The Truth About Drew

t h i r t e e n

Kai dug at the ground, scuffing the end of his sneaker. "Well, this didn't go to plan," he muttered.

Far from going to plan, the entire thing had blown up in his face, ending up with Drew getting hurt (again) and Kai doing nothing (again).

Seriously, though? Who doesn't recognize an allergic reaction? Kai hit his forehead with his palm.

Of all the stupid shit he could have pulled.

He crossed his arms on the hard plastic table he was sitting at and put his head down. Maybe I could invent a time machine and not completely fuck up this time, he mused.

If wishes were horses.

"Is this chair taken?" A quiet voice asked.

He barely moved. "Nope, do what you want."

"Thanks."

The sound of a chair being pulled back and a jacket rustling. The bump of a bag hitting his foot. A wave of air and the scent of cologne. The smell of hot coffee and... cookies maybe?

He glanced up just enough to see the stranger's plate. A plate of warm chocolate chip cookies and a cup from Starbucks with the name Oliver scrawled across it in a fancy cursive met his eye.

A slim, pale hand picked up one of the cookies and Kai naturally followed the action and ended up looking the stranger in the eye.

Thickly lashed, bottle green eyes, smooth skin, long black hair that was tucked behind the stranger's ears-- the guy was uncannily similar to Drew. So much so Kai actually had to do a double-take to make sure it wasn't Drew. But no. There were distinct differences. This guy was obviously older, Drew's eyes were different, his hair was slightly shorter, he was definitely taller, he had this cute little birthmark next to his nose... Okay this was sounding distinctly stalkerish.

"See something you like?" The man asked quietly, a wry smile upturning his lips ever so slightly.

Kai blinked a few times. "What?"

"Nothing." The man bit into the cookie, licking a crumb off his full lower lip.

Kai sat up, his back protesting as it was forced to straighten up after twenty minutes of slouching. He stretched, pulling an arm across his chest to work out the kinks.

"So what's on your mind?" The stranger--Oliver, if his cup was anything to go by-- asked, meeting Kai's curious stare unblinkingly.

"What do you mean?" Kai swallowed hard.

Oliver tilted his head, "You've been staring at me like you recognize me, but I've never seen you before, so..." He trailed off, nibbling at his cookie and taking a sip of his drink.

"Have I? Sorry, you remind me of someone that's all."

"Boyfriend?"

"I wish," Kai muttered darkly, but to Oliver he replied quickly, "No, no, a friend. An acquaintance, really."

"Romance gone wrong, I suppose, if the look that crossed your face is any indication."

This guy was a little too observant for his own good.

"You could say that," Kai admitted.

"What happened, if I may be so bold?"

Kai squinted at him a bit. Why not, it's not like he'd ever see the guy again.

Kai sat back and rubbed his face with a hand, "The guy I like, well, he basically wishes I would be burned at the stake. So yeah. 'Romance gone wrong.'"

"Ouch. What did you do?"

"Nothing!" Weeeeell... "Okay, almost nothing. Maybe I was a bit aggressive, but he was being an asshole just because I'm an alpha!"

Oliver's eyebrows rose a bit. "Doesn't like alphas, I take it?"

"Hates 'em." The words were bitter on Kai's tongue.

"So what do you plan on doing?" Oliver took another sip of his coffee. "Cookie?" He pushed the plate towards Kai.

"Thanks," he took a chocolate chip cookie gratefully, "I figure I should give up. I've screwed up so many times, I'm amazed he hasn't tried to murder me in my sleep."

"Want my advice?" Oliver said slowly, looking at Kai over the top of his cup.

"Sure," said Kai, shrugging his shoulders.

"I don't think you should give up. I've been in a situation much like yourself; my mate and I got along horribly. We'd fight over the smallest of things, big fights too, all because I couldn't get over myself enough to admit how I really felt about him. But a couple things happened; a friend knocked some sense into my head, I told him how I felt, and we've been bonded for five years. He's the best thing to ever happen to me, but if I had given up, I would have let Carter slip through my fingers." He smiled fondly as his eyes softened at the thought of his mate.

"Wow, I- um. Thank you."

"No problem. Things a little clearer now?"

"Much!" Kai stood up, the chair screeching against the floor. "Thank you so much, uh, hey, can I get your number?"

"Sure," Oliver said warmly. He pulled a pen out of his pocket, uncapped it with his teeth, and neatly printed his number on a napkin which he passed to Kai. "Shoot me a text sometime."

"I will." Kai tucked the napkin into his pocket. "Thanks again."

He ran off, a grin on his face.

Seconds later, a man with curly blond hair and silver eyes slid into the chair where Kai had sat moments before. "Who was that?" He asked in a soft, slightly raspy voice.

Oliver leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "A new friend, babe."

"Hmm, really?" The man stood up, walked over, and sat on Oliver's lap, slinging an arm over his shoulder. He picked up a cookie and bit into it. "How'd you meet him?"

Oliver nuzzled into his mate's neck, inhaling his sweet scent deeply. "Boy looked depressed, so I offered him a cookie and some advice. He's going to need it too."

"Why?"

"If I'm not wrong, he's dating my cousin."