Chapter 27

Alex emerged thirty minutes later. Having washed his hands and roughly fixed his hair, Nathan was leaning against the stadium wall, waiting for him.

“Did you wait long? I’m sorry.”

Alex appeared before him, panting slightly. The summer sun still hadn’t set, casting a long shadow over Nathan, who quietly lifted his gaze.

“It’s fine.”

“Where are the others?”

“They left.”

Having just showered, Alex’s hair wasn’t completely dry, the damp strands clinging to his forehead. A gentle breeze drifted lightly between them, carrying a refreshing scent, something akin to cool water mixed with a faint hint of crushed grass. Nathan stared silently at Alex.

Is that what Alex’s pheromones smell like?

Omegas and Alphas would surely know his scent.

It was a thought that had never once crossed his mind before. Growing up in a Beta family with exclusively Beta friends, pheromones had always been an entirely irrelevant concept to Nathan. It was especially true since he had never even entertained the thought of dating an Alpha or an Omega. Just as Tina and Jude had said, he couldn’t feel that Alex was an Alpha at all.

That was how different their worlds were.

The boy standing before him was merely a boy slightly taller than himself, an endearing boy with dark brown hair, paused right on the precipice of adulthood.

However, Alex was an Alpha. He belonged to a world Nathan could never comprehend, a world where he would undergo a biological cycle called a rut. An insurmountable wall stood between them, one that could never be overcome unless he were reborn.

“Nathan?”

And perhaps, if he hadn’t discovered that Alex ‘used to like’ him, Nathan might never have needed to think about any of this for the rest of his life.

“I have something to give you.”

“To me?”

Nathan nodded, quietly holding out the packaged wristband. Alex’s eyes widened dramatically the moment he saw what was being offered. Acting like someone who was genuinely stunned, Alex parted his lips wordlessly before meeting his eyes.

“Really?”

“Tell me if you don’t like it.”

“No! No, I love it.” Alex frantically shook his head.

There’s that expression again. The face biting down on his lip to hide a blinding smile. His hesitant hands carefully accepted the wristband. Staring at the item cradled in both hands for a long time in sheer disbelief, Alex’s eyes curved into joyous crescents as he smiled.

“Thank you, Nathan.”

I don’t want to date anyone who isn’t a Beta.

“I really… love it so much.”

I hate things I can’t understand.

“I’ll save it for special occasions. So it doesn’t get dirty. Because you gave it to me.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Huh?”

“Isn’t it better to wear it often?”

But more than any of those things…

“Because I gave it to you.”

Alex Yeon was more important.

Alex fell completely silent at those words. Staring at him with drooping eyebrows, Alex slowly turned his head away. Hesitantly raising a hand, Alex rubbed his own cheek, his fist tightly clutching the wristband.

“…You’re right,” Alex answered in a thick, hoarse voice after a long moment of avoiding his gaze. Slowly turning his eyes back to meet Nathan’s, he nodded before adding quietly, “Then, I’ll wear it every day.”

“Okay.”

Silence descended around them, the sound of the wind echoing sporadically before fading away. Nathan pushed off the wall while Alex stood completely still in front of him. Nathan held out his hand, making Alex’s eyes blow wide open.

“Want to practice?”

“…Is that really okay?”

Nathan didn’t answer. Alex hesitated intensely before very, very carefully pressing his fingers against Nathan’s palm. He gently rubbed the still fingers.

Flinch.

He could feel the older boy’s arm tense up. Letting out a light chuckle, Nathan slowly interlaced their fingers together. Fingers of similar length tangled perfectly. Alex’s hand was warm.

The practice had practically lost its purpose. Since Alex refused to show him the person he was supposedly dating, Nathan essentially had no control group to verify if Alex still had feelings for him. Because the Alex that Nathan knew had always acted exactly like this. Even knowing that full well, Nathan didn’t particularly want to stop this absurd practice.

Thinking back, the answer had been obvious the moment he suggested this ridiculous arrangement. Why would he have wanted to know if Alex still liked him in the first place? There was only one reason.

Alex Yeon was important to him, he cared about him, and…

He liked him.

So much that it was difficult to define with a single word.

It had happened completely without Nathan himself even realizing it. Opening his eyes, he found his entire world overflowing with Alex, as if it had always been that way from the very beginning.

☂