* * *

“Here… I know tomorrow’s a school day but fuck it! Let’s drink the night away,” Reese said as he scoffed. Right now, what’s important is for his friend to forget even if it’s just for a while. Additionally, even though he had already moved on, thinking about how pathetic he was before compared to the Alpha made him want to drink as well.

Meanwhile, looking at Reese, Lan paused for a bit before he snorted because it looked like it was the Beta that was heartbroken and not him. Still, he nodded. For some reason, even though deep inside he was hurting, he was still able to smile because of Reese. 

Lan stares at his roommates as he runs around to prepare glasses and even a few crackers and cheese to go with the liquor, and for whatever reason, a random thought pops into his mind. A thought that one day he never knew would come true.

“Hey! What are you waiting for? Do you want to drink or not?” Reese frowned confusingly, seeing that the Alpha wasn’t opening the bottle as he sat down next to him after putting down the wine glasses and snacks.

“I think you’re more enthusiastic than I am when it comes to drinking, even though I’m the brokenhearted one…” Lan commented with a chuckle, finally taking one of the bottles and the corkscrew to open it. Listening to him, the Beta pouted playfully as he urged the Alpha to quickly pour the wine.

“What do you mean?! Of course I feel bad but you also have to look at the brighter side. At least, it didn’t take way longer… since the longer it is, the more painful it is. You’re lucky Elven cares for you since he didn’t lead you on… Some however, might have…” Reese said, looking at Lan with a serious expression. “Still, I don’t want to invalidate the pain that you have felt. That's why tonight, we both mourn and celebrate. Thus… the two bottles,” he added before finally smiling pointing out the two bottles.

Meanwhile, dumbfounded at the way the Beta was seeing the situation, he paused for a bit before finally he nodded. His determination to finally move on from Elven solidified. He loved Elven dearly but despite that, he’s still willing to give up because he knew if he insisted on himself, it would only hurt the Omega. Some might think that he’s giving up too early but truthfully, deep inside, he knew he didn’t have a chance. He knew Elven never looked at him that way but just couldn’t give up because a part of him wanted to deny. A part of him was still hopeful that maybe, just maybe he was wrong. That maybe Elven did like him and he just needed to confess.

Unfortunately, the moment Elven rejected him, even though it was painful, a huge part of him already accepted it. It was a hard decision but at the same time it had set him free.

“I like the way you think… But please be sure to keep up… I don’t want you collapsing like the last time,” Lan commented after he finished pouring both on their glasses.

“Ha, I can’t guarantee it, but I’ll try…” Reese chuckled as he lifted his glass, encouraging the Alpha to join him. “To our broken hearts and the path to healing,” he toasted with a bright smile, sparking Lan’s curiosity. 

“I thought I was the only one with a broken heart here?” Lan said, raising one of his brows in curiosity. When he meets Reese, he actually finds him rather feisty despite the fact that he’s also shy and dislikes people. Unlike him who needed to distance himself from people because of his situation, Reese seemed to avoid people for some other reason. Still, when you get to know him, he’s very sweet, he’s caring, and someone you can rely on. Not to mention, he’s so funny and adorable that he couldn’t help but warm up to him quickly. As an Alpha, he could tell Reese was a Beta but at the same time, he wouldn’t be surprised if he said he was actually an Omega.

“You think you’re the only person who can fall in love here? Of course I also have my fair share of love, although… it ended long ago,” Reesed scoffed before taking a gulp of his wine. Meanwhile, listening to Reese, Lan immediately got even more curious. The Beta probably knows a lot about him already but he doesn't know anything about him and now he wants to know.

“You say it like that but it looks like it still affected you. Do you still like the person? If you don’t mind sharing,” Lan said also taking a sip before putting the glass of wine down.

“What!? Of course not! It has been such a long time ago and I no longer have feelings for that person…” Reese quickly replied with a frown because it’s true. “Although… I would be lying if I said it doesn't hurt me when I think about it. It’s just something unfortunate that has happened to me and I don’t mind sharing but it’s a boring story…” he added with a bitter smile. Furthermore, Lan probably doesn’t know that he’s gay. He still doesn’t know if Lan would like to be friends with someone like him.

“Try me. I’m all ears. Besides, I don’t know anything about you and I would like to know…” Lan said sincerely, looking at Reese with his beautiful amber eyes.

“You know so much about me but I don’t even know a single thing about you. You’re my friend now and I want to know you better…” Lan added before he softly reached out for the Beta’s hand and squeezed it lightly. “ What makes you sad? What makes you mad? And what makes you happy? I want to know it all,” he added with the most handsome smile, causing Reese to quickly pull back his hand and blushed a deep shade of red.

“D-Don’t grab my hand like that~ If I didn’t know better… I would think…” Reese stuttered in panic. He’s trying to make sure that he doesn’t develop any feelings for a straight Alpha like Lan, but it’s too difficult when the Alpha looks and acts like this… plus, he’s completely his type.

“Hahaha, what do you mean? I was sincere…”

“I know! But… don’t look at me like that… It’s making me awkward because you have that face…” Reese replied, playfully pushing Lan away who was also obviously playing and using his handsome face to do so.

“Well… I can’t do anything about it. It’s the face I was born with… But I was really honest… There’s something about you that draws me in and I want to know you better…” Lan said again with all honesty because it’s true. There is definitely something about Reese that draws him in but he also knew that it’s not about an Alpha towards an Omega, although he wasn’t so sure.

“Say… Are you really a Beta and not an Omega? If you don’t mind me asking…” Lan asked and as soon as Reese heard him, his lips tightened. He really hated it when people ask him whether he's really a Beta or not because of his physical features so he couldn’t help but pause when the Alpha asked him the same thing even though he knew full well that Lan was just asking due to genuine curiosity.

“To be honest, I really hate it when people ask me that but since I know you don’t mean anything bad, I don’t mind…” Reese started, taking Lan aback before he quickly whispered his apologies but Reese only put his hand up to stop him, saying that it was okay. “It’s fine. I guess it’s quite confusing since I look like this but I am a Beta… Even if you strip me, you’ll only see one thing,” Reese added before he chuckled. To be honest, he too wondered why his physique resembled Omegas. He looked way different from Betas but Omegas have both male and female reproductive organs while he only has one. 

“Surely you know by now that I don’t have pheromones,” Reese snorted before he took another gulp from his wine. Of course, since he doesn’t have pheromones, he also can’t sense it.

“Yeah, sorry for asking…” Lan apologized again, hoping that he hadn't made the Beta feel upset but seeing how Reese had smiled again, he sighed in relief. 

“I said it’s fine. No need to worry.”

“Okay… but I still want to know more about you…” Lan nodded before he said again, looking at Reese with his sincere eyes making the Beta sigh in frustration thinking he had diverted the Alpha’s attention from that.

“I thought you had forgotten about that…”

“Hahahaha… come on. You can trust me,” Lan urged, nudging Reese who was taking another gulp. He looked at the Alpha for a bit before he finally sighed and later scooted away a little.

“Fine… But first of all… You need to know that you have to stop being too touchy with me…” Reese said with a frown and pout. Lan got a little bit confused but he continued to listen waiting for the reason.

“Because… You’re straight and I’m trying not to fall for someone like you…” Reese revealed and for some reason he felt nervous that he quickly gulped whatever remained in his glass before putting it down with a slam. “What I’m trying to say is that… I prefer men over women so you have to be careful. With that face… don’t blame me if I become one of those roommates that you hated…” he added. Because he had drunk wine a little bit fast, he felt a little bit tipsy already so he looked at the Alpha seriously with his dazed eyes.

Meanwhile, listening to Reese, Lan paused for a bit before he finally laughed.

“I don’t really mind if you prefer men or women. I myself also prefer men, whether they’re Onega, Beta, or Alpha,” Lan only replied, taking his wine glass. Truthfully, even though he had only liked Elven ever since he was young, he knew to himself that he also preferred men over women. He didn’t care if they’re Omega, Beta, or an Alpha. He’s just more attracted to male bodies than women so he didn’t know why Reese was acting as if it’s such a big deal. Furthermore, his whole family consists of males so he’s more familiar with it. Additionally, women scares him so he couldn’t see himself with them even in his dreams.

“W-What!?” Reese exclaimed in shock as he stood up abruptly. However, since he was already dizzy, his head quickly turned and fell on top of Lan with the Alpha’s wine spilling over their shirts.

“O-Oh my gosh… I’m so sorry~” Reese quickly apologized pushing Lan away as he tried to get off of the Alpha while blushing a deep shade of red but he failed miserably when Lan was holding onto his waist, keeping him still.

“It’s fine. Calm down or you’ll hurt yourself…” Lan said with a subtle frown before he sat up with Reese on top of him. Of course, the Beta tried to struggle since their position was inappropriate before he finally managed to, quickly pressing himself at the corner of the couch. 

With his heart pounding stronger and faster, Reese held his chest hoping it would quickly calm down.

“You’re acting as if I’m a plague… I won’t touch you, you know… unless you want me to hahahaha,” Lan said, taking his shirt off now that it has been soaked with wine. The shirt he was wearing was given to him by his little sister and he’s worried she would look for it so he wanted to quickly wash it before it stains.

“W-W-Who said I would want you to touch me, stupid!” Reese yelled as he stuttered, his face turning red as a tomato. At the same time. Hearing the Beta, Lan looked at Reese, who looked like a mess. He had never seen the Beta like this and something inside him piqued that not even Elven had done.

“Relax, I was only joking… Well, unless you really want me to hahahaha,” Lan said playfully, smirking at the Beta who was still pressed at the corner even though he was only one arm away. If he was to reach for me, it’d be easy to grab his ankle and tower over him.

“S-Stop joking around… What about Elven!?” Reese whined through a pillow at the Alpha. Lan was still laughing but as soon as Elven’s name was brought up, his smiles vanished before he looked at an empty space.

“I’ve decided to move on from Elven. We were never meant for each other to begin with…” Lan said seriously before finally looking at Reese with a bitter smile. On the other hand, hearing the Alpha, Reese stared at him. He could see the pain in his eyes and it’s making him sad that there was nothing he could do to help him.

“Say… Do you want to try it with me?” Lan suddenly suggested. This time he wasn’t joking. He liked Reese and he’s interested in him. He believed that with time, he’d find himself liking the Beta more than just a friend.

“W-What!!??”

* * *

To be Continued…