1
Nikolas
"I can't holdback any longer. Listen. There's something I have to tell you."
"What is it? Don't hide it from me, sweet one."
"I... I think I love you."
"Don't run away. Because I love you, too. In fact... I think you're my fated mate."
I groaned, stuffed a handful of popcorn into my mouth, and rolled my eyes so hard I was shocked they didn't pop out of my head. This TV show was way over the top. How could anyone take this seriously?
Then again, I was the one who binged all twenty-four episodes and was sitting here watching the season finale.
It wasn't my fault the show sucked me in, dammit. Even though it was overly dramatic and unrealistic, it was decent entertainment. After a gruelling ten hour shift at a certain blue and yellow furniture store, all I wanted was a mind-numbing fantasy that distracted me from the boring reality of life.
Life wasn't all bad. Despite my aching feet, I liked my job well enough. All I had to do was keep the merchandise stocked and organized, and smile and nod at customers who got lost in the labyrinthine store. Apparently, following arrows pasted on the floor is too difficult for the majority of humankind.
Outside of work, things were decent. I had a small yet comfortable apartment filled with cute thrifted furniture where I lived with my rescue cat, DJ Muffin. He was an adult orange tabby with long hair I brushed twice a week. It was our little inside joke that I took better care of DJ Muffin's grooming than I did my own.
Oh, and I had a boyfriend. He was an alpha named Duncan I met on an online dating app after my co-workers finally poked me into caving and downloading the damn thing. Before I met Duncan, I was the only omega at work who wasn't dating anybody. Even though I knew they had good intentions, half the reason I put up a dating profile was to make them stop nagging me. It was embarrassing to be a 25-year old man who hadn't dated anyone in... well, basically never. I was still a virgin. Not that my co-workers knew that. I always just told them I was too busy volunteering at the animal shelter to date. That excuse worked until they badgered me into downloading the app.
Oh well. I was happy enough with Duncan, I guess. We'd been together for two months, which was the longest I'd dated anyone. We went on dates every week, usually grabbing a bite to eat then going to see a movie.
Duncan was a little more... adventurous than me. He always tried to sneakily take my hand and put it over the front of his pants, but I always pretended not to notice and picked up my soda instead.
Whenever he invited me over afterwards, I told him it was late and that I had to get home to DJ Muffin. I don't think he liked that very much. But wasn't it nicer than telling him I had no interest in having sex with him?
Ugh. Why was that all alphas cared about, anyway? Did they have dicks where their brains should've been?
I sighed and shovelled popcorn in my mouth. To be honest, I could lay off the TV marathon treats, since my pants were getting a bit tight. But the last thing I wanted to do after a long day of work was think about how many calories I was wolfing down.
Besides, it was kettle corn. That shit was delicious.
DJ Muffin got up, stretched, and rearranged himself against my chest. I stroked his orange fur, soaking up its warmth. Since he was a cat and I was a human, I was stuck being the big spoon. Not that I minded, but I fantasized about what it would be like to have someone spoonmefor a change.
I tentatively imagined Duncan spooning me and choked, nearly spitting out my popcorn. DJ Muffin blinked at me with big green eyes like he was asking if I was okay.
"I'm good," I told him, clearing my throat. "Maybe it's not a good sign that I choke thinking about my boyfriend, huh?"
DJ Muffin looked at me dubiously.
I sighed. "You're right, as usual."
My phone vibrated. I grabbed it and lazily checked the message.
Duncan: Where r u?
"Oh, shit!"
I flew up off the couch, spilling precious kettle corn all over the floor. DJ Muffin took the opportunity to leap down and vacuum everything up.
My date with Duncan. Tonight. I'd completely forgotten.
He was going to be pissed, and I deserved it. I honestly hadn't meant to stand him up. I felt awful.
I checked the time. It was 7:00pm on the dot—our scheduled meeting time—and the restaurant was a fifteen minute walk away. I looked down at myself, then bit my lip. My outfit was a cozy mix of black sweatpants and a white graphic tee. But there was no time to get dressed properly. If I wanted to be at the restaurant soon, I had to run out of the apartment. Now.
