After leaving Seattle, Mark took a couple of days to rest. He had always rejected the luxuries that came with being a dominant alpha in a wealthy Seattle family, yet his apartment was the only luxury he was comfortable with. With breathtaking views showing the best of Manhattan, Mark could feel as if all the stress he had been building up was disappearing.
With a cup of tea in hand, staring at part of the Empire State Building that could be seen through his window, Mark reflected on everything that had happened these past weeks.
He couldn't go on living off a fleeting memory that will never return. Although he longs to see Chris again and to carry out everything that he imagined that night while they slept together, the truth is that, on second thought, it was impossible. He met him in Las Vegas, a place quite far from New York City. He could be from anywhere in the country. How lucky should he be for Chris to be in the same place as him? It would just be a matter of a lucky strike, but he couldn't depend on it forever. He wasn't a teenager living on fantasies, he was a thirty-two-year-old divorced adult man. He should feel ashamed for even having such absurd thoughts and wishes. Reality will always be different from fantasy. And reality dictated to get on with his life if he didn't want to live miserably thanks to a wish that will never come true.
It’s time to accept that he will never see him again.
Maybe Amy is right. Perhaps he should move on with his life, stop being so reserved and open up to new people. New York is a pretty big city, maybe among so many people, he will find the one that will help him forget Chris.
It was the best.
He took the last sip of his tea and this time, he honestly promised to forget him.
New York traffic was stressful as always. Through the rear view mirror, he could see the taxi driver silently cursing at the driver behind him who was almost mimicking Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 with his horn. It was something quite normal and he was already used to the peculiar and deafening urban melody of the city.
Fortunately, he was still on time to get to the photoshoot for Time magazine. It seemed tiring and unnecessary to do the photoshoot and the interview on two different days, but apparently the interview would not only appear in the magazine, but it would also be filmed and later published on Time's YouTube channel. When he was informed about that idea, although at first he didn’t agree very much to be filmed, he ended up accepting. YouTube had much more reach than the magazine, so, in professional terms, it was quite convenient for him that his work reached that platform.
His cell phone began to ring. Seeing the name on the screen, he answered immediately.
“How is it that the award-winning Mark Kennedy hasn't notified me of his return to The Big Apple?”
“Mr. Craig,” Mark greeted as he looked out the window, thankfully the taxi was already moving faster.
“Wow, Mark. Just call me Joseph.”
“It's hard to call you like that when you’re the executive editor of The New York Times,” he joked.
Joseph Craig was the first omega to be executive editor. Many argued that the reason for his appointment was because he was the omega of the CEO of The New York Company, but Mark knew that Joseph was an excellent journalist and had more than deserved the position. Interestingly, Joseph's work was part of his motives for becoming a journalist.
“Since you won the Pulitzer I've lost sight of you. I heard you went to celebrate alone in Las Vegas, did you have fun?”
That question took him by surprise. The last thing he wanted to do was remember what happened in Las Vegas, but he had promised himself to leave everything behind, so he answered naturally:
“Yes. Las Vegas will always be a good place to have fun.”
“Of course it is! I should go to Vegas with my husband to celebrate my birthday. Not everyday is fifty years old.”
“Aren't you a little old to go to those places?”
“Nonsense! You’re never too old.”
Mark heard a laugh through his phone's speaker and almost immediately started laughing as well.
“I hope we can meet soon. Even if it's a coffee… Well, me a coffee and you a tasteless tea.” Although it was a mockery of his taste for tea, Mark smiled. “I told my husband about your return, he asked me almost begging me, that you publish soon in the newspaper. You know that The New York Times will always be your home.”
“It's not like I'm going to win a Pulitzer every time I publish something.”
“You know that's not the reason, silly boy.”
Mark smiled again. “Give me a break, man. I'm still doing interviews for the Pulitzer.”
“I know, I heard you will be on the cover of Time Magazine. I'm proud of you.”
“Thank you…” he paused as he realized that he was getting closer to his destination. “After all this hustle, how about we organize a dinner? You, your husband and me. You know, catch up.”
“Sounds like a pretty good idea to me! Let me know in advance, son. To make sure that Waylon's schedule is clear for dinner.”
“I'll do it, don’t worry.”
“By the way, do you remember I told you I wanted to recruit a freelance digital journalist?”
It took Mark a moment to remember. “The journalist who posts online about omega empowerment, right? What was his name again?”
“Christopher Newman. After so long he has finally agreed to work for us.”
“You seem to have fulfilled your wish to have someone that deconstructs the alpha stereotype and also have someone who advocates for omega empowerment.”
“It's time for changes, Mark. For a better world. I hope you can come back to the newspaper soon so you can know him”
“Of course.” The taxi stopped. Finally he had reached the place where he had been summoned, so he said goodbye to Joseph. “Let’s talk later, Joseph. I'm glad you called.”
“If I didn't do it, you never would. You forget about this old man who held out his hand to you.” From the laughter he could hear through the speaker, he knew he was joking.
“Oh, come on.” Caught again by Joseph's laughter, Mark said before hanging up: “Take care.”
Mark paid the taxi driver and got out of the vehicle. Upon entering the building, he was greeted so warmly that he was embarrassed by so much attention. He was just a simple journalist but apparently having won a prize like the Pulitzer had a lot of weight in his career.
“Mr. Kennedy! Welcome. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to have you in Time magazine.”
The greeting from the man who suddenly approached him sounded too methodical. He had probably been going over those sentences over and over again so as not to fail. Mark showed his best professional smile and replied:
“Thank you for considering me.”
The man's next words were as generic as in any other interview. The typical words that were probably forced to say by top managers to make the magazine look good. Still, he couldn't help paying attention.
“We know that it’s the first time that you accept an interview where you expose your face. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to be the first to show the face of the alpha who is exposing the normalized alpha tyranny.”
Mark smirked. It was the first time he had heard the word “tyranny” referring to the content of his work. It was certainly quite an interesting way to look at it.
The man continued, “We also know that you are looking for simple content for photos. The photographer in charge is aware of that and has designed a simple but representative photoshoot at the same time. However, it is his first time leading, so I apologize in advance for any issues that may occur.”
“Don’t worry.”
“I will introduce him to you.”
The man walked away from him as soon as they entered what looked like a nearly empty apartment with the exception of what had been brought in by the magazine folks. From what he could see, most of the people there were betas and a few normal alpha.
Soon that man returned accompanied by apparently another beta, smaller but at the same time with a rather pretty face. He never thought male betas could look as cute as that man: wavy black hair, amber eyes, and a white face with some freckles. Unfortunately, that subtle beauty was being overshadowed by hideous glasses.
“Mr. Kennedy, this is Eric Marshall, the photographer in charge.”
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