Nattawut pov: a few hours before the appointment
"I'll head out now, I'll see you guys in the afternoon!" I said sliding into my shoes and headed out the house.
As I stepped out the door, the crisp morning air hit my face, and I adjusted the straps of my backpack. The sun was barely up, but I already had a sense that today wasn't going to be like any other. I had agreed to participate in this testing on a whim, mostly for the money. It seemed simple enough—show up, sit through some tests, and walk away with a generous sum. But now that I was actually heading to the clinic, the reality of it felt… different.
"500,000 baht…" I muttered to myself again, half in disbelief, half in excitement. That was a lot of money. Money I could use to help my sister, Mali, with her school expenses, or maybe finally get some of the things I'd been putting off for years. But the more I thought about it, the more uneasy I felt. I wasn't sure what exactly I had signed up for, but a part of me hoped it wasn't going to be anything too invasive.
I thought about the testing itself—sitting in a room with some random omega and just… existing there. My pheromones being studied. How strange. I wasn't sure how I felt about the idea of someone evaluating me like that. I had always been the quiet, reserved type, not someone who attracted attention or thought too much about pheromone interactions. So why did I feel so uneasy now?
As I got to the hospital I looked up at the building,
The clinic was a tall, sterile-looking building, and as I walked through the doors, I could feel the tension in my chest increase. The bright lights and clinical smells made me uncomfortable, but I knew this was part of the deal. I was here for a reason. I had to remind myself of that.
"Good morning, Nattawut," Dr. Han greeted me as I walked into the waiting room. Her smile was warm, but it didn't quite ease my nerves. "Are you ready?"
I nodded, forcing a smile in return. "Yeah, I'm ready. Let's just get this over with."
She led me down a hallway to a small, modern-looking room, as we entered the testing lab I spotted a familiar face. It was the guy that bought Mali the paint.
'Now I'm nervous"
After Dr. Han introduced us she started explaining how things were going to work.
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Niran pov:
Dr. Han stepped in between us, sensing the tension. "A recessive Alpha means that his pheromones won't have the same overwhelming effect on you as a dominant one would," she explained, her tone professional. "This is part of the solution I wanted to test. The goal is to see if your sensitivity to pheromones is lessened with a less intense Alpha."
You're not obligated to anything," Dr. Han continued. "Just be in the same space as him and let us observe how your body responds. We'll take it slow, Niran. If you feel uncomfortable at any point, we can stop."
I glanced at Nattawut again. He was still standing there, looking a little out of place, his hands tucked into his pockets. His expression was unreadable, but there was a subtle tension around him, like he was equally uncertain about the situation.
"Let's just get this over with," I muttered under my breath, not wanting to drag this out any longer than necessary.
Dr. Han gestured for both of us to sit down, and Nattawut followed suit, his movements hesitant, almost as if he was just as unsure about the whole thing as I was. He didn't seem like the type to go along with something like this, and yet, here we were.
"So, Niran," Dr. Han began, her voice soothing, "I want you to just sit back and relax for a moment. Nattawut will remain a few feet away from you. We're just going to observe the pheromone response and your overall reaction."
I sat back in the chair, my arms crossed tightly in front of me, trying to calm my racing thoughts. The last thing I wanted was to be subjected to more testing, especially with someone I already knew. But there was no turning back now. I tried to focus on my breathing, to push away the tension that had settled in my chest.
Nattawut seemed to be waiting for a signal to start, his eyes occasionally flicking over to me, but not making any move. I caught myself watching him for a second—his calm, collected posture, the way his presence filled the room in a subtle but undeniable way. But his pheromones… they weren't the overwhelming kind I was used to, and for that, I was thankful.
I glanced over at Dr. Han. "So, do we just sit here?"
"For now, yes," she answered. "I want to see how your body reacts naturally. If there's any noticeable difference from the usual screenings, we'll adjust."
I turned my attention back to Nattawut. This felt… strange. There was still a weird sense of familiarity between us, even though we barely knew each other outside of that brief moment in the art store.
His voice broke the silence. "You're Niran, right?" His words were hesitant, as if he wasn't sure if he should even be talking to me during this whole process.
"Yeah," I replied, trying to keep my tone neutral. "I'm not really into all this pheromone stuff. It's… ridiculous."
He nodded, looking down at his hands for a moment. "I get that. It's kind of… overwhelming, right?" He spoke like someone who understood, someone who had maybe experienced a similar situation himself.
I didn't know how to respond to that, but I nodded in agreement, hoping that the session would just end quickly. It felt awkward enough, and I didn't want to make it worse by overthinking it.
The silence lingered between us for a few more moments, heavy with unspoken words. I tried to ignore the tension, focusing on the sterile, cold environment of the room. It felt like we were both waiting for something to happen, yet neither of us knew exactly what that was.
"How do you feel?" Dr. Han asked, her voice a bit too calm for my liking.
I glanced at her, then back at Nattawut. "I don't know. I'm fine," I muttered, still not fully understanding why I was being subjected to this. But there was something about the way Nattawut was standing there, looking slightly uncomfortable, that made me feel less like an experiment and more like a person again.
Dr. Han adjusted the monitors in front of us, her focus shifting from one screen to another. "I need you both to remain relaxed. Niran, I want you to focus on your breathing. Nattawut, just stay where you are. The pheromones you're emitting will be subtle for now."
I stared at the wall in front of me, the rhythmic beeping of the machines filling the space. The entire situation felt surreal, like I was stuck in some kind of dream. There was a sense of helplessness in it all, and the more I thought about it, the more I resented the idea of being tested like this. But there was no way out now.
"So, what now?" I asked, my voice flat, as I looked over at Nattawut.
He shifted slightly, looking back at me with an expression that was almost apologetic, though I couldn't understand why. "I guess we just wait," he said quietly, his voice carrying a certain calmness that somehow made everything feel less tense.
I nodded, trying to push down the frustration I felt. If this was supposed to help me, it wasn't doing a very good job. I just wanted to get it over with. The room felt too small, the air too thick, and I couldn't help but feel a little trapped in the whole process.
The moment stretched on, each passing second adding more weight to the silence. The only sound was the occasional click of Dr. Han's clipboard, her focus never wavering from her readings.
Then, I noticed it. Just a faint shift in the air. Something I couldn't really explain, but I felt it in my chest. Nattawut's presence—it wasn't overpowering, but it was there. His scent, subtle but distinct, began to make its way into my senses. It wasn't like the usual overpowering pheromones I had experienced in other screenings, but it was enough to make my pulse quicken slightly.
I didn't know if it was the result of the test or just my own mind playing tricks on me, but I couldn't ignore it. I was aware of him now.
"Are you feeling anything different?" Dr. Han's voice broke through my thoughts.
I shook my head. "No. It's… fine," I lied.
But in truth, something inside me was stirring. There was a faint tension in the air, an almost magnetic pull I couldn't explain. It was like a subtle shift in the atmosphere, a quiet hum that resonated deep within me.
Nattawut, who had been quiet for a while, seemed to be feeling something too. I caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of my eye, and for a brief moment, I wondered if he was going through the same thing I was.
He didn't say anything, but I could tell he was trying to make sense of the situation just as much as I was. And for some reason, that made me feel a little less alone in this strange moment.
"Just relax, Niran," Dr. Han continued, her voice a little softer now. "This part of the test is just to see how your body responds. If you feel uncomfortable at any point, we can stop."
I nodded again, but it was hard to shake off the growing sense of unease. What was this feeling? What was happening inside me?
Nattawut's presence seemed to intensify, not in a way that was overbearing, but enough to make my body react. I could feel the air around us charged with something unspoken. Was this how it felt with an Alpha? Was this the effect of the pheromones, or was it something else entirely?
"Let's just finish this," I muttered, barely able to hide the unease in my voice. I just wanted to move on, but now, I wasn't sure how long I could keep pretending that this was just another test.
I looked over at Nattawut again, and this time, our eyes met. There was something there, something that made me feel like the room had grown even smaller. Maybe it was just my imagination, or maybe it was something more.
Either way, I had no idea what to expect next. But one thing was certain: this wasn't as simple as I had hoped.
As Nattawut's pheromones got stronger as instructed, I could feel hear ride in my body. I couldn't comprehend any of this any longer, "GET ME OUT OF HERE!" I shouted causing Nattawut to slightly flinch.
"Cut everything off!" Dr. Han instructed.
All the machines cut off and P'Sang came to carry me out of the room, "I need to observe his body a little more before you take him." She told him.
"Take me home now Sang!" I exclaimed.
"You are always welcomed for home visits." He told him and walked away.
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Nattawut POV:
As they carried him out of the room Dr. Han walked in letting out a sigh, "great Job today, the money will be sent you later tonight and be ready for a call back." She said patting my shoulders.
I nodded, still processing everything that had just happened. The whole experience felt surreal, and I was trying to shake off the lingering unease that had settled in my chest. The money wasn't what bothered me—I could always use extra income—but there was something about the way things unfolded today that left me feeling unsettled.
Dr. Han's smile was bright, as always, but I couldn't shake the feeling that she was overly enthusiastic about something I was still trying to wrap my head around. "You did well, Nattawut," she said, her tone upbeat. "I think the results are going to give us a lot to work with. Just… be prepared. This might lead to more tests, and with the research we're doing, you might be a bigger part of it than you expect."
I forced a smile, nodding, though in my mind, I wasn't sure what I'd gotten myself into. "Yeah, sure," I replied, not wanting to sound dismissive, but the truth was, I wasn't sure I was ready for any more of this. The whole pheromone testing thing had made me feel… strange. Being near Niran had felt different, and I couldn't quite explain why. It wasn't supposed to be anything significant, but my body had reacted in ways I hadn't anticipated.
After Dr. Han gave me a few more instructions about the follow-up and a reminder to stay available for any future calls, I stepped out of the lab. The sterile scent of the hospital still clung to my skin, making me feel like I was walking through a fog. I couldn't shake the image of Niran from my mind.
That look he'd given me when we first met in the art store flashed back into my thoughts. I hadn't expected him to be here today, let alone for us to be part of the same test. There was something about him that intrigued me—something I couldn't quite put my finger on. The tension between us in the room had been palpable, and despite everything, I found myself wondering if it was just me, or if he'd felt it too.
I let out a slow breath as I made my way to the exit. As much as I wanted to forget about it, something told me this wasn't the last time I'd see Niran. And whatever was going on between us… it wasn't something I could ignore.
TBC