"Did you wait long?"
Ethan reached out to pull Noah's hat down, covering half of his face.
He glanced at the dim streetlights, then adjusted the hat a little higher.
"I'm fine. I'd wait as long as it takes for you."
Noah still wasn't quite used to Ethan's bluntness. His ears twitched slightly as he awkwardly changed the subject. "Aren't you busy lately?"
Busy?
Ethan thought for a moment. His workload hadn't decreased, but recently, he felt lighter.
At the same time, in a brightly lit office, Felix was the first to speak up. "I don't think this is sustainable! We need to make some changes."
Sam, struggling to lift his eyelids after a brief rest, wasn't sure what Felix was getting at.
"How about we suggest to Mr. Harrison that we hire another assistant? With the workload, the two of us might be able to handle it for a while, but not for a whole month..."
Felix believed Mr. Harrison was pretty receptive to suggestions. After all, he'd already acted on their last request and hired a masseuse. Now, each office had a high-end massage chair.
By this point, both of their tasks were winding down.
Sam, with his usual indifference, commented, "Our boss provides us with plenty of resources, so of course, we need to work hard."
He didn't mind the overtime, especially since the extra hours meant more time spent together with Felix.
Sam wasn't skeptical of what Felix had said, but he'd noticed something strange ever since that night—Felix had been purposely avoiding him. It was as if he feared Sam was some kind of monster, even going so far as to get him forcibly seated on the massage chair.
Sam stared at Felix's long, slender fingers. The same hand had once rested on his neck, just three days ago.
"But… I'm afraid I'll have no energy left to spend the money I earn... I dedicate almost all my time to the company, except for weekends..."
Felix's upper body slumped forward onto the desk, his hands stretching out, as if reaching for an elusive kind of happiness.
"You think..." He paused, biting his tongue to hold back his words.
Almost forgetting, he reminded himself that Sam had confessed his feelings for him.
His thoughts drifted back to that night three days ago. Felix instinctively touched his lips, the trace of Sam's kiss long gone.
Sam was a good guy—good-looking, well-off, capable.
But sometimes his sharp tongue was a bit much, always teasing him.
However, since Sam confessed, those little flaws no longer bothered Felix.
Felix rubbed his face in frustration. He and Sam had worked together for so long—they were good colleagues and friends. But he'd never once thought about them as a couple.
This current situation worked well for him: supporting each other at work and growing together. When they retired, they'd still hang out—go for walks, play chess, fish together.
But adding hand-holding, hugging, kissing, and waking up in the same bed... Felix didn't feel the need to reject these possibilities.
Eventually, Sam had had enough. "If you have something to say, just say it."
Felix jumped, startled by Sam's sudden outburst. Almost falling off his chair, he quickly smiled, "Good thing you're here, or I would've really fallen."
"You don't have to avoid me. I won't touch you again until you agree. That night..." Sam paused. "I couldn't control myself. There won't be a next time."
"Oh, oh, I get it. I know, I know."
Sam silently grumbled to himself, What do you know? You don't understand anything.
Felix suddenly jumped up, grabbing Sam's hand. "How about we give it a try? I don't mind being close to you."
"Think of it as a trial period for a relationship. If I really like you, we can make it official later."
The more Felix thought about it, the more he found it reasonable. You can sample a product before buying it, so why not try out a relationship before committing fully?
"..."
"Felix!"
Felix nearly fell off his chair at the sudden shout. Why was Sam yelling so loudly? Thankfully, the office walls were soundproof.
"I'm here, I'm here."
Sam, now genuinely irritated, wanted to pry open Felix's head to see if it was filled with wood. He forcefully suppressed his frustration and spoke sternly, "What do you think my feelings for you are? I'm not asking for a trial run. I just want you to like me, and then we can be together."
Felix froze, his voice shrinking. "So... no trial?"
"What does 'liking' even mean to you? Why do you like me?"
"To like someone means to share their joys and sorrows. Like a motion sensor light, it only shines when someone you like is near."
"As for the second question… I don't really know how to explain. But by the time I realized it, I couldn't take my eyes off you."
Felix nodded, seemingly understanding.
Sam thought he had been pretty clear, but Felix's focus seemed oddly off.
"Do you spend every day thinking about me when you're not working?" Felix tilted his head, looking at Sam with an innocent curiosity.
Sam's face turned red, and he turned away, avoiding his gaze. "See? I shouldn't have said anything to you."
Felix rocked back and forth in his chair. "Are you really mad?"
Sam shot him a glance out of the corner of his eye. He wondered if he had misjudged Felix's personality.
But just then, Felix's grin reappeared. "Don't be mad, okay?"
Sam couldn't help but smile in spite of himself. With Felix around, even a smile could make his heart brighten.
The electronic clock on the desk beeped softly. "It's time to clock out. It's getting late."
Sam could only hope that, at the very least, Felix had absorbed a little of what he'd said today.
.......
Since the first time they kissed, it felt like Noah had stepped into a new world.
With both hands pressed against Ethan's chest, the kisses between them had long surpassed being counted by number—they were now measured in time.
In his mind, all Noah could hear was the rapid thudding of his heart and the increasingly heavy, erratic breaths he was taking.
Both sounds came from him.
The prolonged intensity of the moment left Noah light-headed, almost as if his brain was starved of oxygen, making him feel like he was floating.
He only exerted a slight force, and the man beneath him immediately straightened up, his breath unsteady.
Ethan gently brushed his lips, glistening with moisture, his eyes dark and unreadable, suppressing the urge to kiss him again.
Instead, he reached up to caress Noah's cheek. "Are you feeling uncomfortable?"
Noah took several deep breaths, his chest rising and falling.
Finally, his brain, deprived of oxygen, started to clear up.
"Next time… can we kiss for a shorter time?"
His voice was soft, almost drowned out by the sound of raindrops, but Ethan heard him clearly.
"I'll try."
Ethan couldn't promise anything. He was like a wolf cub just learning to hunt—unable to resist the allure of fresh meat.
When Noah smiled faintly at his response, Ethan stood up. The position they were in earlier meant that the moment he lowered his head again, he could take control.
If the omega beneath him struggled, he might pin his hands above his head, using his legs to restrain the frantic movement of his knees.
He would silence Noah with his lips, and the only sound Noah would make would be muffled groans, leaving him completely under Ethan's control.
Ethan pushed the dangerous thoughts from his mind and focused on Noah, who was quietly adjusting his clothes with his eyes cast downward.
Noah, the omega, was so obedient after expressing his feelings. Even if Ethan did take further steps, Noah would probably only say something like, "Next time, can you be gentler?"
"Are you not going to leave?" Noah asked, looking at Ethan who had frozen in place.
That question suddenly made Ethan realize he couldn't stay any longer. He couldn't risk letting things escalate further.
"I'll head back first. You should get some rest. Goodnight."
Noah watched Ethan hurry out the door, confused. Was it an upset stomach that made him rush off so quickly?
He lowered his arms, a trace of sadness in his tone. "You always used to hug me before leaving..."
Noah glanced at the messy sofa, silently pulling the slipcover back into place.
As he straightened the sofa, he felt his own scattered emotions settle down for the moment.
He picked up the phone from the coffee table, surprised to see that it was already almost 10 PM!
He hadn't realized how late it had gotten today...
Noah slapped his own face. "Stop thinking about it. It's not even spring yet, and here I am obsessing over all this..."
As he washed up in the bathroom, Noah couldn't tell if the flush on his face was from natural shyness or from his own self-consciousness after what had just happened.
Lying in bed, Noah couldn't fall asleep. He tossed and turned, trying countless positions but finding no comfort.
"..."
Finally, Noah opened his eyes in frustration, reaching for his phone. He opened Messenger and typed, "It's your fault for not hugging me today, now I can't sleep."
He was ready to blame the culprit.
The message was almost complete, only a click away from being sent.
But when Noah saw the time in the top left corner, he hesitated, then pressed delete, leaving no trace of the message.
He turned the phone screen off and closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind.
As time passed, his heart slowly calmed, becoming still like water.