“Take an Uber,” Carver said, dropping back down on the pillow.
“I can take the bus,” Peter said, rolling his eyes. His arousal receded in the face of Carver’s annoying protective instincts.
“Do you want me to drive you?” Carver asked, lifting back up on his elbow. The look on his face was all alpha, and Peter was about to acquiesce to his demand about the Uber when Tex piped up.
“He can take the bus if he wants,” Tex said, making Peter grin and Carver scowl at him.
“I’ll see you guys later,” Peter said, grabbing his bag and leaving the room before Carver could protest again.
He thought they’d settled the argument about the bus the week before, but apparently not. There was no reason for Peter to be taking an Uber when there was a direct bus from a bus stop just a twenty-minute walk away—at least not when the weather was this good.
Come winter and Peter might take them up on the Uber offer, though he really should just get a car.
He didn’t quite know how to ask for that, though. He didn’t have any money of his own, and he already felt like he was mooching.
On the other hand, he was Carver and Tex’s omega. It was theirjobto take care of him. Making himself a thermos of coffee to go, Peter winced at his own archaic thinking. Omegas didn’t need alphas to take care of them. That was a thing of the past.
Except… Tex and Carver had bought him. You didn’t get more archaic than that.
Putting on his shoes and his coat, leaving out the front door, Peter walked down the driveway deep in thought.
Did Tex and Carver even know that he had his license, he wondered.Did hehave his license? Peter had been a licensed driver when he went to prison, but did being found guilty of a crime and going to prison change that?
Peter didn’t have a clue.
Walking down the side of the road, the morning air chill and brisk against his face, gravel crunching under his shoes, Peter added the license to things he had to ask Carver about regarding his pardon.
Arriving at the bus stop with five minutes to spare, Peter sat down on the bench and sipped his coffee. He was all alone, the early morning quiet and peaceful, the metal bench cool against his ass.
He was still sore from the night before, but it was a pleasant sort of soreness that Peter relished.
The bus arrived a minute late, and Peter got on board. He found a seat near the back, taking out his phone and reading the news while the bus ambled its way toward the Summerland campus.
Half an hour after getting on board, Peter reached his stop just a block away from the coffee shop.
He was lucky. The coffee shop was right on the border of the college campus, meaning that it was accessible by both bus and car without having to walk an extra ten minutes into the heart of the Summerland campus.
“Morning!” Betty greeted him when he walked through the door, cheerful and happy. She was behind the counter, getting everything ready for the day ahead. “You’re early.”
“So are you,” Peter said, taking off his coat and hanging it on the coat rack in the employee break room slash storage closet. They didn’t actually take their breaks in there, but it was nice to have a place to put his things. He went behind the counter and stood next to Betty, watching her work. “So, what’s the plan for today?”
“You’re on drinks,” Betty said. “I’ll be there to help you, and you can ask all the questions you want, but I want you doing as much as you can by yourself.”
Peter was intimidated, but with Betty right there to help him, he felt like he could do it. Putting on his apron, he bent down and looked in the fridge, making sure everything was where he expected it to be.
He heard the door open, Betty greeting Zack good morning.
“Hi, Zack,” Peter said, standing up and smiling at the other omega.
“Hey, Peter,” Zack said, looking dead on his feet. Peter grinned.
“Long night?”
Zack groaned. “I have a test tomorrow and my study group was up almost all night. I’m so fucked.”
“I’m sorry,” Peter said. He looked forward to the day when that was something he had to worry about.
“It’s fine,” Zack said, putting away his coat and putting on his apron. “It’s my fault for not studying enough.”
