Chapter 3

Toby

The week passed, and Toby didn’t see Sam again except briefly at the gym. He’d waved at him, but he’d been with his friends Isobel and Rosie, doing some bodyweight exercises together. When they’d finished and he’d looked up, Sam was gone.

He had looked forward to their tutorial and to see Sam again. He struggled internally with that feeling. Ever since beginning his pretense as an alpha, he had kept to himself and had stayed away from too many alphas lest they discover his secret. But he had some attraction to Sam, the desire to spend time with him. He hoped that there’d be a chance to do group work with Sam during the tutorial. Much to his luck, Sam had saved a seat for him.

“Hi, Sam!”

“Hi, Toby! How was your week?”

Toby made polite small talk about their weeks and their studies. He found that the words flowed easily, and he wasn’t on edge or afraid of being discovered as a fraud by the gentle alpha. Sam’s open nature just made him seem approachable and safe. Sam held his gaze a few seconds longer than other people and seemed to care a lot about what Toby thought, which had the omega feeling more comfortable around him than anyone else he’d met during his first few weeks at university. After the tutorial, Sam asked if he wanted to go to the university bar’s happy hour.

“Oh, I haven’t checked out the bar yet!” Toby said.

“They have a happy hour deal from 4-5 p.m. I’ll show you!”

They made their way to the center of campus, where the pub-style bar with lots of plants and outdoor trestle tables filled with chattering students was located. Toby lined up at the bar with Sam to buy their cheap happy hour beers before following him outside to sit at a table on the edge of the beer garden under the slowly setting sun.

“Do you come here often?” Toby asked, then kicked himself because it sounded like a pickup line.

“Sometimes,” Sam replied. “I’m pretty busy with my degree, so I don’t get to have as much fun as I’d like. I came here a lot in the first year.”

“Heh. Thanks for bringing me here, then,” Toby said.

“Well, I’m curious because you said you’ve traveled a lot. Tell me more about it.”

Toby explained his gap years, then how he’d come home to work a bit before uni and save some extra money to make the experience easier.

“I just needed a break after high school,” he explained. “Wanted to see the world.”

“So that makes you 20 or 21?” Sam asked.

“Twenty-one,” Toby replied. “What about you?”

“Twenty-three.”

“Here’s to our ages,” Toby said as he raised his plastic cup in a toast.

Sam toasted him back and took a sip. Toby noticed that the beer was making him a little lightheaded, or was it the happiness he felt spending time with Sam? He answered Sam’s questions about the countries he’d visited and what he’d got up to on his adventures.

“What are the relationships between alphas and omegas like overseas?” Sam asked.

“Oh, they vary from region to region,” Toby replied. “In some places, omegas are treated like mere cattle. It’s unfortunate. In others, they have equal rights with alphas. And not just like here, where it’s in name only.”

“You seem to know a lot about these things from your experiences. So a gender studies degree is perfect for you,” Sam noted.

“Yeah, I find all that stuff very interesting,” Toby replied. “Shall we get another beer?”

“Sounds good! I’ll go and get them!” Sam said.

Toby watched Sam’s ass surreptitiously as the alpha walked back into the building. He was rapidly developing a crush on his friend. He tried to avoid people for a reason, he thought with dismay. To keep up the ruse of being an alpha, he’d needed to keep to himself, but there was something so warm about Sam that made him want to be in his presence. He sighed and looked up at sunset with a frown.

“What’s wrong?” Sam said as he placed a beer in front of Toby.

“Oh, just thinking about the plight of omegas,” Toby lied as he sipped the foam off his beer.

“Do you have an omega?” Sam asked.

“Me? No, I’m single. What about you?”

“I’m single too! To bachelors!”

They toasted cups again, and Toby chuckled at the idea of being a bachelor. But, he supposed that he was one.

“What’s so funny?” Sam asked.

“Oh, I just have a low alcohol tolerance, but I’m having fun. Want another?”

“Absolutely!” Sam said.

Toby nodded.

“Let me get this one,” he said as he stood up.

When he returned from the bar, he felt self-conscious as Sam watched him walk back to the table with their beers. It was dusk, and Toby wondered how safe it was to return to the dorms at night. But he would have a big strong alpha with him, so it would be fine. Some of Sam’s blonde hair had fallen loose from his man bun, and Toby wanted to lean across the table to fix it; it took incredible willpower not to lean in and play with Sam’s curl of hair.

“It’s a nice night,” Sam said as his gaze lingered on Toby’s lips. “The rising moon’s reflecting in your eyes.”

Toby wiped his lips, wondering if there was beer foam on them. He would have thought Sam was flirting with him if he weren't drunk. Was Sam into other alphas? That was big trouble for Toby because he’d find out very quickly when he got Toby naked that he was no alpha. And oh, how that would disappoint Sam…

“Uhh…I’m starting to feel a little tipsy,” he said, changing the topic. “I think I need to return to my room and nap.”

“Of course! It’s been a long day for me, too.”

They skulled the rest of their beers and stood, weaving their way through the tables to the exit to the beer garden. As they walked back to their dorms, Sam fooled around, swinging on lampposts and playing on the crosswalks.

Typical alpha, Toby thought affectionately. Always taking up the space around them.

As they walked, Sam talked about his desire to travel, and Toby came up with some ideas of places he could try visiting. They were laughing, and Toby felt comfortable again with his new friend. Sam pulled him by the wrist as they crossed through the park near their dorm.

“What is it, Sam?” he asked.

He was surprised when Sam pressed him up against a shadowed tree.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not into alphas,” Sam said, “but I have to kiss you and find out the truth for myself.”

“Wha-?!” Toby said with surprise.

His words were silenced by the feeling of Sam’s warm lips against his. They had the faint taste of beer on them, and Toby noticed they were soft, too. This was his first kiss, and he wasn’t sure what to do. He quickly pulled away.

“Didn’t like it?” Sam said softly.

He looked kind of hurt, so Toby quickly denied it.

“It’s not that,” he said.

“Good,” Sam said, and before Toby could stop him, he was kissed again.

This time, Sam worked his lips apart, his mouth hot, wet, and inviting as he slipped his tongue into Toby’s mouth.

“Mmnn…” Toby murmured as his knees buckled.

Sam caught him and entwined their tongues, sucking Toby’s tongue into his mouth and curling his own tongue around it. Toby felt aroused but, at the same time, terrified. Sam was a confident alpha, clearly sexually experienced, and Toby was worried that the closer he got to him, the sooner he might sense that he was wearing scent blockers. So he shoved Sam roughly away.

“S-sorry-” he said as he wiped his mouth.

“Ah! No, man. I should be sorry. Look, it was just the beer, just the beer,” Sam said as he tried to make amends.

“Oh, that’s all right then,” Toby said, blushing. “I’m just not into alphas. I don’t know if I led you on somehow….”

“You didn’t!” Sam said quickly. “I just got carried away. Let’s forget this ever happened.”

“Yeah.”

“Are we cool?” Sam said.

“Yeah. I get that it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing. C’mon, let’s return to the dorms.”

They laughed with embarrassment, straightened themselves out, then returned to the path leading out of the park.

“All right,” Toby said at the lifts at the bottom of the South tower. “Have a good weekend. I’ll see you in class.”

“See ya, Toby,” Sam said. “And sorry about earlier.”

“Not a problem, man.”

Sam continued walking as Toby waited for the lift. When the doors closed behind him, he hid his face in his hands. His first kiss! He never thought he’d ever get to have a first kiss. He blushed just remembering it and jumped when the lift doors opened. He strode quickly to his room, unlocked the door, and rushed to drop face down on his bed. He felt overwhelmed, and the memory of Sam’s lips felt so good. What was he going to do now? He hoped that Sam would forget all about it, and he just hoped that he’d also be able to act normal around Sam the next time that he saw him.