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It's complicated?
"One pastry, one large coffee," he told himself, typing out the reply. "It'll be fine."
With trembling hands, he quickly typed out his confirmation and included his phone number for easier communication. It rang almost immediately, making him jump and fumble to answer.
"Uh, that was fast," he muttered, clutching it to his ear.
Levi chuckled. "Sorry, I just couldn't hold back. You finally responded and gave me your number. Seemed like a good sign."
Elias cringed.
"Uh-huh. Like I said in the email, want to meet at the same place? It's close to me."
Levi hummed. "Sure thing. I'll be there in twenty. Sound good?"
"Yeah, see you then."
Elias left the house a little early so he could catch up with Sel after that tiny, almost-nonexistent argument they had the last time. Elias knew he'd once again sit across from the sinful alpha and balk the whole time.The beta would be furious if he brought back the same guy and still seemed startled.
It was hard not to be when Levi described the different ways to string him up and be submissive versus dominant. All of Elias' past relationships were vanilla; painful, but vanilla. He wasn't well-practiced in the art of kinks or, you know, fulfilling sex.
The clouds were still rolling by, so he wore a cable knit, dark green sweater from Ian's closet to match his eyes and a pair of black slacks. It was so large the fabric fell almost to his knees, but it smelled of Ian and was comfortable, almost like a walking nest. Elias needed comfort for the upcoming interaction.
With a sigh, he stuffed his wallet and phone into his back pockets and left, locking the apartment door behind himself. The halls were deserted, most people staying in for a lazy Sunday and waiting for rain, no doubt. He wished he could do the same with Ian, but he had to work, and Elias hated being in that apartment all alone.
He wasn't good at shoving aside anxious thoughts when stuck in silence. They would fill his skull until they spilled out his ears as an overactive heartbeat pounding across his body. Not to mention the swirling stomach aches that made anything other than lying on the couch in the fetal position while he took slow breaths unbearable.
He was happy to have somewhere to go, even if it was with a man he didn't particularly want to see.
"Stop thinking about it," he muttered to himself, wrapping both hands in the thick sweater to ward off the chill.
The wind whipped down the street, making every patron bunch up their shoulders to hide their red ears. A lot of them had umbrellas, and by how dark the sky was now, Elias was regretting not grabbing one on the way out. Ian had three in the closet because Elias was quite susceptible to sickness when wet. He messed himself up with all those injuries and his secret suppressant use.
Which made the earlier assumption of rain not falling until the clouds got to Oakford a misstep on his part.Sure enough, the sky opened not a minute later, starting with a light patter before turning into a raging downpour. The bodies around him jostled, some walking at the same speed with umbrellas and smug looks, others picking up the pace. Expensive sports cars roared past, splashing up puddles and making him miserable.
Thankfully, Elias was a small guy compared to most, so it made slipping through a crowd that much easier. He ducked and weaved, hating how fucking heavy his sweater became as it dripped down to the sidewalk. The shivering from earlier grew worse, but he ignored it in favor of rushing toward the bright yellow spot through the darkness. It wasn't far at all, and soon enough, he was bursting through the front door and amassing a huge puddle at his feet.Sel spotted him immediately, eyes widening as he abandoned the counter and rushed to his side, hands flying around him.
"Why didn't you grab an umbrella? Didn't you watch the weather report?"
Elias snorted, stepping back onto the mat so he could wring out the bottom of his sweater. "Do you even hear yourself? Who watches the weather report?"
"Fine, did you even look outside?" Sel tsked, grabbing the other side of his sweater and wringing it.
They worked together for a second before Elias gave up. "Whatever. I'm soaked and freezing. Can I get two of my usual again, and a towel for my seat so I don't ruin the upholstery?"
Sel nodded and left after giving him the stink eye, grumbling the whole time as he stomped away. Another one of his friends, Alyona—a sweet omega with the most symmetrical heart-shaped face he'd ever seen—smiled at him from where she was making up his order. Her blue gaze was warm and worried as she looked him over.
Elias wrung out his sweater one more time, slipped out of his waterlogged shoes, and glided toward her. "Hey there, Sunshine."
She smiled, pink lips parting as she adjusted the hat over her chestnut curls. "Hey. Are you alright? You're shaking like a leaf."
It was true, but Elias had done his best to ignore it. He got cold easily, hence the fifteen blankets littering his bed at all times, and when there was water involved, he might as well be a goner. If he didn't want to get sick, Elias had to, at the very least, dry off his hair and drink something warm. Thankfully, he'd come to the right place.
"I'm cold, that's all," he replied, shifting to the pickup counter when three more patrons came barreling in to avoid the downpour. "How have you been? I haven't seen you around much."
"I'll be right with you," she called to the newcomers. Turning back to him, she shrugged, setting the first painted, orange-flamed cup down before starting on the second. "I have two jobs now, so I'm not here as often."
Elias raised his brows. Alyona was as soft as an omega could come. Short, sweet, and kind. The picture of what a powerful alpha would want to keep. Nevertheless, she remained unmated and independent. He respected her fiercely for it, but worried for her just as much as all their other friends.
