Chapter Fifteen

Author’s Note: This story is set in an alternate universe, in an imaginary town and country, and during an ambiguous time period.

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Placing his pen between his teeth, Kazir stretched in his chair, slouching a bit, his eyes fixed on his monitor as he checked his work.  

“Hey.”  

He jumped. Removing the pen from between his teeth, he craned his head to stare up at his smiling colleague, Ngozi, who stood beside his desk.  

“I’m sorry,” she said, offering an apology for startling him.  

He shook his head. “You’re fine. How may I help you?” he asked, shifting in his chair.  

“Actually, it’s the reverse,” she said, flashing him a bright smile. She was a sweet coworker who had started at the company around the same time as he had. He, of course, being himself, hadn’t gotten close to her over the years, though he had been making a more concerted effort these past few weeks as he worked with her on the new project. They had been constantly communicating, and he had started to lower his iron-clad guards and be more willing to connect, and she seemed to have noticed.  

“Huh?”  

She chuckled. “I think we’ve been working hard and deserve a boost of caffeine. Want me to grab you a coffee?”  

“I’ll join you,” Kazir responded, pushing back his chair.  

“Yay! I love company.”  

He returned her smile.  

Kazir briefly thought of Adisa. Ever since he had started replicating the openness he had with Adisa at work, his interactions with his coworkers had become more bearable, almost enjoyable.  

As they made their way to the staff break room, she asked, “What are you doing for lunch today?”  

“Oh, I brought something,” Kazir said.  

“Amazing. Do you cook or—?”

He blushed at her hint, shaking his head and feeling awkward. He hated his reaction, but he couldn’t help it.  

“I cook most of my meals.”  

“Lucky you,” she sighed. “This project’s got me so exhausted I can barely manage a decent meal. It’s been takeout and quick dinners for weeks.”  

Kazir nodded, understanding. “Cooking’s kind of my way of winding down. It helps me decompress after the day.” He smiled slightly, thinking about his regular Wednesday night dinners with his parents. That routine brought him a sense of peace; the connection he felt to his family was deeply ingrained in that tradition. He did most of his complex meals when he visited his parents and ate leftovers until Saturday.  

Talking about cooking brought back a memory of last Saturday and the afternoon he spent with Adisa. His chest warmed at the thought, and he felt a strange flutter in his stomach.  

He decided to ignore the reaction.  

Entering the break room, she said, “Being someone who can not only cook but enjoy it makes you such a catch. You can’t be single.”  

He coughed, swallowing wrong. She laughed, picking up on his discomfort.  

“Never mind now. Would you like a donut?”  

He shook his head and instead asked, “Would you like me to pour you some coffee?”  

She shook her head. “That’s sweet, but I’m here for some tea. And a donut too,” she joked, grabbing a glazed donut from the box that had a note inviting them to grab one if they felt compelled.  

He nodded and got busy prepping his cup of hot coffee. Suddenly, he noticed Ngozi rubbing her flat stomach absentmindedly. It probably meant nothing, but the image remained stuck in his mind. The gesture made him think of Adisa’s easy talk about marriage and children, despite his youth. Adisa seemed ready for a busload of kids, even though he was still in his twenties. Then he thought of his sister, who would be marrying soon, and she, too, he knew, wanted kids and would be having as many of them as she and her partner could afford to take care of. 

Kazir found himself wondering: What was it like to know, without hesitation, that you wanted to procreate? To have a loving partner by your side who made that terrifying leap into parenthood seem not so scary? He thought of his parents—the strong, stable love they shared. If he were ever to have children, he realized, he would want exactly what they had. That kind of security, that kind of love.  

Though the very thought terrified him. He still had so many unresolved feelings about his secondary gender.  

He still had a lot of reservations and emotions he had to process before he could even think about being with anyone—alpha, beta, or omega.  

Omegas were not regarded kindly in society. They were seen with such malevolent intentions, especially by alphas. Tying himself to one, becoming their mate, and bonding with one filled Kazir with innumerable dread.  

Due to their heats, hormones, or other factors, omegas were often propositioned, even though most omegas were terrified of alphas’ true intentions. Not that betas didn’t try to take advantage of them, too. People assumed that, just because of their secondary gender, omegas were constantly in heat, if not physically, then metaphorically. They were seen as being made for sex. It was as if their bodies prepared them for sex. It didn’t matter to people whether the omegas were on suppressants or not; as long as they could have a sexual encounter with an omega, that was all they cared about. After all, even a man who was an omega had an anatomy that made it possible for them to get pregnant.  

The thought of being paired with someone like that and creating a new life with them made him feel trapped. He’d pity himself if he were to be bound to such a fate.  

As he taste-tested his coffee, his phone buzzed. It was Adisa.  His heart skipped a beat and his stomach burned.

Adisa: What are you doing for lunch?

Kazir: Same as usual.

Adisa: I brought lunch today, too. 

Adisa: Are you proud of me?

Kazir: Good job.

Adisa: Thank you dad.

Kazir: Don’t wish you as a child on me, please.

Adisa: I wish on you quiet, beautiful, and perfect children…BUT, only if you have lunch with me.

Adisa: Want to eat in the cafeteria together?

Kazir: I was planning on a working-lunch.

Adisa: You can’t tell me you love your job that much?

Kazir: This project is demanding a lot of my attention.

Adisa: Am I being rejected again?

Kazir: Unfortunately, yes.

“Ready to head back?’ Ngozi asked.

He looked up from his phone and nodded.

Adisa: You owe me dinner.

Kazir: Okay.

Adisa: Tomorrow.

Adisa: It’s a Friday. You can let your hair down a little bit, right?

Kazir: It’s always down.

Writer's Note

Happy Friday, everyone! I hope you’ve had a great week and that this new chapter adds a little spark to your day. I’ve been having such a good time writing this story, and I have so much more in store for you—I can’t wait for you to see where it all goes!

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Have an amazing Friday, and stay tuned for what’s next!

With love,
xoxo!