Ehlian stepped back inside from the terrace, giving Willian a pointed look. “You are my boss.”
“Yeah, well,” Willian spread his arms wide. “Welcome to the company.”
Ehlian let out a small laugh and went to his room to get dressed for work. He had moved into Willian’s flat three months ago. He needed an alpha’s presence, some sense of safety. After spending plenty of sleepless nights in his old family home, he had to face the fact that he couldn’t be alone. He couldn’t do it alone. The silence, the empty bed, sounds coming from outside were still alien and unsettling.
The worst part, though, was the memories.
Regaining his full power was like coming alive again, but it came with a downside. The memories of Hayce haunted him, vivid and sharp. Too sharp. At times, he relived them as if watching short scenes from a movie, brief glimpses into the past. Sometimes it really sucked to be a telepath.
“Are you ready?” Willian called out. “I’d really hate to have to look for a new assistant. Too much work.”
“I’m coming, I’m coming.” Ehlian grabbed his bag and followed his friend out the door.
Ten minutes later, they were in Willian’s airship. Once the engines ignited, the vehicle lifted off the ground, quickly joining the long line of airships flying over Alkrion.
The city was robust, a dense forest of skyscrapers casting long shadows over a sprawling web of roads below. The roads were all pedestrian areas, and Ehlian liked it best when the sunlight broke through the gaps between the tall buildings.
Willian owned a small holowatch repair shop on the other side of the city. Fortunately for Ehlian, Willian had recently fired his previous assistant and offered him the job.
It was good. Familiarity. Someone grounding him. Supporting him.
Not like his uncle, who had filed a restraining order the moment Ehlian returned to Arox. Well, he’d better.
Not like Geald, who had messaged him only to probe about Hayce and those convenient connections. Ehlian blocked his number.
Both of them were dark smears from his life before prison, and he was more than glad to be rid of them.
The airship touched down twenty minutes later beneath the high-rises. Ehlian hated nothing more than the walk to the shop from the parking lot. The alphas passing by, their occasional fleeting glances at him. Just like nearly every day, he grabbed Willian’s arm to ground himself. He felt like he was missing a limb, someone strong and safe beside him, someone who would look out for him, protect him.
He would eventually bounce back to normal. He just needed time.
Technically, he knew it was a lingering fear from prison life. Most alphas were civilised, respected omegas, and suppressed their allure in public. They weren’t savages or criminals who sought to satisfy their needs selfishly.
Communicating with customers who came to pick up their repaired holowatches helped shake Ehlian back into everyday life. A real assistant would help Willian repair the devices. Ehlian on the other hand couldn’t name any of the tiny tools his friend used, let alone understand how the mechanics worked.
“Damn it!” Willian’s loud cursing echoed from the back room. Ehlian rushed in, catching a fleeting glimpse of a few projected, naked photos before Willian quickly swiped them away. “I didn’t want to see that. The shit they have on these watches sometimes… Fuck, I think I just went blind.”
Ehlian snickered under his breath. “I forgot how dramatic you can be.”
Willian blinked at him, his expression comically exaggerated by his magnifying glasses. “You have no clue what I put up with sometimes. Pity me.”
“Pity you, my ass.” Ehlian dragged a chair closer to Willian and watched him work for a while. He was really the only alpha Ehlian felt comfortable being around. Not just now, but ever. Willian was attractive, sure, but Ehlian had never been drawn to him, maybe because they had grown up together and their bond felt more like family.
“You know, I was thinking,” Willian said as he fidgeted with the tiny circuit board of the holowatch, “we could reschedule that trip. I didn’t expect you to be released so soon. Not that I’m not happy you were—you know I am—but I think we both need a holiday. Me especially, after what I just saw.”
“Poor you.” Ehlian said, but he saw through his friend’s joking tone. Willian had never made a big deal out of Ehlian seeking comfort from him when other alphas were around, but it probably concerned him. Ehlian had told him everything about Hayce and Grasson, and he had reassured him that nothing bad had happened to him in prison.
“I’m fine. We don’t need to change the date.”
“Too late. I already did.”
Ehlian frowned. “When are we leaving?”
“Next week,” Willian said. “Got anywhere else to be?”
“No,” Ehlian said, a smile breaking through. “Let’s go.”
*
