A Vet for the Alpha

Chapter 7: I Just Need Me

Alec

Bracing himself on straight arms, Christopher leans over me, his hair blocking out the light behind him.  Our surroundings seem to blur and fade away, him being the only thing in focus.  His sharp, blue gaze watches me intensely even as a wide grin spreads across his face.  The cheerful image makes him seem even younger, like a kid.  I feel an answering grin automatically form on my own lips.

"I told you this bed is better." He tells me.

Beneath me, I can feel the mattress he picked out.  Covered in fresh sheets, it curves and supports my body.  Feeling weightless, my smile widens further.

"You're right," I reply, my hands stretching upward towards him. "Come lay with me on it."

Lay with me?

Wait.

What's going on-

"Ungh!" Pain strikes my elbow, shoulder and knee as I open my eyes. My heartbeat is racing with the short burst of adrenaline from what caused to wake up so suddenly. Pushing my hands against the hard floor, I sit up and orient myself.  I must have fallen off the sofa, where I slept last night.

I should have been sleeping in my new bed! Remembering the events after work yesterday still leave a bitter taste in my mouth.  I didn't have an appetite and had stewed over that presumptuous  weasel's actions the rest of the evening.

I hadn't calmed down even after a long shower and preparing for sleep.  It had taken what felt like hours to settle down enough to fall asleep last night.  The sofa wasn't too uncomfortable but I'd been wanting to sleep in a bed, dammit!

What was with that dream, anyway?  We were on a bed for crying out loud.  Also, the fuck was I reaching for.  Thinking over it again, it gives me the shivers.  Pushing to my feet, I glance into the kitchen to check the time.  I only have a half an hour before I need to open the clinic.  It's a good thing my commute is literally nothing.

I get dressed quickly, making sure my shirt is tucked in properly and there's no lint on my outfit.  It may seem odd when I'll end up covered in mud and fur through out the day but I was raised to always present myself at my best.

Combing my hair in the bathroom, my eyes catch on my chin.  I might need to shave a little today.  It takes very little time to scrape off the small patches of pale hair that sprouts up every few days.  For the millionth time in my life I wonder if I'd be less of a target for bullying if I could grow a proper beard.  It would at least stop me from looking so damn young.

My thoughts stray again to the furniture dilemma.  Buying me furniture like that, what kind of way to mess with me is that?  It's not as if I was bullied excessively in my life, but it was through understandable means.  I remember being teased on the play yard when I found a dead frog and started crying in elementary school.

The boys in my class were merciless in middle school when they found out I drew pictures of animals in my notebooks.  High school seemed to settle down, as teens we all became immersed in our own lives.  Its possible I'd just grown into enough confidence not to be bothered by any comments or teasing that came my way.

College had its struggles because my petite frame hadn't progressed in puberty as I would have liked and many thought I was a high-schooler still.  All in all, it could have been a lot worse.

At least I always had the gentle understanding of my parents.

As if.

I'm sure they do love me, in their own way.  I haven't spoken to them in a while, life has been so busy for me lately and they've always been very...self-indulgent.