Page 21 of Alpha's Two Omegas

Now he’d hardly put any of the food in his mouth, though he was pushing it round his plate. Even Ronnie had sensed there was something off this evening and he’d gone back to being unsure and nervy, after finally starting to come out of his shell.

I talked a bit, trying to settle the weird mood but it didn’t work.

I was starting to get more and more freaked out and my words babbled out of me. At last, Alder put a stop to it. I wanted to hug him with relief because finally Alder was doing what he always did – saving me.

Except, this time, I ended up wishing he hadn’t.

“I’ve got some good news,” he said, setting his knife and fork down. Something inside me twisted at his tone. Whatever it was, I was certain it wouldn’t be good.

My mouth wouldn’t work, so Ronnie was the one to ask, “What is it?”

“I’ve been offered a promotion.”

Ronnie’s smile was genuine as he congratulated Alder. “That’s wonderful. You deserve it!”

“Thanks. I’m looking forward to it. I’ll get to spend more time researching, away from the annoying students.”

My voice was gravelly when I managed to speak, interrupting him. “Wait, how are you getting a promotion?”

He raised a sassy eyebrow. “Rude. I’m getting it because I’m brilliant.”

“Yeah, but Waggoner isn’t leaving, is he?”

“No, he’s not.”

“Then how are you getting promoted?”

Alder’s shoulders pulled up, setting like he was preparing to go to war. “It’s not at Silford. It’s at Central.”

“What? But that’s two hours away! You can’t commute there every day.”

Alder blinked at me like I was an idiot. “No, I can’t. I’ll have to live closer.”

My mind went into overdrive just at the thought. We’d have to find a new house. I had a couple of clients I needed to see every few weeks, but I could drive back to Silford for the day when that had to happen – it would only be a few trips, not like Alder going into work every day. I couldn’t remember how much notice we had to give to leave this place but we could make it work, keeping it until we were settled into the new house. And I had no idea whether Ronnie could transfer his credits to a new university, if he even wanted to switch. I guess we could find a house somewhere in the middle, which would cut down Alder’s driving time. It would still be a hefty commute and it would eat into the time I could spend with him. And it would bring Ronnie’s commute right up. He wouldn’t be able to get the bus. We’d have to get him a car.

I looked at Ronnie. “Do you have a driving licence?”

It would be much easier if he did. He could borrow my car until we got him his own.

“Uh, yes, I do. I’ve just never had my own car. They’re expensive and I can easily get the bus around Silford, so I never bothered with a car. Um, why do you ask?”

Alder must have seen the panicked look on my face because he snapped his fingers in front of me.

“Ty, focus. One thing at a time. We’re not talking about Ronnie’s car, we’re talking about my promotion.”

“But he’ll need—”

Adler pursed his lips in a way which suggested he was fucking annoyed with me. I snapped my mouth shut.

He stood, lifted his plate and carried it over to the sink. He scraped the mostly uneaten dinner into the recycling and rinsed the plate before putting it in the dishwasher.

Only when he was done did he turn around and speak again. I’d watched him in stunned silence the whole time, taking note of the tense set to his shoulders and the careful way he moved.

“I just thought you should know. I’m taking the promotion. I’ll be moving out at the end of the semester.”

My mouth flopped open like a fish. Alder was almost at the door before I managed to form words.

“Moving out?”

---