I could see him tense up. His gaze told me he had something else on his mind.

"No... not that," I said quickly. "Just stay by my side. I don't want to think, and being... with someone helps me not to."

I noticed how he relaxed immediately.

I did not want to be a bother, and I knew we probably were not that close, but right now all I could think about was not wanting to be alone.

I lowered my head, waiting for his answer.

"Sure, I'll stay."

I looked up at him and he was looking at me with a sweet smile, so I smiled back in gratitude.

Seconds later, he sat up and took his phone out of his pocket. When the screen lit up, I saw the time.

It was half past eleven at night. 

"So late!" I said, almost shouting, making John jump and turn to face me.

"Could you please not do that?"

"Oh." I chuckled slightly at her reaction. "I'm sorry."

I had no idea John was such a scaredy cat that got frightened by sudden things; he did not seem like it at all. He smiled and turned his gaze back to his phone, scrolling through messages.

I looked away and stood up.

"I'm going to take a shower." I did not need to say it, but I wanted to anyway.

He looked at me for a second, and I saw a hint of a blush. Whatever he was thinking was not going to happen, not again.

"Uh, okay," he finally replied, turning his attention back to his phone and typing a message.

I grabbed all my shower supplies and headed to the bathroom. When I came out, John was still looking at his phone, only now he was standing on the other side of the bed, where he'd slept the last time.

"What are you standing there for?" I asked, drying my hair with the towel.

John raised his head, giving me a glance. He looked back at the bed and looked at me again.

"I thought you might want to put it away first," he said, pointing with his phone.

I followed where he was pointing and saw Matt's jacket. He had taken it and put it away yesterday, but today he waited for me to do it myself.

I hurried to the bed and picked it up, looking at it for a second.

Then I turned to John, who had taken a few steps over to where I had been a moment ago, picking up the towel I had dropped without even noticing.

I looked back at Matt's jacket and squeezed it. I took a deep breath to let in a little of its faint scent, then folded it. I squatted down and opened the bottom drawer of the nightstand to put it away.

Once I finished, I sat up in bed as I let out the air I had been holding in and then yawned. I had yawned several times in the bathroom already, and sitting on the soft bed did not help much. 

Suddenly, I felt the towel on my head, so I looked up and there was John, smiling at me. He started rubbing the towel on my head, and I let out a whining.

"Okay, stop." I reached for his hands, trying to stop him.

"You'll get sick, dry it properly," he sentenced.

"Are you really twenty-three? You really do look like a grandpa, or more like a dad," I complained.

He huffed and started rubbing harder.

"Ouch!"

As soon as I complained, he went back to rubbing slowly.

"Stop complaining, I'll do it until it's completely dry, unless you have a hairdryer."

I grimaced.

It was a hotel, and I had not brought anything with me, so I only had the few clothes I had bought at the beginning.  And he knew that for sure.

I let my arms fall, defeated.

"I'll get you one later."

"No, thanks. I don't usually use one."

He pursed his lips in complaint, but did not insist. He continued drying my hair and started to make me even sleepier. I had never stayed up this late before, and even though I had slept for almost two days, I was still sleepy.

I started to doze off, and John gently placed his hands on my shoulders to keep me from falling backward.

"Alex?" I heard him ask.

"Hm?" I answered sleepily.

I felt John gently pull me close to his chest and lay me down on the bed. He lifted my legs and brought them up as well, then covered me with the sheets.

My eyelids felt too heavy, so I kept them closed.

When I was almost asleep, I felt something gently bump into my forehead, and seconds later I drifted off.

In my dream, I saw Matt and me together as before, as if nothing had happened. We were smiling and cuddling on the couch in the apartment I called home while watching a movie.

I was lying on his chest while he touched my hair, taking strands and letting them go. I looked at him, and he was glowing, with that little smile I knew so well. He turned toward me and smiled even wider, but for some reason, it made me cry.

As soon as I started, Matt vanished with the whole apartment, leaving me alone and on my knees in complete darkness.

I saw Matt in the distance, turning around and starting to walk away. I struggled to my feet and began running toward him, but he kept getting farther and farther away until I lost sight of him.

I fell back to my knees and covered my face with both hands, crying.

Behind me, I felt a small warm, light that grew little by little.

The moment I started to turn over, my eyes snapped open, and I felt my cheeks wet.

I ran my fingers over them and began wiping away the tears I had shed in my sleep.

It was my first time having a dream like this. I had never had dreams like that before, not even when I got here after Matt marked the omega. I thought for a moment.

Then I noticed the light was not hitting me directly like it usually did, so I looked up.

And there was John.

I froze, completely stunned. My brain snapped to life, and I realized I was wrapped in his arms like a baby.

That was why it felt warmer than usual.

I stared at him for a moment.

He was sleeping so peacefully that I felt bad about waking him, but I had no idea what time it was, and we both had to get to work, so I reached up to touch his face.

Before I touched him, I stopped. I was not sure if it would be a good idea to touch him like that, so I lowered my hand and shifted the arm he had around me.

He whimpered and tightened his grip, making me to be the one to whimper this time. 

"John," I whispered.

Seeing that he was not moving, I repeated his name a little louder.

He grimaced and opened his eyes slightly. He looked down at me and closed them again, bringing his face closer to mine, leaving me completely frozen.

"Good morning," he said in a hoarse voice, gently bumping his forehead against mine and smiling slightly.

I swallowed hard.

"H-Hi," I replied, unable to tear my gaze away from him.

Seeing that he had become still again, I took a deep breath and moved my head slightly, causing his to move as well.

"John, we have to go to work. I don't know what time it is."

He opened his eyes slowly and blinked a couple of times. He stared at me longer than necessary.

I looked away and cleared my throat. As if he was just processing everything, he abruptly lifted his head, saw his arms around me, and yanked them away.

I looked at him again, surprised by his reaction.

"Oh, yes. Work. Of course," he said, sitting up in bed, a blush spreading across his face. He was on the side where I usually slept, but for some reason, it felt more comfortable this way, perhaps because he kept the light from the window off me.

He sat on the edge of the bed for a few seconds and then stood up.

He walked around the bed and headed toward the bathroom. As he walked, I could still see the faint blush on his ears and cheeks.

I curled up in bed again, trying to figure out what  had all been about.

Maybe he had someone else, and he had thought I was that person. But if that was the case, then that time we slept together, he had cheated on them with me.

I frowned.

That could not be, because during all the months I had been working with him, I had not seen anyone come looking for him, nor had he ever come looking for anyone.

Although it was also possible he was in a long-distance relationship, considering he had lived in South Korea for several years and was always on his phone.

I glanced toward the door, still frowning.

Could that be it?

I shook my head. He did not seem like that kind of person, although, as they always say, you never really know someone.

When he came out of the bathroom, I got up, still feeling lazy, grabbed some clean clothes, and headed over.

I remembered I had left all the dirty laundry at the laundromat, including John's jacket, so I made a mental note to pick them up after work.

I went into the bathroom, and when I came out, I found John sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting. He looked up as soon as he heard the door open.

"Are you sure you want to go to work?" he asked, fidgeting with his hands.

I nodded confidently.

"I'd rather keep my mind occupied,"  I said seeing him grimace, hesitating. I stood where I was, wondering if I should ask him or not.

I looked down and shifted my weight from one foot to the other.

"Alex?" His call made me turn toward him. He had tilted his head and was watching me. "Everything okay?"

I looked away for a second and then leaned back against the wall.

"Hey, John. Do you... Have a partner by any chance?" I hated beating around the bush.

He opened his eyes and shook his head slowly.

"N-No, why do you ask?" His eyes sparkled for some reason.

I grimaced.

"Because of the way you woke up, like it was the most normal thing in the world to hug and get close to someone like that," I explained.

He watched me for a few seconds. Slowly, a blush spread across his face, and he looked away.

"Oh, no. I think it was because of your ph-pher..." he whispered, covering his mouth with his hand, seemingly embarrassed.

I raised an eyebrow, not quite understanding what he meant. I waited for him to continue, but he just tossed his hair and glanced at me.

Finally, he sighed and stood up. He walked over to where I was, so I leaned away from the wall, a little startled by his sudden approach.

He raised a hand to my head and placed it there, slowly lowering it as he stroked a few strands of hair along the way.

I could not read him at all, and he was not looking at me either; keeping his eyes on his movements.

"Your pheromones... They're quite strong, but they draw you in," he said softly. "I like them," he whispered.

My lips parted slowly in surprise.

Why was he saying that?

He closed his eyes slightly, as if lost in thought. I remained completely still, waiting for him to do or say something, but he just stayed there.

"...John?" I asked seconds later, somewhat confused by his sudden change in behavior.

My voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he walked away with a slight blush. He went to the side of the bed and picked up the thermal backpack he had brought the night before.

I followed him with my eyes.

"Sorry," he blurted out suddenly. "Just forget it. It's getting late, let's go," he said, turning to me with a smile, probably trying to hide it.