I whispered.
Dylan shuffled out from under me, and I tried to get my shit together while he was in the kitchen. I got undressed and climbed under the covers, the cotton sheets were soft from where Dylan slept in them last night and the scent was like a comforting blanket of it’s own.
Dylan returned with a glass of orange juice and a straw like I was a little kid and I tried not to cry again.
Then, he held out a cookie with M&M’s in it, and I couldn’t hold it back.
“Baby, what’s wrong? Do you not like cookies? I can go get you something else?”
“No.” I sniffled. “They’re perfect. You’re perfect. I’m just not used to this, and I’m also pretty hungover.”
Dylan joined me in the bed. “Not used to what? Cookies?”
I shook my head. “It’ll sound silly.”
“I say silly things all the time. Do you want me to stop?”
I shook my head again. “I’m not talking shit about my dad or anything because he did the best he could, and he raised me on his own. But… other than making sure I was clean, safe, and fed, I mostly took care of myself, you know? Then, when he lost his hand, it was like I had to care more for him than the other way around. I didn’t… didn’t know how nice it could be to be… taken care of. And then I feel sad because it probably shouldn’t be a revolutionary concept at twenty-three, should it?” I wiped my eyes with the backs of my hands.
Dylan grabbed a tissue from the bedside table and wiped my face softly before pressing a gentle kiss to my lips.
“No, Ax. It shouldn’t be revolutionary, and it hurts my heart a little. It’s okay to know your dad did the best he could, but for that still to have not been quite enough. You can love him, remember him fondly, and still acknowledge that you should have known what it felt like to be… looked after. But we have a whole lifetime ahead of us, Ax. I’m gonna care for you so hard it’ll suffocate you.” He smiled, and I kissed the corner of his mouth.
“Thank you,” I whispered. “I love you so so much. I can’t wait to be suffocated by you.”
“Ooooh. An asphyxiation kink, that’s new.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “We were being sweet, doofus.”
“I’m sorry, but you really set that up for me.”
“Cuddle me,” I demanded, tugging his arms and twisting so he’d spoon me from behind.
Maybe alphas like to be the little spoon sometimes, so sue me?