If he could be honest, Chester didn’t like the prospect of going to Blue Rose. Yesterday was bad enough—he made an embarrassing ruckus, and he put the poor Alpha on an awkward position. As much as he couldn’t stand Alphas, Chester still had his fair share of shame. His action was uncalled for. Though he apologized, he still felt like an arsehole.

Chester sat near a fountain across the street, eyeing his usual lunch place like a hungry puppy. His mind jumbled, debating whether he should starve, swallow his pride and step in, or find another alternative. None of the options sounded appealing to him. He was too comfortable once he found Blue Rose that he never considered another place to eat. Finding another place was such a hassle—other places would be crowded with those middle-aged Alpha businessmen; other places didn’t have favorable food.

Blue Rose was Chester’s only solace.

He slouched and dropped his head, sighing. Stupid. If he hadn’t been such an arse yesterday, he could have eaten Caleb’s delicious lunch. But instead, there he was, sitting like a lost puppy and wasting his lunch time. Chester buried his face on his hands, his shoulders fell. “Fuuuuck,” he groaned, weighing so much regret.

He took away his hands from his face and—saw a pair of sneakers on the ground in front of him. So, he lifted his head and—

Oh, fuck.

There stood Sebastian—the one Chester tried best to avoid, the one Chester didn’t want to see. Yet, he was the one in front of him.

“Ah, fuck,” Chester slumped. “Why are you here?” he asked, a little too rude. Guilt surged in him as he realized how badly he treated the younger man.

Sebastian’s mouth opened and closed yet no sentence escaped his mouth, his hands flailing around in an awkward way. Perhaps, he became awkward. “Ah, well,” though stuttering, he managed to form a sentence. “Owner... sent me to fetch you. He saw you sitting here... menacingly.”

Chester’s expression went blank. What he heard was embarrassing. “Ahhh,” he sighed again, leaning as he supported his weight with his hands, throwing his head back. Not only was he embarrassed, but the owner of Blue Rose humiliated him on purpose.

Well, it left him with no choice.

Chester stood up. “Sorry,” he muttered, though his face was red in embarrassment. “I’m going in.”

Then, like a robot, he dragged his steps into the café, while the younger Alpha followed him. As he passed the younger man, Chester noticed the sweet scent emitting from Sebastian. It was a similar one to that of Jackson. Except, Sebastian’s was calming and not overbearing—and he didn’t release his pheromone as a way to entice the Omega in him.

Immediately as he entered the café, Chester stomped his way to the counter, glaring menacingly at the owner. “Owner!” he hissed—though he wanted to yell, there was a few other customers there. Strangely, there seemed to be more customers than usual. That wasn’t his main focus, though. He leaned through the counter, hissing, “Why did you send Sebastian to fetch me?”

Caleb glanced at the angry salaryman, wiping a glass with his towel. “Ray’s cooking,” he explained curtly, placing his glass on the glass holder and minding his business.

Chester clenched his fists, making a gesture as if he were hammering the table. “Then why didn’t you get out yourself?”

“Job. And all. We’ve been busy today,” Caleb replied matter-of-factly. He went to the cashier machine and typed in Chester’s usual order. “The usual?”

“Yeah,” Chester answered instinctively. Though, he blinked, shaking his head as if he were played. “No—I mean, yeah, but why?”

Caleb scanned Chester’s appearance for a second, a mocking smile formed at the corner of his lips. He sighed in amusement. “He’s interested in you.”

He looked at Caleb in disbelief, while the café owner proceeded his payment and gave back his card. “What?” he demanded.

Caleb shrugged, turning his back and ignoring the customer’s question. He tied his hair into a ponytail. “Go find your seat,” he said, which Chester obliged. He obediently looked for an unoccupied table—which, strangely, wasn’t as many as usual. A lot of customers were occupying different tables—some of them were Omegas, a lot of them were Betas. Well—it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know why.

Chester took a seat on his usual table—which, fortunately wasn’t occupied—and looked at his surroundings. A lot of the Beta’s gazes were directed towards Sebastian. Must be not used to seeing such young and handsome Alpha working on a café. Well, not that Chester cared. He huffed, crossing his arms on the table while shifting his gaze to the street outside. The usual view. He let himself got absorbed by his daydream, feeling so serene without a care to the world.

“Thank you for waiting!” Sebastian came, startling Chester out of his daydream. Chester looked up to find the younger man smiling at him, serving the coffee latte he had ordered. He smiled ear to ear, like a little puppy.

It made Chester a little awkward, but he muttered a thank you. He drifted his gaze through the window again, yet Sebastian stood still with a grin still painted on his face. Uncomfortable, Chester scooted to create more distance between them and looked at the waiter. “What?” he asked defensively.

“Drink it!” Sebastian begged. He pulled a chair and sat down across Chester. “Tell me what you think about it.”

Straightening his back, Chester’s brown eyes followed Sebastian’s move as the waiter leaned closer to him, his elbows on the table while his hands supported his head. Chester was nervous. Sweet scent emitted from Sebastian once again, intoxicating Chester. His heartbeat got faster as feelings of longing surged in him. Though he shook his head to rid of the strange feelings. His fingers wrapped around the cup handle, bringing the hot liquid closer to his mouth. He inhaled the smell of coffee in—a different sweet scent. He took a sip, letting the sweetened beverage washed his tongue. Chester pulled the cup from the lips, eyeing the liquid as flavors immersing into his system. “It’s... a little sweeter than usual,” he stated as he glanced at the happy-go-lucky man. “Taste like the one yesterday. I like it, though.”

Listening to Chester’s truthful opinion, Sebastian beamed with joy. He stood up, sighing in satisfaction. “I’ve got your approval, finally,” he stated, raising his hands above like a kid getting praised. He took the tray, leaving Chester with a wink and a confession, “I’m the one making that. Glad you like it!”

Chester froze, dumbfounded. As realization dawned in, he slumped on his own table, hands covering his face. All he knew was his face was flushed red with embarrassment. “Ahhhh,” he muttered a groan, closing his eyes. His heart felt like it was about to explode. “My heart can’t take this,” he muttered to himself, letting his gaze follow the friendly waiter.

He might be feeling something he never felt.