A Beautiful Lie || GulfMew

7: Dinner Date with Friend(s) - #Part 1

A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. Hopefully, this long-ass chapter makes up for it and I will be posting its continuation (part 2) within the next few days.

Alright, first up: This chapter will be introducing our main leads inner demons - you'll have a better idea for the reasons behind their actions and all. Please bear with this narrative, even if it might seem boring(?) at first.
Secondly: *drum roll please* introducing the much awaited BrightWin ship drama!!
Yeah, I'm not sure how many of you are actively following the second-pair in this fic, but trust me they will have equal (or close to equal) importance here. So, better not skip their parts!

That's it. Happy Reading, Y'all. Please vote and share feedback if you enjoyed this chapter! xoxo

*<*>*

Stepping out of the bathroom in a pair of black boxers and toweling his hair dry, Mew clutches at the open closet doors to contemplate his modest wardrobe.

His legs still feels a little wobbly, aftereffects of a blinding orgasm – he never experienced such a strong reaction and certainly not for a complete stranger (weird!) – and wants to rest for a while before P'Light comes by. Except, the normally simple task turns daunting in his chaotic mind today. Mew bites his lips, contemplating the vast choices in front of him. A row of simple and reasonably priced T-shirts and button-downs are hung inside, neatly pressed and in majority shades of white, blue and pink. There are also the occasional black and green shirts available in this mix.

The problem persists as seconds trickle by into minutes. And Mew is still at total loss on what to wear or rather what to pick as an appropriate outfit to meet with his Phi slash potential date.

It's just dinner, not a romantic candle-lit date. He reasons repeatedly against his anxiety-ridden conscience and bothersome emotions. Pale, veiny hands lingering near the far right corner of the closet, move to select a soft blue shirt and then pauses as doubts creep in once again. Moon-shaped eyes shift back to the pairs of white shirts and the bursts of colors in between: wavering about his choice.

What if he is wrong, though? No, no. P'Light would have said something if it were the case. RIGHT?!

Is Mew wrong in thinking tonight is just another friendly offer from the senior to have dinner together or does he want to be wrong in his assumptions? Still a little shaken from the recent run-in with the two alpha customers and err, his strange reaction towards the formidable guy (Gulf – a helpful voice immediately prompts), Mew elects to sit down while trying to make up his mind. His skin feels foreign and too tight for him. Simultaneously experiences his body running hot and cold, almost as if...

No, no. Mew's heat schedule is not for another couple of weeks. Whatever this is, the twitchiness underneath his skin, it is probably just in his mind. It must be.

Yeah... in all likelihood, it is merely stress and dealing with frequent scary encounters in the past weeks taking their toll. The strong alpha pheromones of Gu- of that intense jerk temporarily stuck on his wrist, right on top of scent glands (when he gripped his hand) also didn't help. Mew blushes involuntarily, his mind conjuring those impeccable features and a casual reminder as to how he accidentally jerked off to Gulf's glaring face.

'I must be either losing my mind or the pre-heat symptoms are setting in way too early. Too much stress and mental fatigue are known to jumpstart early heats after all.' Mew thinks shaking his head, restless and somewhat woozy.

Pacing around the tiny room, he settles on drinking water to calm his nerves. Just in case, he takes a suppressant pill to stave off an ambush from a likely irregular heat-cycle. It will be par with Mew's luck to have a surprise heat on the same day, he finally has a chance to try and see where things stand between him and his years-long crush! That brings him to his original conundrum and he's back to slumping dejectedly on the bed, head in his hands.