7. Tension
Chapter seven
Tension
He was quite possibly the best-looking man I have ever laid eyes on. He was about the same height as Derek, but that’s where the similarities ended. He had blonde hair cropped short into a crew-cut style, his beard tinged slightly red. He had warm brown eyes that one could lose themselves in, and impossibly straight white teeth that belonged in a dental ad. He was smaller than Derek, but only slightly. His was a more compact, tone build, displayed nicely by the tank top he was wearing.
In an awkward moment of realization, I’m all too aware that I’m staring and have yet to move from my spot. I quickly side-step so he can get whatever item that was behind me.
As he reaches past me, the particular scent I smelled earlier grows stronger, and I realize it’s coming from him . My mental facilities taking a short break, I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. “You smell really nice.”
He quirks an eyebrow up, and I realize I’m standing really, really close to him. I don’t even have the presence of mind to move. It was like my feet were glued to the spot.
“Thanks. You smell nice too, which surprised me. I didn’t peg you for an Omega. I’m Jason,” he says, holding out his hand.
“I’m Five- I mean Damon...” I shake his hand, feeling guilty about how he’s affecting me.
“Ah, you must be straight from The Kennel.”
‘The Kennel’ is what some people referred to the OPS as, insinuating that their practices are more in line with a dog kennel than a humane society. I couldn’t help but scowl at the term. He holds up his hands in mock surrender. “Sorry if I offended you. I’m just used to calling it that is all. But, in my defense, it is kinda justified.”
“An apology followed up with a justification really doesn’t work out well.” Thank you, Sarah.
“Oh yeah? They make you stay in a supervised environment with very little contact with the outside world and little experience, then once you get bought ,“ he says the word with what sounded like disgust and hatred, “by an Alpha who has money and the means, you instantly fall in love with him.” I wanted to fight back and tell him it’s not true, but I would be lying to myself if I did. “I bet you and your partner already consummated the match.”
“No, not yet,” I said weakly. I don’t even know why I’m telling him this, but I do. He’s silent for a moment, clearly taken aback by my confession, then he smiles, his earlier hostility gone. “Then there may be hope for you yet. He was your first kiss, right?” I nod.
He steps closer, forcing me to crane my neck up to look him in his gorgeous, smug face. “Haven’t you ever wondered what it’s like to kiss someone and not end up in a partnership that may not even work out? Or better yet, to have sex?”
“What’s going on here?” I whirl, already panicking as I turn around to find Derek standing there, and he looks pissed. Jason, on the other hand, looks as confident as always, definitely not caring that he’s far too close to someone else’s Omega.
“Oh! You must be his dad.” Derek’s face darkens, turning crimson with rage. He walks up to us and pulls me back, his grip nearly crushing my arm.
“What the fuck you say to me?” I try to pry my arm away, but it’s useless.
“You heard me, Grandpa. If you were a real partner, you wouldn’t be hurting your Omega like that,” Jason said, using his chin to point to Derek’s hand, which was wrapped around my arm. He instantly drops it as if burned.
“I guess this is what happens when old rich men turn to the OPS cause they couldn’t get any.” Jason is just egging Derek on at this point, and I stand there, totally forgotten.
Derek walks right up to Jason, their faces mere inches apart, but Jason stands his ground, not giving up an inch. The smirk hasn’t left his face, either; it only widens even further. Derek’s breathing comes heavily, and I grab his arm to try to pull him away, but he just shrugs me off. “Derek, please stop! He’s making you mad on purpose!”
“Is everything okay over here?” Someone must have alerted security, thankfully, because a pair of them are now making their way toward us. I can see Techie in the background, a worried look on his face. Jason is the one to break off the stare-down, stepping back.
“Yes, sir, everything’s fine,” said Jason. Then he looked at me, his warm brown eyes alight with mischief. It was a pleasure to meet you, Damon. I hope to see you again sometime.” He even added a wink, either confident that he could hold his own should Derek start swinging or blatantly disregarding the whole encounter entirely.
Derek is still tense until Jason is out of sight, taking a few deep, calming breaths. He turns and reaches out to me, but I shy away from his touch, remembering how strong his hold was and my inability to get him to let go. Derek’s face crumbles up in what I could only assume was shame. He takes a couple of steps back, visually letting me know that he’s willing to give me space for now.
“Sir, do you mind if I talk to you privately for a second?” One of the security guards has approached me at this point, and I say yes. Leading me away, he asked me if I was okay and what was my relationship with Derek. I tell them that he’s my partner and that he’s usually easygoing, also including that he’s an Alpha. The guard nods in understanding and tells me to take care before collecting his partner, who was questioning Derek, and leaves.
“Would you like me to walk you to check out?” It was sweet of Techie to offer, even though his face said he would like to do anything but that, so I told him no and that I’d be fine. I then take the cart and head to the front, Derek trailing a short distance behind. I just wanted to go home and have this day be over already.
We stand in the checkout line, waiting our turn in pregnant silence. Neither one of us knew how to talk about what just happened. Luckily, our turn came up, putting the issue aside for now. As the cashier scanned everything that Techie added to my cart, I was appalled at how much the total came out to. It was way out of my price range by a couple thousand.
“Here, let me pay for it.” He pulled out his wallet and removed a card, ready to pay.
“No, it’s too much. I can put most of this stuff back.”
“ Please ,“ he said, voice tinged with desperation. It seemed it was his way of saying sorry for what happened, so I shrugged, taking him up on the offer. I can always save the money and use it later.
After nearly five hours and a really uncomfortable ride back to Derek’s house, I felt mixed emotions. On one hand, I was glad to be back and in a semi-familiar space. On the other hand, I was uncomfortable, not knowing how to dispel the tense air between Derek and I. I told myself that once we got inside, I’d sit down with him so that we could talk things out.
It takes a while for us to get everything in the house and unpacked. It was a good opportunity for me to learn the layout of the kitchen and to see where everything was. The stuff from The Hub ended up being put in the solarium, a room Derek wasn’t using, and said I’m more than happy to make it my own. I accept, taking the olive branch. Also, because of the huge bay windows with a reading nook.
“I can fix you some food if you’re hungry?” The last thing we ate was hours ago, and if I was hungry, chances are Derek was starving.
“Actually, I’m gonna head to the gym. Need to burn off some steam.
“Oh, okay. Well, when you get back, do you maybe wanna watch a movie or something?”
“Yeah, maybe. Depends when I get back.” His answer leaves me feeling dejected, but I try not to let it get to me.
He leaves to go change, emerging a short while later wearing gym clothes that smell slightly musky. He heads to the door before he backtracks and heads upstairs. He comes back down the stairs carrying one of the bags from The Hub.
“Here’s the phone I got you. I already put my number and Sarah’s in there in case you need to reach us. Also got you a smart tablet ’cause I thought you might enjoy it.”
“Thank you.” I noticed that the phone and the smart tablet were of the same make as the laptop, and I dimly remember Techie saying something about all of the devices being able to connect to the cloud. It was really interesting, so I promised myself I’ll look into it later. However, the reason why I needed a laptop and a desktop still eluded me.
“I can help you set up your computer one day if you want, it shouldn’t take too long.”
“It’s ok, I think I can do it myself.
“Oh, okay then.” He walks over to give me a kiss, and I involuntarily flinch as his lips meet mine, unable to look at him as he breaks away. He clears his throat.
“I guess I’ll see you later then,” he said, voice sounding hoarse. Then he walks out the door, and I can faintly hear his truck starting before pulling away.
To avoid dwelling on the sadness creeping up on me, I keep myself busy by making a late lunch or early dinner of Chicken Alfredo with broccoli. I figure Derek will appreciate the protein when he comes back from his workout. I eat my portion, set the rest aside for when he got home, and then make my way up to the solarium.
I pulled out the new laptop I received today and plopped down on the seating area by the bay windows, lacking alternative arrangements for the time being. I looked around the room, pleased with how much natural light it had. I had big plans for the room, and with Derek’s approval, hopefully, I could see them become reality one day.
I opened the package containing the laptop top, sending a quick message to Sarah as the computer completed its initial setup. I was still waiting for the setup to finish when I received a text message from Sarah.
Oh my gawd! u got a phone! now I can bug you whenever I want ??
Haha very funny
So, how are things between you and Derek? did u use the gift I left you? lol
Things were, good. He liked it a lot. Kinda awkward again now...
What does lol mean?
?? Laugh Out Loud! Learn your acronyms
What happened this time? you’re gonna give me grey hairs I swear
Well, he kinda got into a fight with some guy at The Pub
Wait why were you guys at the pub? was it happy hour?
What? No, it was The Pub
The Tub
THE HUB. Goddamn autocorrect
Oh. I’m so confused right now. Why was he fighting a guy?
I think it was because he was hitting on me? He may have also been an Alpha...
I pressed send, eagerly waiting to see what she said, but my phone rang, the caller’s I.D. showing that it was Sarah. “Hello?”
“Tell. Me. Everything.” So I did, starting from the very beginning when I woke up at four and started cleaning around the house before Derek woke up.
“I don’t care about that, tell me about this other Alpha guy.”
I fast forward to when I first met Jason, Sarah interrupting me yet again, demanding to know what he looks like. I tell her, desire growing in me as I recall the beautiful stranger and the subsequent fight that was about to happen had someone not stepped in.
“Wow, he sounds like a wet dream,” she sighs, the sound oddly enhanced on the phone. “but I can see where he’s coming from. If you’re born an Alpha, you have to find a partner the old-fashioned way, and it’s hard since Alphas still outnumber Omegas. Not as much as before, but still.”
“Huh, I had no idea things were like that.” It made me wonder what else I was unaware of.
“Yeah, welcome to the new normal.” I kept silent, trying to envision what it would be like to be a Beta. What kind of life would I have led, if given the choice?
“Penny for your thoughts? I may not have all the answers, but I can listen if you want to vent.”
I felt truly blessed that Sarah decided to barge in and become my case worker ’cause currently, I felt like I had no one else to talk to. The world was full of people but I felt utterly.
“I was just wondering what it was like to be a Beta. To actually have new experiences naturally, instead of having them being thrown in your face all at once. In a way, Jason was right. I hadn’t kissed anyone before Derek, and already I could feel myself falling in love with him. I have no other reference to base this feeling on, you know? I didn’t even have a phone till now. Just makes me wonder what else I missed out on.”
“Do you feel like you don’t want to be with Derek anymore?”
“No, well, I dunno, maybe?” I struggled for a moment, my words failing to accurately articulate how I was feeling right then. “I just wish I was given the choice, is all.”
“Oh honey, I hate to see you- well, hear- you in this state. Can you do me a favor, though? Can you try to hold off on consummation until you feel like this is really what you want? I’m sure Derek will understand.”
“Okay, I’ll try,” I said, realizing there were tears streaming down my face. Crying twice in as many days. I haven’t done that in a while, but it felt good, acting as a sort of catharsis.
“Do you mind if I talk to Derek tomorrow to let him know what you’re going through?”
“Okay...” I felt like a coward and a piece of shit for letting Sarah handle it, but I also felt like it was the best call to make. I was in no state of mind to tell him any of this, not yet, at least.
“Chin up, okay? Things are bound to get worse before they get better. I’ll try to come see you in a couple of days, but if you need to talk, don’t be afraid to reach out to me. I don’t care what time it is.” I can hear her on the other end talking to someone, most likely her husband, before coming back on the phone, her voice filled with excitement.
“Simon just gave me a great idea! Although he may have some ulterior motives. Why don’t you tell Derek you invited us to Sunday Night Football? That way, you’ll have a familiar face around you, and I can stop listening to this man-baby complain.” I could hear her husband yell, “I heard that!’ she gave back a snarky reply, “You were supposed to! So, what do you say? I won’t take no for an answer.”
I let out what may have been a mix between a sob and a chuckle. “Sarah, would you and your husband like to come over to watch the game?”
“Oh my god, yes! I’d thought you’d never asked! We would love to come!...too much?”
“It was just a tad melodramatic, but I loved the enthusiasm. You could be an actor.”
“Oh, the things I could’ve been! I was a theatre major in college, a rising star if you will, before I met my husband and he clipped my wings. Yes, you did! Clipped them and dragged me down! But I love you anyway,” she said, the last parts addressed to her husband. I could hear them kiss, and I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous.
We said goodbye, agreeing that they would arrive around the time the game started and ended the call. I just sat there, feeling alone now more than ever. The tears that were just subsiding surged with newfound strength, and I just stayed there for a while, gut-wrenching sobs racking my chest. I’m man enough to say that I was a complete mess.
Eventually, I found my way to the bedroom, tears still leaking from my eyes, but I was getting better as time moved on. I hear the door open and close with a bang and look over to the clock to see that it’s almost ten o’clock at night. Derek’s heavy footfalls precede him as he makes his way to the kitchen. I just lay there, my ears straining.
I close my eyes and feign asleep, making my breathing deep and even, as the bedroom doors slide open and he stumbles in, reeking of alcohol. There’s no sound for a while, and I’m itching to see what happens when he goes to the bathroom. He comes out about ten minutes later, the bed rustling as he climbs in, and again as he moves to get comfortable. Within minutes he’s asleep, the short space between us feeling like an uncrossable chasm.
I know we’re not on the best of terms, but I did the best I could.