004

I pressed on the doorbell and waited patiently before the door opened and I stared at Azrael with an innocent look. He had a cigarette in his mouth and had his reading glasses; he looked back into the house then stared at me.

“What do you want, brat?” Azrael asked as he exhaled smoke from his mouth. “We weren’t to meet today.”

“I know, I know, but I didn’t come here as your editor. I came here as just Leslie and I brought drinks.” I said as I raised the bag in my hands. “I can’t take alcohol because of low tolerance, but everyone loves soda, and I also picked up some yogurts if you didn’t like it and bought two cans of beer with a minimum percentage.”

“Why are you doing this?” Azrael asked.

“I want to be your friend.” I whispered as I took a bold step towards him. “I sincerely want to get closer to you, Azrael.”

Azrael stared at me as I waited patiently in silence before he walked in with the door open, and I smiled and followed suit, closing the door behind me before it locked.

It surprised me. The house was cleaner than whenever I came around except for the empty bottle of vodka that was placed on the table.

“It seems like you cleaned up.” I said as I dropped the drinks on the table.

“Just shut up and sit down.” Azrael said, as I flushed before I sat down on the couch. 

The apartment had a different light now that I took the time to appreciate it instead of cleaning. It must cost a lot to even afford a bedroom and Azrael bought a three bedroom. I’ve been to two of the rooms, but he always has the last one locked.

I flinched when I felt something cold against my cheek and I stared at the bottled water, then at Azrael, before I collected it.

Azrael walked to the chair opposite mine and sat down before my eyes went down to the novels and magazines scattered on the floor at his feet.

“What are you reading?” I asked, and he raised the book.

“I was doing a comprehensive study on some psychological disorder.”

“Is that what you do all day? Drink, eat, sleep, read, and…” I fidgeted when I thought about the other thing before he scoffed and took off his glasses.

“What do you take me for? A troglodyte?” Azrael asked as he put out the cigarette in his mouth.

“Then what do you do?”

“Things that children shouldn’t know about.”

“I’m twenty-six.”

“Yep, still a child. Married men should focus on their family.” Azrael said as he leaned against the couch. He was just five years older, and he was acting like an old man.

“Now that we’re friends-”

“We’re not friends. I couldn’t say no to free beer.” Azrael said as I pouted.

“Now that we’ve been in each other’s presence for seven minutes without fighting; could you tell me what you have against people in the LGBTQ+ community?” I asked as he rubbed his stomach and took a can of soda and popped it open.

“Nothing that concerns you.”

“Then what about omegas?” I asked with a serious expression before he stopped midway in his drink.

Azrael dropped the can and headed to the kitchen. He came out minutes later with a bottle of whisky and a cup before he mixed it with his soda. I watched as Azrael gulped it quickly before he slapped half of his face.

“Nothing.” Azrael replied.

“You can’t keep on avoiding the question with vague answers! You said that we’re not friends, but I can’t be your friend if you don’t tell me why you hate me! All friendships are built on communication.”

“You’re getting on my nerve, you idiotic fag! Stupid omega!” Azrael said as he poured himself a drink.

I grabbed the bottle and toppled the drink in the cup the moment he dropped the bottle before I stood up with Azrael’s eyes fiercely glaring at me.

“Give me my drink Leslie” Azrael said as the colour of his eyes changed from the soothe green to a dangerous red.

Things were becoming dangerous now that he was enhancing his dominant genes since it was only dominant species that could change their eye colours like me, but the voice in my head was louder than the warning waves from my brain.

“The little I know about you, Azrael, is that you’re mad at someone and you’re directing that anger at omegas. If you just told me, maybe we could-”

The bottle slipped from my hand and broke when Azrael caught my wrist. I didn’t even see him move; he was too fast and quiet for me to even notice.

“Don’t talk to me about understanding me! You know absolutely nothing!” Azrael screamed, as he slammed me harshly against the wall and blocked my path with his body.

I breathed hard as Azrael glared at me from his height, his disturbing alcoholic breath meeting my candy flavoured and grazing my lips.

“I won’t know anything unless you tell me.” My voice felt weak as I tried to push him away. “We differ a lot, but I know I can justify your anger as your fan, editor, and your friend.”

“If you want to justify it, then leave Leslie.”

Leslie is my name, but hearing Azrael call me by name instead of degradative words I was familiar with made me feel strange… It made me angry and sad. 

Why? Why is it him?

“I’m stubborn, Azrael, more stubborn than you think!”

I felt his hands, sweatier than usual and warmer underneath my chin before I stood petrified when Azrael kissed me.

The feeling of facial hair roughly brushing against my skin, heated lips crudely kissed me and hands that held me arms and shoulder pinned to the wall but that didn’t bother me as much as the thought that I was leaning towards him while struggling with myself that this was wrong.

Why is it him? Why did it have to be him?

Tears escaped my eyes as Azrael stopped before his eyes changed back to normal. He looked horrified, but I wasn’t sure if it was because I was crying or the fact that he kissed me.

“Leslie…”

“I wish I never met you.” I said before I ran away from his apartment.

I was mad at myself. I should have hit him and be satisfied, but I couldn’t deny the fact that what I felt in there — what happened, didn’t happen.

Azrael was my alpha. If he had excited his gene and I wasn’t heavily doused on suppressants, we would have known the moment we met.

Ben can never find out, or I’m afraid he’ll leave me.

I took time off work for two weeks, but it was time for me to return. I still don’t know how to face Azrael, but I was hoping things would work out and even if the relationship between us was a complicated one; it didn’t change the way I felt about him… He annoyed me to death.

I unlocked the door and stepped in; but Azrael was nowhere to be seen. I walked in searching for him until I saw the room; he locked was open.

I peeped and saw Azrael, head tousled, on the table, before I stepped in and noticed some papers with words highlighted and written words on his laptop.

Finally, he decided to start writing again, and I felt relieved after seeing that I didn’t damage his creativity process.

I didn’t want to wake him up, especially since he looked tired before I looked around in the room. The room was extremely neat, empty, with a bed in the corner and a few paintings on the wall and his table.

I was going to leave until I saw a box by the corner of the bed. There were a few pictures littered, and I didn’t want Azrael to know I was in this room, but I stopped when I saw a picture at my feet.

I picked it up and turned to the front before I stared at the image in disbelief.

The person in the picture was certainly an omega… An albino omega like me. His side bangs were longer, and he cut the back of his hair short with green eyes. He smiled brightly with that innocent face that had an erotic appeal.

A lot of possibilities ran through my head on who this omega was because he looked familiar, but I was certain of one thing… This omega was the reason Azrael hated omegas, especially males.