Chapter Nine

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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Kazir had successfully avoided Adisa almost all week. Not that it was difficult—they worked in different departments, and their paths didn’t cross naturally. Whenever Adisa texted him to grab lunch or dinner, he politely turned him down with excuses about being busy or having other plans. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy Adisa’s company. In fact, that was part of the problem—he didn’t know how to feel about Adisa and the pace at which their connection seemed to be developing. He knew he would be seeing him on Saturday morning. That would do.  

It was Friday when things took a turn. Kazir was on his way home, heading toward the main elevator, when, just like before, he bumped into Adisa—this time, Adisa wasn’t alone; he had the jubilant entourage of his coworkers. There were the familiar faces of the two coworkers Kazir had met at the coffee shop, along with someone new, a taller man with sharp eyes and an easy smile.  

Adisa spotted him first, his face lighting up in a way that made Kazir’s stomach twist uncomfortably.  

“Kazir! What are the odds?” Adisa greeted him warmly, his overzealous friendliness drawing the attention of his companions.  

“Greetings.”  

“Hi, nice seeing you again.” The tall woman greeted him. He couldn’t recall her name.  

“Hey, how have you been?” the smaller man said. He also didn’t remember his name.  

Adisa stopped next to Kazir. He was his usual smiling self—smelling fresh, like a clean, crisp fragrance that seemed to radiate energy and warmth.  

“Davi. Kazir. We met at a dinner party last week. The one you decided to miss,” the smaller man said to his lankier male friend, who glared at his smiling friend before grinning politely at Kazir. “Nice to meet you.”  

“I’ve been well, thank you for asking,” Kazir responded politely.  

“Heading home?” Adisa asked, shielding Kazir from his coworkers’ line of sight.  

He nodded just as the elevator doors split open. They all crowded in. 

Adisa slid in next to him. They stood side by side, the same height and size. He smiled over at him. Adisa had a peculiar look on his face and swayed a bit closer to Kazir, inhaling before leaning back, and turning his face away as he exhaled softly.  

“How was your week?”  

“It’s over.”  

He chuckled. “Miss your humor.”  

“Hmm.”  

“We’re heading to dinner. You should join us.”  

“Yes, join us,” his female coworker added.  

“Leah’s right,” Adisa said, agreeing with her.  

Kazir hesitated. He was tired and ready to spend his evening alone in the peace of his apartment. But the way Adisa looked at him, bright and hopeful, made it hard to refuse. Plus, declining yet another invitation felt rude, especially in front of his colleagues. So, after a small pause, he sighed and nodded.  

“Sure, why not? I gotta eat.”  

Adisa laughed again.  

Kazir felt like he was laughing gas. He always had Adisa laughing.  

“You do have to eat.”  

“Hmm.”  

“Are you joining us?” Leah said, pulling away from her colleagues to smile at Kazir, who instantly cowered. He timidly nodded.  

“Great, the more, the merrier!” the shorter man said.  

Kazir already felt tired. They were so lively.  

They ended up at the same restaurant where he and Adisa had shared dinner the week prior. 

Kazir couldn’t shake the odd feeling of déjà vu, though tonight’s gathering had a different energy. The group was a bit looser, and more relaxed. As the evening went on, Kazir found himself speaking less, letting the others carry the conversation.  

Kazir was still nursing his first drink, but not his dinner companions. They had a few too many drinks—especially Leah. She was leaning across the table, her cheeks flushed, her eyes gleaming with the confidence that came with being tipsy.  

“You know…” she began, her voice loud enough to grab everyone’s attention, “I’m so glad to be your colleague, Adisa.”  

Laughing, Adisa handed her a glass of water. “Let’s slow down on the drinks,” he said soothingly, watching as she wrapped her hand around the cup.  

She shook her head. “No, really. You’re so competent, so open-minded. Nothing like other alphas, you know.”  

Kazir was startled, and his stomach dropped at the declaration, a sudden wave of discomfort washing over him. Her coworkers didn’t seem surprised at her frank words.  

He glanced at Adisa, who caught his eye and only smiled.  

“Leah, you’re drunk.”  

“No,” she assured him, firmly shaking her head. “You give me hope, you know,” she continued. “Even though the marriage rate is decreasing, there you are, still a traditional man at heart. See, Adisa here,” she said to Kazir, who felt his cheeks flush as she pinned her attention on him, “he's a real softie. All he wants is to find his future mate and be a great partner.”  

Her colleagues laughed.  

“Leah—”  

“Isn’t that cute?” She reached for Adisa’s hand and squeezed it. “Genuine people are so hard to find nowadays.”  

“You're showing your age,” Davi said.  

“And you’re heartless. You wouldn’t understand what it’s like to seek out your soulmate.” 

“Leah, please,” Husnisaid.  

She ignored her two male colleagues, turned to Adisa, imprisoning his hand before he could move it to safety, and said with a sweet smile, “I just wish you’d let me be your matchmaker. I could find you your soulmate and... it would be great.”  

Adisa tugged his hand free. “Soulmates are not real, Leah.”  

“It’s like imprinting. Don’t you guys imprint on, like, your soulmate? Or is my 6th-grade Sex Ed class failing me?”  

“It’s rare because it’s not real,” Davi added. “Even as a beta, I can recognize that.”  

Leah sucked her teeth. “Call me quixotic, then.”  

“We do,” they grumbled.  

“I believe in real love: soulmates and imprinting.”  

“Us betas don’t imprint on each other. I guess we have no soulmates?” Husniteased.  

“We do. We just imprint on each other differently. Isn’t imprinting all about soul connection? A pheromone compatibility thing?” She widened her arms as she spoke in a grandiose tone.  

Kazir and Adisa felt the weight of her gaze on them and they shrugged.  

“Rubbish. All rubbish. We’re too grown to believe in things like that,” Husnisaid before Adisa urged, “Let’s stop drinking.” Hyungjae, the lankier of the two males, grabbed her to stop her from snatching Adisa’s hand again and said, “Let’s not scare poor Kazir.”  

Kazir chuckled awkwardly and shook his head. “I’m not scared. Adisa has already told me that he wants to get married.”  

Husni and Davi looked startled. Davi openly stared at Kazir, as if he were trying to decipher how close he was to Adisa. He had been at the dinner party where they all met.  

Leah nodded, smiling languidly. “See,” she cooed.  

Husnisaid, “Are we really that old?”

“Huh?”  

“Yeah. I feel like lately, whenever I get together with friends, the conversation always goes back to marriage and children.”  

“Maybe we’re at that age where that feels like the natural next step,” Davi said, clearly busy taking the drinks out of Leah’s reach.  

“I feel the opposite. I feel like we tend to talk about work a lot,” Adisa added.  

“Partnership or work,” Husnisaid.  

Davi shrugged. “There’s only so much you can talk about as a working adult, I suppose.”  

“I’m still young,” Leah declared.  

“Of course you are,” Davi agreed softly.  

“Stop,” she leaned over and smacked him on the arm, laughing. “I’m only in my early thirties. I’m flirty and thriving.”  

“You just got a promotion, so you are thriving,” Husniagreed.  

Kazir hoped the night was winding down now. He wanted to go home.  

“Hyungjae, what was the last movie you saw? The last book you read? Let’s make a concerted effort to talk about non-work-related events in our lives.”  

“Now you’re setting me up,” Husnisaid, holding his chest as he laughed. “I haven’t finished a book or watched a movie in a while.”  

“We’re old,” Davi lamented, chuckling with his friend.  

“And,” Leah added comically, “this is why we need to get our affairs in order.”  

“By watching more movies?” Husnisuggested.  

She shook her head. “No. We need to start settling down. Start families, if that’s what we want. Traveling. Investing in hobbies.”  

“Then I think my affairs are in good order,” Adisa said, smiling at Kazir, who appreciated him trying to involve him in his conversation with his friends but would have rather been at home.  

“Adisa, if you’d just let me, I could have you married by next week.”  

“Leah,” Davi warned, trying to stop his more dominant friend.  

She pointed at Adisa. “That’s the natural next step for you. You have a great job… You work with amazing people… you’re amazing.” Then she smiled at Kazir and said, as if she wanted to convince him, “He’d make a perfect partner.”