* * *

Their kisses echoed in the room along with their gasps, Reese subconsciously wrapped his legs around Lan’s torso causing the Alpha to chuckle before he pulled away leaving Reese breathless. He noticed it last night but the Beta was really weak against kisses. It was quite adorable that he couldn’t help but laugh.

“Have you remembered it?” Lan asked, wrapping his arms around Reese's waist and without much effort, lifted him up as he stood up. Reese was so surprised that he immediately hugged Lan thinking he would fall. When he heard the Alpha’s question, he didn’t reply quickly but he later nodded in embarrassment. There was no use lying anyway and it’s not like he hated it. Aside from getting shy, he could no longer deny the attraction he had felt for the Alpha now that there’s no holding him back.

“Good. We still have time. Should we go to class or not?”

Walking towards the kitchen, Lan placed Reese on the counter next to the fridge before grabbing two bottles of water, one for himself and one for Reese. With his headache gone, he had no reason to skip class and risk lying to his mom about it. Still, if Reese didn’t want to go, Lan wouldn’t either.

“Does your head still hurt?” he asked softly, bringing his thumb to caress Reese’s pinkish cheeks. He smiled at how flustered the Beta was. Despite the impulsiveness of their agreement last night and the influence of alcohol on Reese’s part, they would be considered a couple starting today. Neither of them seemed to want to back off, so they decided to just go with the flow.

“A little…” Reese replied shyly, embarrassed that a kiss had quickly changed his mind completely. He also wondered why being with the Alpha felt so good. He didn’t remember feeling the same with his ex, although that was a long time ago.

“Then should we skip class and cuddle?” Lan offered teasingly. He was still standing directly between the Beta’s thighs, so it was easy for him to grab Reese and urge him to wrap his legs around him before leaning in to hug him comfortably. While he may not have deeper feelings for Reese, he could tell their bodies were compatible. It explained why it was so easy to act like this with him. And, to be honest, the pain in his chest lessened every time.

“D-Don’t be stupid. I have a long quiz later. I can’t skip it,” Reese replied, placing his hand on top of the Alpha’s head. It was really weird to think that just yesterday they were keeping a friendly distance, but now they were hugging like this. They’d even kissed.

“You say that as if you didn’t gulp down a bottle of wine last night and today isn’t a school day,” Lan countered with a laugh. He squeezed Reese against his arm before finally pulling away with a helpless smile.

“Leave me alone… It’s your fault that I had to drink that much…”

“Hahaha, how is it my fault?” Lan continued to laugh, pinching the Beta’s nose and turning it bright red.

“Stop it! It’s because you keep joking around,” Reese whined shyly, gently slapping the Alpha’s hand away. How was he not going to drink if their conversation was like that? He needed the alcohol to distract him.

“Was I joking, though?” Lan countered again, making Reese unable to reply as his face turned redder.

“Y-You tell me…” Reese glared despite the blush on his cheeks, and for some reason, Lan had the urge to kiss him again. 

“Well, I was not… FYI, today’s going to be our official day, so you’d better remember it,” Lan chuckled. Without warning, he leaned in to kiss Reese again.

Caught off guard with nowhere to run, Reese sat in shock as he felt Lan’s tongue slip inside his mouth, making him moan. He wanted to pull away, but with the Alpha’s hand behind his head, he had no choice but to let his now-boyfriend do what he wanted with his lips until Lan was satisfied enough to pull away.

“Damn… I want to do more, but it’s almost 7…” Lan pulled away with his usual charming smile, lifting Reese from the counter and setting him on his feet. “*sighs* You don’t have to cook today. I’ll treat you to lunch later, okay?” he added, placing his hand over the Beta’s head and rubbing it dotingly. Reese, still in a daze from the kiss, nodded obediently, feeling as if such a simple gesture had made him irrational. Thankfully, he managed to snap out of it and quickly wanted to leave. His heart was pounding so loudly that he was afraid if he stayed close to the Alpha, it would jump out of his mouth.

“I-I’ll go ahead then,” Reese quickly excused himself and dashed away. He heard Lan saying something about not missing him too soon, but he didn’t bother to reply. He closed the door to his room and sighed in relief.

“Shit. Isn’t this going too fast?” Reese mumbled to himself. He was well aware of the situation he had gotten himself into, so he needed to control himself and manage his expectations. While Lan had expressed wanting to be serious, that might not be the case in the long run. Reese knew he needed to manage his feelings and ensure he didn’t fall too deeply. For now, he would enjoy the ride, but he knew he would have to let go when the time came.

Touching his lips and remembering the Alpha’s kiss, Reese wanted to slap himself for being too easy. He realized he was likely being used as a rebound, but he couldn’t believe he had agreed to it so easily just because the person who asked him was handsome, sexy, and such a nice guy.

“*sigh* I should learn to say no next time…” 

* * *

“I told you, you don’t have to walk me to class.”

After their morning session, Lan insisted on sending Reese to his class as usual. Despite Reese telling him almost every day that he didn’t need to, Lan continued to do it anyway. While it did help fend off curious students and potential bullies curious about their relationship, it’s embarrassing because they’re only feeding the rumors about them especially when Lan had to go a different direction from his class to go to his. 

“And I told you that I want to do it,” Lan replied stubbornly. It was something he had gotten used to, and he genuinely enjoyed Reese’s company, so he didn’t mind at all. Plus, now that they were official, he felt even more inclined to walk Reese to class. His mom had always told him to treat his special person with care and affection, so that’s exactly what he intended to do. He didn't know much about romantic relationships but he does know how to treat someone right. He grew up in a household full of affection so he had no trouble showing it whatsoever. It’s the reason why everyone knew he had a thing for Elven aside from the Omega himself.

“Tsk, fine. Do whatever you want,” Reese gave up in the end, knowing he could never win against Lan. Finally, when they reached his classroom with 15 minutes to spare, Reese paused to quickly say goodbye and escape. Lan may not look like it, but he was actually the clingy type who didn’t care what others would say as long as he got what he wanted. He was obviously a spoiled Alpha who managed to get his way without much effort.

“We’re here. Thank you for walking me to class. You can go now,” Reese hurriedly said, glancing around to see if other students were watching—as he expected, most of them were, so he wanted this to end quickly.

“Okay… See you later… I’ll call when I’m coming,” Lan nodded before he moved to grab Reese’s waist and leaned down, aiming for another kiss. Thankfully, this time Reese’s reflexes didn’t betray him; he managed to block Lan’s approach and quickly struggled away. Lan was confused, furrowing his brow at why Reese, now his lover, suddenly declined his advances. It might have been too much, but he still desired a kiss. The urge to bite and suck on those stubborn lips clouded his mind so quickly as if he had been addicted to it.

“S-Stopppp~” He whispered urgently in panic.

“Why?” the Alpha asked, genuinely confused why he couldn’t kiss when they had been doing it since last night. It’s not like other couples on campus didn’t display affection. There were no rules against it, and in fact, in a school filled with Alphas, Omegas, and Betas, occasional displays of intimacy weren’t unusual as long as students respected boundaries. Lan didn’t see anything wrong with his desire to show their relationship; after all, Reese was now his lover, and he wanted everyone to know.

“Because… people are watching…”

“So? I want them to know that you’re mine and I’m yours,” Lan replied, still frowning. Nevertheless, he didn’t insist. He straightened his back and let go of Reese, relieving the Beta from his panic. In the end, he respected Reese’s decision, but he couldn’t promise not to show his displeasure.

“That’s the problem. Everyone knows you’re in love with someone else. How would they react if you’re suddenly this intimate with me? I don’t want trouble,” Reese explained in a whisper to prevent others from overhearing their conversation.

“Then tell me if they’re giving you trouble. I’ll make sure to make them pay,” Lan replied, as if it were the most obvious solution. And indeed it was for him. This was because despite his young age, Lan had been learning the ropes of the family business from his father and uncles since he was the eldest among his cousins. With a bit of influence, he could easily retaliate by affecting his enemy’s family business, causing them to lose clients or investors. He had done it before and wasn’t afraid to do it again. In fact, his father had praised him upon discovering his actions, teaching him additional strategies to leverage his resources to his advantage, even showing him how to cover his tracks effectively. It was surprisingly easy, in his opinion. 

Still, Reese might think otherwise because he didn’t know who Lan actually was and how powerful his family background was. After all, who would suspect that his roommate’s household was literally the backbone of the entire country?

“It’s not that easy, Lan. Anyway, just listen to me this time. Besides, I don’t want to let people know just yet. Just be good and go for now,” Reese said, almost begging.

Lan stared at him for a good three seconds before he sighed deeply. He glanced around, noticing other students were indeed looking at them. Understanding Reese’s concern, he quickly made a show of glaring at the onlookers, even releasing some of his pheromones to subtly warn them. He then nodded at Reese.

“Fine. I respect your decision but… don’t hide me for too long. I’m an Alpha, and it’s natural for me to want to show everyone what’s mine,” Lan replied, making Reese smile in relief. Unbeknownst to Reese, Lan had already subtly warned everyone using his pheromones, which fortunately the Beta could not detect.

“Okay, I got it…” Reese blushed, urging the Alpha to just go already. He already noticed it but Lan’s words really have no filter. He just says whatever he wants, whenever he wants. As Reese watched his now boyfriend leave for his class, he couldn’t help but wonder. 

‘Will this really be okay? I better brace my heart for whatever it is to come. I made this rash decision and I should take responsibility for it.’ He thought before finally deciding to walk inside his classroom with a huge sigh. And as always, his classmates started whispering as he trail his way towards his chair. He ignored it as always and thankfully, no one bothered him.

* * *

To be Continued…