I parked the car and stared blankly at the dash. It has been a year since I last saw him. My hands are trembling. Today is the first day of courting NuNew. I hope it is not too late. I would have pursued him long ago, but I had to wait until I was completely free of my parent's arrangements. There was no way I could drag someone as sweet and pure as NuNew into the twisted mess that is my family.
I jog down the street towards the nightclub. Mostly to get rid of my nerves. Max is waiting for me outside the club, pacing. Nat must be inside because the normally chill alpha looks like a restless tiger patrolling back and forth. I call from across the street and j-walk to stand beside him.
"What took you so long?", Max says.
"You growling at me?", I ask.
I punch him in the arm, and he shakes his head.
"Sorry, Nat is inside looking delectable, and I am out here.", Max says.
No more words are necessary. I would be pacing too if I were him.
"You're a good friend.", I say.
I sound sarcastic when I say this. Because of the bro code, you can't get too mushy. But Max knows that I mean it and smiles, then shrugs it off, playing cool.
"By the way, prepare yourself.", Max says.
"Why?"
I drag the word out slowly. I have a feeling. Like a tingling in my stomach. Am I nervous?
"Your boy has changed.", Max says.
Max does not say anything after that. We clear the bouncer, and we start up the stairs to the dance floor. It is Saturday night, and the place is packed. I pass people on the stairs. They look like they are around my age, dressed up for clubbing.
Prepare myself? What for exactly?
I follow Max into the deafening room. Music is thumping and I can feel the bass vibrating in my chest. It makes me want to move. Max leads me to some barstools, and I perch there scanning the crowd. A cocktail waitress gets our order, and it is not long before she brings back our drinks with a big smile for both of us. I let Max handle her. I can't seem to find NuNew anywhere. Max points and I see Nat and James. Then, I see NuNew. My heart stops in my chest and I start to salivate. NuNew looks amazing. Max wasn't kidding when he said he changed.
I can barely keep my eyes off him as he dances and laughs with his friends. It has been too long since I have seen my Nhu. It takes a lot of self-control for me to stay in my seat and not go over there and claim him. But he isn't mine, is he? I want to change that. I wanted to change that before I saw him dressed in skinny jeans and a sparkly fishnet shirt. With nothing underneath...No, scratch that. He has a skin-colored tank top under it, giving the illusion of bare skin. Wow!
He is killing me. Especially when he does body rolls and his eyes become sultry and distant. Who is he thinking about when he does that?
I watch as men and women approach him. He is an unmarked omega and is beautiful. Like, too good for anyone in this room kind of gorgeous. When did this happen? At university, he was shy and hid his beauty underneath oversized clothes and hair in his eyes. This alluring creature before me has glitter on his face, and gloss on his ripe lips. His eyes are smokey and he moves like heaven. He does not hide his curves. Instead, he is confident and knows how to handle the advances of strangers with ease.
The NuNew I remember was sensitive and shy. With round mochi eyes that were always sneaking peeks at me. Now he doesn't think of me at all.
Of course, I knew how NuNew felt about me when we were students. I had feelings for him too, but because of my circumstances, I did my best to keep things platonic. At the time, my family was insisting I marry Janis. Despite my lack of feelings for her and the fact that I preferred men. When I told them this, they told me proximity would help the feelings grow.
To get the elders off my back I told them I would not consider marriage until after I graduated. I hoped Janis would meet someone else at university. Her parents worried about the same thing so, they pulled some strings and got Janis transferred to the same university as me. It was a poor choice for her major, but I guess her education could be sacrificed in the pursuit of matrimony.
Janis was a sweet beta when we started university. Fresh out of high school, she was naïve and kind. Encouraged by our parents, Janis stuck to me like glue. She did everything to win me over. It was clear that she was lovesick for me. I felt so badly for her. I tried to make it clear, but her parents and mine filled her head with bullshit and so she believed we would end up together, but it was impossible. Years of failure and bad advice twisted her into her parent's tool and by the end of university, she was conniving and spiteful. A creature created by greed. It was sad to watch.
But who cares about Janis? I am free of her now. It took getting disowned and losing my inheritance for everyone to finally believe I meant it when I said I would never marry her. The heart wants what it wants. My heart wanted NuNew. So, I waited until I could approach him with a free conscience. And now, I am here, with my heart hammering in my chest as I watch him effortlessly socialize and dance.
I snapped out of my daydream when Nat appeared before Max. Nat did not notice me. His eyes only saw Max. Max is lucky. Nat is cute and is the kind of omega who doesn't play games and shows his devotion clearly for all to see.
Quickly I look for NuNew. Sure enough, Nat drew NuNew's notice to me. His eyes are round with shock as he stares at me. I jump to my feet. I don't want to give Nhu a chance to react. I am afraid he will flee once he recovers from his shock. After all, over this last year, he deliberately distanced himself from me.
My heart is hammering in my chest as I make my way to him. Neither one of us breaks eye contact. NuNew smiles at me, and I falter at the halfway point. His smile robbed me of oxygen. I am so affected by him.
I don't say much at first. I am too busy taking him in, mesmerized by his scent and beauty. It is taking every ounce of my control to not claim him. I know I am being obvious, but I can't help it.
NuNew looks pleased and that shy boy I know peaks out. He may be confident with strangers, but before me, he is cute and uncertain. I know, because I feel the same way. I wonder if his desire to submit to me is as strong as my desire to dominate and make him mine. 'Mine.', that word echoes in my mind.
NuNew interrupts my fantasies about mating.
"Oh Zee, you look so cute right now. Did you miss me?"
I have been staring at him.
"You have no idea how much, Nhu."
I test the waters and brush my leg against his. He does not move away or react other than a tug at his lips. I try again. This time I leave my leg pressed to his. I am acutely aware of the heat radiating off him. Or is that me? I want to put my hand on his knee and slide my fingers up his inner thigh.
Wow, I need to lock this down or I am going to scare him. Right now, the prehistoric alpha in me wants to knock him out and take him back to my cave and mate.
Why can't I stop staring at him? I must look like a grinning fool as I drink in his every detail. Being near him is making my nerves hum with anticipation. After all this time. I can't believe I can show him how I feel.
Over the next hour, nothing about Nhu escapes my notice and I keep getting distracted by a lock of hair that has escaped and hangs in his eye. NuNew unconsciously moves it back into place, but it keeps wandering back despite his attempts to tame it. I will take any excuse to touch him, so I tuck the rebellious hair behind his ear. It is the same when I see a crumb on his glossy bottom lip. What I want to do is lick his lip clean. But I restrain myself and brush it away with a finger instead. I am about to lose my mind.
The next thing I know I am loitering outside the bathroom waiting for Nhu. It is not a pleasant place. The hall smells faintly of urine, but I am worried someone will accost him in the dark, so I menace everyone who dares to approach the men's restroom while he is in there. Grown men back out of the hallway. They know a triggered alpha when they see one.
It is not long before the bathroom door opens, and my person looks hesitantly out. Good, he knows better than to walk out into a dark hallway unawares. He sees me and opens the door all the way and I am hit with the most enchanting smell. I missed this so much. I can't wait anymore. I am trembling, not with a need to mate as much as a need to show how I feel about him.
Somehow, he is in my arms like he belongs. He is perfect. I rub my cheek against his and take a deep breath. I think I moaned his name. I want to look at him. I take his face in my hands, so careful not to paw at him like a clumsy alpha. I can't help myself. I rub his bottom lip with my thumb, and he shivers. My body responds and an inferno is raging inside of me. I dip down to touch my lips to his and stop centimeters away from our lips touching and wait for his consent. He sighs and tilts his face up.
"Zee."
I stroke his scent gland with my thumb and take his lips and I am completely lost when he moans into my mouth. This is everything and more. I never knew finding the right person could heighten my emotions like this. That it could make everything feel incredibly intimate. I want to claim the very air in his lungs. It is unreal how I feel right now.
"Mine."
I feel a purr rumbling in my chest and hear his softer and faster one in response. I can smell his arousal and I feel like I am about to go mad. We need to get out of here before we make a spectacle of ourselves.
"Let's go," NuNew says.
I let him lead me out of the club and into a waiting cab.