Page 22 of Alpha's Sunflower Smiles

“He was being kind. He’s not interested in me. He’s got someone in mind.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t ask.”

The lump that had suddenly formed in my throat had blocked the words and I felt bad for trying to get Pete out of my shop quickly when normally I’d love for him to stay and talk to me, but I’d felt suddenly hollowed out and had needed some space.

“Hmm,” said Alder. He had the air of someone planning something reckless. “What did he say?”

“That he didn’t want to go out with the omega his papa was trying to set him up with because he already had his eye on someone.”

Alder went quiet for just long enough to make me nervous. If he said something to Pete, it might make him too embarrassed to ever talk to me again and I’d lose a friend. I liked Pete. I liked seeing him every day. He made me feel… well, he made me feel fluttery inside.

Luckily, Alder shrugged. “Ah well, alphas are weird anyway, Wilfred. Stick to pottery.”

I managed a smile, not sure whether he’d been joking or not. I actually couldn’t tell.

He put his hands flat on the counter. “Now, Wilfred, serious question. When can I come back for my next lesson? Ty’s been stopping me from coming because he says I can’t take up your time but you promised.”

“How about tomorrow? The shop is closed on Sundays, so I’ll be all yours.”

“Perfect! And Ty can’t complain about you missing customers, either.” He bounded to the door with his bag of ginger tea. “I’ll report back about this tea once Waggoner’s tried it. See you tomorrow. I’ll bring Ronnie to take some pictures and Ty can do his DIY stuff with your CCTV. We can supervise while we’re painting.”

I barely managed to wave and say, “See you Sunday,” before he was out the door.

He left a silent shop behind. Alder had that effect. He burst in with such energy that, when he left, the place seemed extra silent and still. I wasn’t quite sure what I’d agreed to but I liked Alder and I trusted Ty, so it didn’t matter. I’d see them in the morning. I looked forward to it. It would keep my mind of Pete.

Chapter 10

Pete

An omega man burst into my office, thumping the door against the wall. He was clutching a small bag of tea and he had a wild glint in his eye.

“Are you Pete?”

I was so surprised that I answered automatically. “Yes. Is something wrong?”

“Wilfred said you were his neighbour.”

My first thought was that this was an emergency. I stood. “Has something happened to Wilfred?”

Looking out the window, I could see Sunflower Smiles across the road. I couldn’t see Wilfred inside it, but it looked just the same as it always did. No smashed window. No fire. No ambulance outside.

The omega said, “He’s fine, except he’s suffering from a broken heart andyou’re to blame. You need to sort it. I don’t like seeing him sad. It doesn’t suit his face.”

I blinked.

That was a lot of information.

Weirdly, the thing that stood out to me was the truth of his last statement. Sadness didn’t suit Wilfred. His smile was such a part of him that seeing him look melancholy was jarring. I wanted more than anything to give him back the joy he needed to smile again.

The omega in front of me snapped his fingers, bringing my attention back to him.

“What are you going to do about it?”

I blinked again. “Who are you?”

It was as though my brain were only just catching up with what was happening. Why had this random person burst into my office?

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