The question took me off guard. Since male Omegas have a huge bias in society, I was not sure if Mr. Jonas was simply asking out of curiosity or because he didn't like Tanya being around me. However, his next sentence threw all my worries out of the window,
"Relax! I am not judging you. I was simply intrigued by you as my daughter wouldn't shut up about you."
I breathed a sigh of relief, so that was the case. I laughed lightly as I said,
"Tanya and I have been friends for the last four years, so I guess it's natural."
Mr. Jonas looked at me with unfathomable eyes as he said in a tone heavy with complex feelings,
"That's not all. You are her first true friend who stayed with her despite knowing her true sub-gender."
This is new information to me. Tanya and I might have been friends for long, but I got to know her true gender only recently, and I hardly knew anything about her past. Since I didn't want my past to be questioned, I refrain from asking about others. I never knew that she didn't have any friends, but she talked with many people on the job. So, I asked somewhat hesitatingly,
"Uhmm, but she speaks with many people on the job. She is easy-going, so I thought she has lots of friends."
Mr. Jonas chuckled softly and shook his head,
"Tanya had to face a very hard time after her sub-gender test. She was bullied and sexually harassed by her classmates, and unfortunately, no one came to her rescue, not even the teachers. I changed her school 5 times just to prevent her from all these attacks, but it hardly helped. This made her have a very negative outlook towards people and their intentions."
I knew what Mr. Jonas was talking about. I had to go through it all, except mine was a bit different. Unlike Tanya, my classmates were disgusted with me, especially the guys. They would avoid me at all costs. I was completely isolated. Until a curious, charismatic Alpha started chasing me. My thoughts were interrupted as I heard Mr. Jonas continue,
"During her college, she didn't fill her true sub-gender, and to prevent any more assaults during her heat cycle she took strong heat suppressants. Once or twice she even overdosed on them. During that time, she maintained a false carefree attitude towards everyone but never allowed anyone to get too close to her until she met you."
I felt both embarrassed and surprised. To think my friendship meant so much for Tanya. I always felt grateful that she never left my side, even after knowing my sub-gender. It turns out that I wasn't the only one having such thoughts. I said sheepishly,
"Mr. Jonas, Tanya has always been a great friend to me, so I am trying to be a good friend to her as well."
Mr. Jonas smiled as he patted my back, saying happily, "Young man, you are the positive influence my daughter needs. I thought I could never bring her out of her negative thinking, but you did it for me. In fact, for a while, I actually thought Tanya had more than friendly feelings for you, especially recently, since she seems to talk of nothing but you."
The dish in my hand almost slipped on hearing this. I quickly balanced it and said in a hurried tone,
"No, that's no-"
"I know, I know," Mr. Jonas laughed as he gave a hard pat on my back, "I asked her, and she told me that you are her first real friend and she just doesn't how to treat a friend, so it was coming off as odd."
I breathed out. For a few seconds, I was anxious. I am gay, and if Tanya developed feelings for me, then I would end up breaking her heart which I didn't want to. I smiled and spoke fondly as Mr. Jonas and I turned towards the kitchen exit, both carrying a dish,
"She is a lovely human. I am sure she will find someone who will love her for who she is."
We placed the dishes on the table and returned to the kitchen to pick other dishes. Mr. Jonas looked a little thoughtful before he said,
"That reminds me. She has also spoken about Mr. D'Souza. She told me that she met an alpha who didn't attack her after getting her smell and even apologized for scaring her. She was very happy that day and said that he made her realize that not all alphas are snobby and lustful. I spoke with him for a while today. He is a charming and delightful young man. I can see what my daughter found interesting about him."
So, that was it! I was also wondering why Tanya suddenly invited Fred over. After all, she only met him once and didn't even get acquainted that well. It looks like Fred's good nature and sincerity got her attention. That's good. Hopefully, they can become friends. Fred's gentleness is exactly what she needs.
"I couldn't agree more. Fred is a great guy," I laughed.
"So is Mr. Walker. He makes a good match with you," Mr. Jonas chuckled as he placed the dessert on the table.
I blushed red. No one has ever told me that I match well with him. On the contrary, everyone always told me that Robbie looked like a diamond in a beggar's hand with me. I didn't know what to say, so I busied myself with serving the dishes while Mrs. Teena called everyone to the dinner table.
The dinner ended faster than I thought. After dinner, Fred and Mr. Jonas got busy again with their discussion over music. I saw Tanya, Mrs. Teena, and Robbie talking about various matters. While I patted Twen to sleep since he was yawning and dozing off. Once, Twen was fast asleep, I asked Tanya if I could place Twen in the bedroom till we left. Tanya nodded and quickly jumped up to guide me to her room.
"You can put him on my bed for now," Tanya said. I followed her instructions as I placed him on the bed and pulled a blanket over him, "He must be very tired from running the whole day," she said, looking at Twen's tired sleeping face.
"Yeah! I am glad he got to enjoy today, though," I smiled.
"Me too!" Tanya smiled back before turning into a thoughtful look. She asked me in a wondering tone, "Tony, can I ask you something?"
"You don't need to take permission. Just ask," I chuckled.
Tanya smiled brightly as she questioned, "Why did you choose our CEO over Mr. D'Souza?"