Unwanted

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

It's been three weeks since Kal started working in the bakery. Unlike his previous job in where he kept delivering wrong orders and accidentally breaking kitchen plates, the bakery's soft atmosphere makes him feel at ease when working.

The bakery has only three employees including him. The first is a quiet beta girl which James introduced her as Eve. She has dark brown eyes and hair. A straight nose and pouty lips. She looks kind of cute if not only she has facial paralysis. No matter what you say to her, she only nods her head. Kal in his days of working has never seen her changed her stoic expression.

The next one is a polite guy (also a Beta) named Harold. Harold is the oldest and the most mature of them all. He always smiles to everyone and his courteous way of talking made him very approachable to people.
He always praises Kal even in the littlest things. He has black hair and light blue eyes; A slightly crooked nose and stubble on his cheeks.

His manager, James, always insist on feeding him free dinner which he first humbly refused. But the constant pleading (paired with puppy eyes) and constant snapping (from Heather) made him unable to decline.

He also recently started to gain weight. His deathly pale skin became a healthy milky white. The bones sticking out from his body have now disappeared. His once sunken cheeks have now a little fat in it. Not only he had a glow up, but also his low savings in his piggy bank piled up.

"Kal stop looking at the ground. When serving costumers, stand straight at all times!" Kal turned around to be faced by a puffing James with his hands on his hips.

"Sorry, it's just that... I'm not really good with people" He smiled to James who only raise an eyebrow at him.

"Tch, stop being a baby! You need to have confidence since you now look handsome bah!" James said as he pinches Kal's cheek until they turned red.

"Don't worry I'm sure you can handle it. We're here to help you" Harold smiled at him as he carries a tray of sugared buns toward the display counter.

"Yeah! We will definitely cheer you!" James pumped his fists into the air before shouting into the kitchen.

"Right Eve?!"

Eve who is currently baking in the kitchen went out and pump her fist in the air with a melancholic look on her face.

Kal: ......

"Ow, ow ok i- ow I'll try!" Kal moves his head away from James' hands as he rubs his now swollen cheeks. He can practice dealing with people but he doubts about himself being handsome.

"Ah, here" James suddenly shove something in his hand which turns out to be a card.

"What is this?"

"It's my birthday on Saturday. Heather will pick you here!" James hurriedly yells at him as he serves an old woman who just came in.

Kal bites the inside of his cheek. He rarely went to parties because he never likes interacting with other people. He sighs as he put the invitation card in his back pocket before readjusting his glasses.

The door suddenly opened- an indication that a new customer had just come in. Kal hesitates whether he should serve the person or not. Eve is in the kitchen baking. Both James and Harold are preoccupied with other costumers. Kal has no choice but to straightened his back and approach the man's table.

"Good afternoon sir, How can I help you?"

The man is currently typing on his phone and Kal can't help but admire his well defined back and arm muscle on his fitted turtleneck. The man stopped and looked up.

"I'll have a coffee-flavored cake. Make it two slices." He said in a monotone voice before returning to his phone.

However, Kal was rooted in his spot. Eyes wide behind his thick-rimmed glasses. His chest heave as he made sure that it wasn't the man he thought. That it wasn't Vince. That it wasn't his alpha from years ago.

Kal unconsciously released his distress pheromones in the air. The man abruptly looks up as he smelled the familiar scent of peach and cinnamon. His dark olive eyes squinted as he tried to figure out if who is the person behind the large glasses and long bangs.

"Kal?"