The loud whirring sound of the lawn mower was entering Declan's room through the open window, which woke up the alpha who had been fast asleep since last night. Yesterday, after his little talk with the boy he met at Kian's bakery, he couldn't figure out what he was supposed to do about Elian's matter. Should he just take the boy's advice and trust his friend and accept his weird decision, despite his unwillingness to do so? Or should he continue to look for ways to stop Elian from ruining his reputation? Or should he just keep his distance from his friend's personal life and not get involved, like his dad always advises him to? But before he could find the answer to any of his questions, he found himself in a bar, drinking alone in a corner, taking one shot after another until he passed out.
Next morning he found himself waking up with his head hammering like crazy. "God, could a hangover be any worse?", he said to himself. Looking around and realized he was not in his apartment but in his family house, that he grew up in. "How the fuck did I get here?", he asked out loud, worried that his father might have seen him in a drunken state last night.
He slowly got up off the bed and walked over to the window and looked outside. He saw his father crouching on the grass, with his hands covered with soil, patting the roots of a small plant gently into the earth. A tiny smile appeared on his face, he was reminded of the past when he and his father spent lots of quality time together and even such simple activities used to be fun. But nowadays he only gets to see him once in a while. Whenever he talks to his father, they end up arguing. As far as he can remember, the last time they talked without fighting was before he got his break to play in an international league, which his father wanted for him.
"I didn't know you still do so much gardening", Declan said as he walked towards the old man. "Well I have never really enjoyed it, but since I promised your mother that I'll always take care of her garden, I don't have an option", his dad replied without looking at him, "It's very hard to do things like these at this age so I had to hire that gardener, you see. I don't think she would mind that though. The only purpose is to make the garden look as beautiful as her", he added, turning to his son. "You miss her a lot don't you?", he asked, smiling. "Of Course I do, that's why I do this. Take care of her son, her garden, her house and myself. Why else would I have bothered sending a driver to the bar to bring you home last night?", he answered. Declan frowned looking at him, "How did you know I was there?", he asked with a suspicious look. His father smiled, "I have my contacts, son. Don't ever think you'd get away with doing things without me finding out", he warned.
Declan didn't say anything in reply, instead he sat next to his father to give him a hand. His dad observed his face for a moment as the two sat there digging into earth with shovels. "May I know why you were drinking by yourself?", he asked. "Do you have to ask? I thought you had your sources'', Declan answered sarcastically. "Don't underestimate me kid. Even without you telling me a thing I know it has something to do with that friend of yours. Isn't it?", his father countered. Declan couldn't say a thing, his father was right, his face instantly became serious. "Alright, It's not like you ever talked to me about these things. I don't expect you to tell me now either", his father said with some disappointment in his tone. Declan felt slightly guilty, he felt like he had been distancing his father from himself by hiding things from him every now and then, mostly because his father disliked Elian or any other Falk for that matter.
But this time, he thought it was different, he could even ask for advice from his dad regarding his dilemma. "If I tell you, you'll have to promise me that you'll keep it a secret'', he said smiling.
Usually Declan would take advice from Elian or his other friends when he needed help and tried to keep things from his dad as much as possible, since as a single parent he got extremely worried even about the slightest of matters. But right now, he couldn't talk to anyone, neither Elian nor any of his other friends. His father may get angry but he wouldn't let out a secret that can potentially hurt someone. Hence without any hesitation he told his father the entire story and his moral dilemma.
"So you're telling me that Elian wants to have a child but that omega doesn't?", his father asked. "Exactly, that omega doesn't even want to meet the child after the birth. He's just after the money. I keep trying to convince him but it's like he's gone crazy", Declan spouted, "I mean, I can understand that he's always longed for a family but this is the craziest way to get one". His father looked at him with surprise, "Are you stupid? Can't you see why he is doing it?", he asked. Declan gave him a blank stare, which made him laugh, "You keep calling him your friend but you don't even know him well", his dad said. Declan stared at him utterly confused for a few seconds, "What are you saying?", he asked. His dad smiled, "My father used to say, if a wise man is making a bad decision, it is either because he is in need or because he is in love", he explained. "You're saying he is…..he loves Kian?", Declan asked with a perplexed expression.
"That seems like the only explanation to me. Why else would someone like him do such a thing? I don't really see any hidden interest he might have, which was my first thought considering he comes from such a conniving family of alphas. But if he's behaving like a madman then it is most likely that he is in love", his father explained. "But he...he doesn't even know him. It's been less than a month since they met. How can he love someone he doesn't even know properly?!", Declan countered. "I don't know, son. But that's how it is. People fall in love without even realizing sometimes. Maybe Elian doesn't know now but he'll know soon that he loves that omega", his dad answered.
Declan was clutched with worry upon listening to his dad's theory, "Dad, if what you're saying is true, it is even worse than I thought. Erik would kill him. It is like Elian is repeating history. And that omega, he'll only hurt him", he said in a concerned tone. "Well then, if something like that happens, that would be the time for you to be there for him. Why are you worrying now? And if he's making a mistake he'll learn. You can't make choices for others, Deck. You can only do the task at hand", his dad replied.
His father was right, Declan thought, there is no way he could change Elian's mind now. He can only do what is expected of a friend, just be there for him.
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The office building was mostly empty, except for some cleaning staff and security guards wandering around. Elian was almost the last person leaving, after going through an exceptionally busy day. Bundles of files had piled onto his table for the past couple of days, he had cancelled a lot of important meetings and appointments and was almost on the verge of missing his targets and deadlines, because of being completely distracted by matters involving the omega. And he knew if he kept lagging behind like this his brother would grow suspicious of him and try to look into the matter, which was the last thing he wanted right now.
Thankfully, Natalie was kind enough to cover for him while he was away, despite his discourteous behaviour towards her. And the fact she was easily convinced to keep Elian's absence from the office a secret, especially from Erik, was fairly surprising. But he was still very grateful for her efforts.
As Elian headed towards his car, he saw a man standing and waiting by the exit, facing away from the staircase. It was Deck, he recognized immediately just by looking at his back. A sigh of relief swept across his face.