When we went upstairs and entered the house, his parents were sitting on the couch watching television. The owner had his arm around his omega, who was leaning comfortably against her husband.

I paused in the doorway, unsure if I could just barge in like that.

John walked past me and entered as if nothing was amiss.

"We're here!" he called out suddenly, shattering the pleasant atmosphere.

I put my hand to my face.

"Oh, guys! Darling, you came," his mother crooned, getting up from the couch.

"Good evening," I replied. I had grown accustomed to her calling me that.

John turned to me and smiled.

"Come in, don't be shy," he said, brimming with confidence.

I gave him a bad look and went inside.

The owner stood up and followed John, who had gone into what appeared to be the kitchen.

The omega waved me over with her hand. As soon as I was beside her, she patted the couch next to her for me to sit down, so I did.

Before John arrived, they used to insist I eat with them. I accepted several times so as not to be rude, and they would end up bringing the food down and eating at one of the café tables. But since he arrived, they noticed I was almost defensive, and that is probably why they stopped asking.

So this was my first time going into their house.

While his father set the table, John prepared something in the kitchen.

"We eat dinner early here," the omega said, noticing me glancing between them.

I was actually doing it because I felt bad watching them do everything.

"Oh, I see," I replied. "Let me help, please," I offered. I tried to get up, but she placed a hand on my shoulder and made me sit back down.

"Just let them pamper you a little," she winked at me and stayed by my side.

I smiled at her and turned toward the kitchen. It was starting to smell delicious.

I was not used to eating dinner. I just had something and that was enough, but here they apparently prepared food as if it were a second lunch. 

"They eat a lot," the omega said suddenly. "Maybe because they're men, and John is enormous, plus he is an alpha too." She laughed.

I remembered my home life with Matt, and he used to eat way more than I did.

"Yeah, that must be it," I said, getting lost in my thoughts. I always ended up cooking too much, but he ate everything I made, even at the beginning when I was not so good at it yet. And he would finish with a grateful smile on his face, as well as giving me a loving kiss on the forehead. 

I used to think we really seemed like newlyweds. Him coming home from work while I took care of the housework. Matt would almost always find me finishing cooking, so I would quickly take off my apron and run to give him a kiss.

He smiled and hugged me.

"... Lex," I suddenly heard, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Oh," I said. "I'm sorry, what is it?"

She placed a hand on my leg and squeezed it gently, offering comfort.

I smiled at her. I liked the way she tried to comfort me, even though she did not know why I was like this.

"Honey!" the owner hummed, and his omega gave me another smile before standing up and going to see his husband.

As soon as she reached his side, the owner took her hand and said something to her. They both smiled, and the man raised his hand to stroke his omega's face, who leaned toward him.

I smiled at the sight.

I thought how wonderful it would be to reach that age and still love each other with the same intensity as when they first met.

I envied them a little, knowing I could have had that with Matt.

I quickly dismissed the thought and stood up to clear my head. I went to the kitchen to see if I could help with anything, and also to find out what smelled so good.

When I peeked out, I saw John humming a tune in an apron that was way too small for him, which made me smile. It must have been his mother's.

I could not recognize the song he was humming, but it sounded pretty cheerful, and he wasn't half bad at it.

Because that's how alphas are. 

They're the 'perfect beings' of the world, especially if they are dominant like him. Like Matt.

I tried to approach quietly, but as soon as I took a step, John turned around, which made me jump.

"How did you...?" I started, trailing off.

He smiled.

"Your pheromones, of course," he stated.

I always suppressed them, but I suppose for the dominant alphas it was not a problem to distinguish us.

"I can only smell the food," I replied without hesitation.

He laughed a little at my comment and gestured for me to come closer.

The kitchen was small, but it fit everything they needed. Although it was a bit cramped, even for two people.

I stood beside him and snooped to see what he was doing.

He was chopping vegetables.

"It's roast chicken," he declared, pointing toward the oven with his knife. "And this," he said, going back to chopping the vegetables, "is for the salad."

"I see," was all I could manage to say.

There was a brief silence.

"I only used the oven for desserts," I blurted out, just to add something.

Matt used to tell me he really liked my cooking, but when I made desserts, he always said he loved them, his eyes showing. Now I had stopped making them since there was not even a kitchen in the hotel.

John stopped what he was doing and looked at me.

I did the same.

"Do you make desserts?" he asked.

"...Yes," I replied. "I also cook."

He smiled broadly and went back to what he was doing.

"I had no idea, so you know about cooking," he said while cutting a carrot. "If you want, you can come here and make some desserts. Mom loves them but does not know how to make them, and Dad and I know even less. We are better with savory dishes."

I was surprised that alphas are not perfect at everything.

"I thought alphas could do anything," I said.

He glanced at me sideways.

"We're not perfect at all. At least I'm not," he emphasized, smiling.

"Oh, I'm very aware of that," I said, playing along to tease him.

He looked offended, and I laughed at that, making John laugh too.

I tried to grab a piece of carrot that was near me, but he put his arm up to stop me. I was about to give up when he looked at me and gave me a mischievous smile. So I started to persist, reaching in to grab at least a piece, but he kept moving his arm to stop me. I laughed as I tried, and he warned me to be careful because he had the knife in his other hand, even though he had put it as far away as he could.

Finally, I gave up and crossed my arms.

He laughed and kept cutting.

I turned to the other side for added drama, my gaze drifting to the kitchen shelf on the left. Inside was a framed photo of the owner and his wife sitting on a counter with two people standing behind them. The omega was holding a baby in her arms.

I was about to ask when John placed a carrot in front of me.

I frowned, then smiled at him and reached for the carrot.

He moved it slightly away and then brought it closer again.

He opened his mouth a little, wanting me to do the same. I narrowed my eyes but eventually did, taking the carrot and savoring it.

He laughed and I could see a hint of blush on his cheeks, making me stop smiling and feel embarrassed too.

What was I doing being so friendly here? It was the first time I had spent time with them outside of work, and the first time I had felt comfortable enough to laugh and joke around.

I remained lost in thought for a few seconds until a chuckle behind us snapped me out of it. I turned around quickly, and there were her parents, watching us from the doorway, smiling.

And I felt strange.

For a moment, a strange feeling coursed through my body, and I could tell this was not my place.

A memory of my family flashed through my mind: always eating alone, my father working all the time, and my stepmother and siblings ignoring me.

I could not pretend they were my family; I should not act so confidently.

"I'm going to the restroom," I said, heading for the door to go down to the cafeteria.

"Darling, we have a bathroom here," the omega said, gesturing to her left.

"Oh, thank you," I replied, following her lead.

I walked in and sat on the toilet lid.

I had never felt particularly attached to my family, so I was oblivious to the whole thing. Being largely ignored had forced me to matured early, and when I moved in with Matt I worked hard to be an ideal husband.

But this family was so different, with a warmth that somehow reminded me more of when I lived with Matt than my own family, and that hurt even more. Matt had always been my refuge, even more like family to me than my own. With him, I had started to change little by little, gaining more confidence and discovering myself gradually.

But after losing him, I felt like I had reverted to my old self, to how I was when I was with my family.

I turned on the tap and splashed water on my face to wash away all those thoughts.

I rested my hands on the sink and took a deep breath.

This family is so different from mine, and also from the home Matt had given me. They openly showed how happy they were together, so close and warm, that I was not sure if I should stay here or apologize and go back to the hotel.

I remembered the omega's smiling face, so calming it made me want to cry.

I sighed and opened the door.

The noise reached my ears again.

I saw John with the platter of chicken in his hands, trying to pull it away from his father, who was reaching up to grab a piece while the omega laughed and tried to get her husband to behave.

Until a moment ago, I felt out of place. But now another feeling had surfaced.

The warmth of that family reached me.

And it warmed my heart little by little.