Tem woke up to the sound of his phone. With his eyes closed, he reached for it on the bedside table, and when he found it, he put it to his ear.
"Yo!"
"Please, Tariq, don't answer like that!"
"Sorry, sorry. I mean, good morning, darling."
"Good morning? It's already lunch. Aren't you ready yet?"
Tem opened his eyes and sat straight up.
"What? Seriously?"
"Yes. I'll be there in ten minutes."
"Ten minutes? That's not enough. I need at least thirty."
Farid groaned.
"Okay. If we're lucky with the traffic, we'll be there on time. But please hurry up."
"I promise. See you soon."
The call ended, and Tem put the phone back on the table.
"Fuck!" He yelled, and that's when he realised that he wasn't alone in bed.
Carefully Tem looked to his left, and there was an angel. His heart, beating faster than normal after the sudden awakening, began to pound so hard that it felt as if it was hammering out of his chest. Eamon lay on his side, looking at him. He had just woken up, so his eyes were drowsy, his red hair tousled and his cheeks a little red. He was absolutely adorable.
It took a while before Tem remembered why Eamon was lying next to him. They had watched a movie in bed until Eamon got so tired that he fell asleep just when the horde of zombies were about to slaughter an entire city. Tem didn't want to wake him, so he let the boy sleep. And thanks to that, Tem only slept for a few hours. His mate was in bed. Of course, it affected him.
"Farid?"
Eamon's voice was hoarse, and it didn't help Tem's poor heart. Tem nodded, and Eamon sat up beside him. He looked tired. He had slept several hours more than Tem, but Eamon was a teenager, and Tem knew that teenagers were always tired.
"Is this really such a good idea?" Eamon sounded worried, and Tem smiled.
"Don't worry, sweetie. As long as I pretend that everything is okay, there won't be no problem."
"But isn't it better to cancel the dinner and just talk to Farid?"
"Yeah, I know, but I have to do this. My dad will sign a business deal with Farid's dad after dinner. If I cancel the wedding today, Dad won't get the contract. It doesn't matter that Dad and Nagy are cousins. Farid's father only cares about his wife, children and his work. So, I'll talk with Farid tomorrow."
Tem could see that Eamon didn't like it, and that made Tem happy. Eamon cared about him. The boy suddenly moved closer to Tem and carefully he placed his hand on the mark on the omega's neck.
"And how are you going to explain this then?"
Tem shivered with pleasure. It was as if the mark reacted immediately to his mate's touch. Tem had to struggle really hard not to show that it affected him.
"No problem," he quickly said and jumped out of bed. He went to a wardrobe and looked inside. When he took out his hand, he was holding a large black choker.
"This was my grandfathers. He was also an omega, and in the past, omegas wore these to protect themselves from being marked."
Eamon just nodded. He still wasn't convinced, but he didn't say anything. Tem was an adult. Hopefully, he knew what he was doing.
"Now I really have to hurry," Tem said, and dashed to the bathroom, holding the necklace and the clothes he was going to wear in his arms.
While Tem showered, Eamon got dressed. He had stayed longer than he had planned. At first, he was going to stay just one night, but when he woke up, he didn't want to go home. It was just too depressing at home. Everybody pretended that everything was under control, when in fact, nothing was under control at all. Not Caoimhe's heat, not the stalker, not Finian's health. And another reason too why Eamon hadn't gone home was that he really enjoyed being with Tem. Although they were very different, Eamon felt comfortable with the older man. Tem was easy to talk to, he was funny, and Eamon felt he could be himself. Others found it difficult to approach him and thought it was hard to talk to him. Something Eamon had always been aware of. And he knew they were right. He was a loner. But it was different with Tem. Eamon wanted to open up, to let Tem into his life and he wanted Tem to enjoy being with him as well. Eamon never had a best friend before, but now he had Tem.
The two days had been among the best days in Team's life. Being with his mate made him feel whole. But now, Tem realised that he had been reckless. He was most likely covered in alpha pheromones, so he used an extreme amount of shower gel and he even put on cologne, in a desperate attempt to hide the scent. Tem really didn't want them to find out before he could talk to Farid, just the two of them.
After Tem showered, he put on black trousers, a white shirt, a black chocker and his hair was in a ponytail in the back of his neck. When he went out of the bathroom, Eamon stared surprised at him.
"What?" Tem said in a small, unsure voice. Eamon's reaction startled him.
"This is the first time I have seen you in a shirt."
"Does it look strange?"
"No, it's nice. You look good."
"Thank you very much, good Sir," Tem bowed elegantly, and Eamon burst out laughing.
"Are you laughing at me?" Tem pretended to sulk while he put on his shoes.
"No, but you're cute."
Tem froze and looked up at Eamon.
"Seriously?"
"Yes, but only sometimes," Eamon said with a big grin.
Tem knew that Eamon was teasing him, but he still felt his face getting warmer and flustered, he quickly looked down again. Eamon could hear Tem say thank you in a small voice as he put on a black jacket. Then Tem took a deep breath before turning to Eamon. He was still blushing, and Eamon thought Tem looked younger than he was. As if he wasn't a day over eighteen.
Tem took something from a shelf in the hall and threw it to Eamon. The red-haired boy caught it in midair and looked at the object in his hand. It was a key.
"You can keep it. I'll call you later," Tem said and turned around.
"Be careful!"
"I will!"
The door closed behind Tem, and Eamon looked down at the key in his hand and ran to the window. There was a black car parked on the street, and it didn't take long before Tem came running towards it. He opened the passenger door, got inside and then the car drove away. Eamon looked after the car as it drove down the road, then he frowned and chewed on his lower lip. He didn't like this. He didn't like this at all. Tem was going to a place where Eamon couldn't be by his side. And he hated it.
The boy wondered if he should stay and wait for Tem to return or go home when he received a text message. Eamon looked at the phone. It was from Caoimhe.
'When are you coming home? I miss you.'
His sister missed him, so that settled it. He was going home. But before he left, he took a paper and a pen and in big letters he wrote: 'CALL ME!' Then with some tape, he put it on Tem's bed. When he had locked the door behind him, he looked at the key and clenched his fist. Wishing that Tem hadn't left.
When Tem left the apartment, his face was bright red.
"He thinks I'm cute," he squealed with delight and made a little jig before rushing down the stairs.
When he got outside, Farid was already there in his black car, and with his heart pounding in his chest, Tem opened the car door and jumped inside.
"I made it!" Tem cheered and grinned at Farid, feeling proud.
Farid looked at him and chuckled.
"By two minutes, Tariq. Two minutes."
Tem starred at him in surprise. Farid chuckled! That rarely ever happened. But Tem didn't say anything about it. They hadn't seen each other in several weeks and a black beard now covered the man's chin and over the upper lip. It suited him.
"Have you started growing a beard?"
"Yes, what do you think?"
"It's nice."
"You look really good today, but you also seem tired. Please, tell me when you want to go home," Farid said, strangely talkative.
Tem tilted his head to the side.
"Are you a clone?"
Farid frowned and when they came to a traffic light, he turned to Tem.
"What?"
"You never ask things like this."
"I worry about you."
"You do?"
"Of course I do. I love you."
Tem just stared at Farid, who kept driving, now fully focused on the road. Farid never said things like that and he rarely smiled. What was going on?
During the rest of the drive, they didn't talk. But Tem glanced at Farid, trying to figure out what the other man was thinking. And when he looked at Farid, Tem couldn't help but admire the alphas good looks. He had black hair, perfect facial features and a hot body. Tem thought that Farid was one of the sexiest men he had ever seen, so his appearance had never been the problem. But he was boring. Farid enjoyed playing golf and tennis, talk about work, and watching economic news. Things that Tem thought were so dull that he fell asleep when he had to listen to it. But despite everything, Tem hadn't really mind marrying Farid. Farid really loved him, and he had always been a part of Tem's life. After all, it was decided that they would marry since they were really young, and Farid wasn't a bad guy or anything. It was just that Tem didn't love him.
After a long ride in silence, they arrived at the restaurant. It was a fancy golf club and just the kind of place that Tem hated. Side by side, Tem and Farid walked through the door, and they immediately saw their parents and the two men walked up to their table. As soon as Tem saw them, he put a big smile on his face. The smile was fake.
"Hi, darling," Farid's mother said to her son, who kissed her cheek.
"Tariq, you are very handsome today. Is that a choker from Egypt?" The tall woman asked as she turned to Tem. She had a smile on her red lips.
"That's right, Mrs Saber. It was my grandfather's."
"Tariq, dear. How many times do I have to tell you to call me Meriam? After all, you'll be my son-in-law in two months."
Tem said nothing. He just nodded with his fake smile and turned to Farid's father. Tem always felt like a little child in front of the tall, stern man with a piercing gaze. He was even quieter and more obsessed with his job than Farid.
"It's nice to see you again, Mr Saber," Tem lied. It really wasn't good to see him.
The man said nothing. He rarely did. But for the first time, Tem could see a hint of surprise in the man's eyes before he frowned and looked away. Tem got so nervous that he almost wanted to run and hide, but he forced himself to stay calm and quickly turned to his parents. Both his mother and father were taller than him and bigger in size. No one could guess that Tem was the son of the two betas. They didn't look anything alike. His parents smiled at him as Tem approached them, and they gave him a hug.
"You look good in Fathers choker," his mother said, smiling brightly. She loved when Tem was wearing what she considered normal clothes and when Tem behaved "correctly".
Fathia was very conservative, and she had a hard time accepting that Tem was bipolar. She also really hated Tem's tattoos and choice of profession with a passion. Tem knew he was far from the ideal son she wanted. But Tem didn't care because she wasn't the perfect mother either.
"Thank you, Mama. Hi Baba."
Like his cousin, Tem's dad didn't talk much. But unlike Farid's father, Azer was gentle. However, he was a coward and a pushover. He let people walk right over him. Especially his wife. Tem pitied his dad.
After the greetings, Tom and Farid sat down next to each other and Tem ordered a pint of beer and got an annoyed look from his mother. Tem ignored it and drank half in one go. During the dinner, Meriam and Fathia talked about the wedding, while Nagy and Azer listened to Farid's trip to China. Tem drank beer and thought about how fun the dinner with McCallister's had been. It was such a difference that it was almost bizarre. Everybody was serious, and no one was laughing. While Eamon's family laughed all the time, and you could see how they much loved each other. Tem was happy that he would be a part of that family, even though he weren't Eamon's boyfriend.
Throughout the dinner, Nagy continued to look at Tem with suspicion. Tem was sure that Nagy was trying to figure out what was different with him. The older man's gaze frightened him. Nagy Saber was an ambitious businessman, and Azer had told Tem that Nagy would do anything to protect his business and family, in that order. Tem didn't want Nagy to do anything to his father or the McCallisters as retaliation for what was about to happen. Tem hadn't cared about finding out more about Eamon's family, so he had no idea about the status the McCallisters had, not just Finian and Dorian, but also Dorian's fathers. Finian's mother was also a respected editor of one of the country's largest newspapers. Tem really had nothing to worry about, but he didn't know this, so he was very anxious that Nagy would do something to Eamon's family.
Tem was a bit tipsy when one of the longest and most tedious dinners that Tem had ever been to came to an end. He and Farid said goodbye to their parents and got into the car. They said nothing for a long time, but Farid looked at the omega when they got to Tem's building.
"I have two days off. Can I come to your house tomorrow and stay the night?"
Tem nodded. It was actually perfect. He had planned to talk to Farid anyway. But now the thought of having the talk with Farid filled him with unexpected sadness. And it took him completely by surprise.
"Sounds good," Tem said, hoping that Farid didn't notice how tense he sounded.
"I love you so much," Farid said with a husky voice and leaned against Tem and caught the omega's lips with his.
Farid kissed Tem with unexpected passion, and usually, Tem would have eagerly kissed him back. Tem loved to kiss, and Farid was really good at kissing. But not this time. Tem became completely stiff. First, a shiver passed through his body, then a wave of intense nausea washed over him. It felt like he was going to throw up and also faint. Farid noticed that something was wrong, and he moved away from Tem, and anxiously Farid looked at him.
"What's wrong?"
Tem put his hand in front of his mouth while gagging.
"I don't feel so good," he whispered. His weak voice was shaking.
"Why?"
"I think it's the food," Tem replied, but he knew it wasn't. "I need to go to the bathroom."
"Do you want me to come with you?" Tem could hear the concern in Farid's voice, but Tem shook his head.
"No, it's okay. I'll call you later."
Tem didn't give Farid a chance to answer. He opened the door and leapt out of the car. As he ran up the stairs and tried not to vomit, it hit him. He would never be able to kiss anyone again. Tem just barely got inside the apartment when he threw up all over the rug in the hallway. He was on his knees in a puddle of vomit, and tears fell down on the floor. He knew that it was the bond that made him react like that, but he hadn't thought it would be that bad. And he hadn't thought it would hurt to end it with Farid. But now, he realised that he had taken Farid for granted, and he would hurt the one person that had always loved him. Sure, Eamon and his family would be there for him, but they didn't love him. And no one ever would again.
And Tem felt more alone than ever before.