Kael looked beside him, his mouth slightly open in awe. He never thought he would meet Jaden so soon, let alone be sitting beside him. As he watched him, his right hand, which was holding his phone, suddenly loosened.
"Be careful!" Jaden shouted, his body jerking forward to catch the phone. He grabbed it before it hit the floor, then looked at Kael, who still seemed lost.
Jaden brows arched as he waved his hand in front of Kael's face. "Hey! Are you okay?"
Kael continued staring at him, his mouth opening and closing before he stretched out his hand to take the phone from Jaden.
Then he mumbled, "You smell like mint, and it's so immersive. I wish I could snuggle into your scent."
"Huh?" Jaden said.
And then Kael realized what he had just done.
'What the fuck! Did I just tell an Alpha that I like his scent?!'
'I'm not okay… what did I do…' He panicked, his eyes darting around for answers.
He needed something, anything, to divert Jaden's attention. But Jaden seemed more concerned about something else rather than the fact that an Alpha liking his scent was unusual.
"Ah… thank you…" Jaden said. "I didn't catch that before. Well… what about you?"
"Huh? What about me? What?" Kael shouted, startling Jaden, whose brows arched.
"Your scent, I mean," Jaden clarified.
Kael quickly raised his hands to form a cross sign in front of him. "No! Don't!"
"Come on, there's nothing wrong with it," Jaden laughed, then sniffed the air.
"What are you doing?" Kael stammered, his face flushing.
'Why the hell did I smell him? What if his nose picks up my suppressed pheromones?!' Kael berated himself inwardly, praying Jaden wouldn't notice anything.
As he watched him, his palms grew sweaty, his lips parted, and time seemed to slow down.
Jaden pursed his lips, his fingers touching his forehead as he brooded. Then he said, "I'm not sure, but it's like you have no scent."
'Phew…' Kael's mind settled until alarm bells rang again. 'Wait. If I don't have a scent, wouldn't he question why?'
Kael didn't have to think too far before Jaden asked the very question he feared. "Why? Everyone has a scent, even Betas. The only thing that differs is pheromones."
"I… I…" Kael stuttered, unable to find the right words. But before he could say anything, Jaden placed his hands on Kael's shoulders, his eyes bright with realization.
"Oh… I see. You're using scent blockers, right? Your scent must be really oppressive."
He shook his head with a chuckle. "I never expected you to have such a strong scent with how you look, but truly, don't judge a book by its cover."
'How do I look?' Kael pursed his lips at Jaden's words.
Kael finally relaxed as Jaden dropped the topic, his attention shifting to his phone.
'Guess he finally has something to do. I can rest for a while…'
But that was just wishful thinking.
Jaden suddenly dropped his phone and turned to Kael. "So, about that Beta. Did you get his number? Is he handsome?"
"Huh?" Kael mumbled, his head tinged with worry. He abruptly stood up.
"I think my name is being called," he said, looking toward the register.
It was more like 'Don't talk to me. Don't ask about him.'
That was exactly what Kael wanted, but he couldn't just say it directly to Jaden. That would only invite more questions especially since Jaden was incredibly nosy.
And true to his nature, Jaden didn't relent.
"Wait," Jaden said, reaching out to stop Kael. He glanced toward the register, seeing the line still formed. "No, you haven't been called yet. Sit down and tell me about this Beta. Or do you not want to?"
Kael sighed, looking at Jaden before gently removing his hand. He turned back and sat down, sighing once more. "Yes, I don't want to talk about him."
If Kael thought that would end the conversation, he was mistaken.
Instead, Jaden's curiosity spiked. "Wait… did something happen between you guys? Did you kiss? Did—"
As Jaden continued pestering him, Kael sighed, burying his face in his phone.
'How did I even meet him again? Oh, right… gaming. And he had always been so damn inquisitive.'
Luckily, Kael didn't have to endure the interrogation for too long, as their names were soon called. Both of them stood up, Jaden slouching behind Kael, who walked slowly, his mind preoccupied with how he would keep the world from knowing he was an Omega especially when one man already did.
Their dorm assignments were soon sorted, and they were given room numbers and keys. They were told to return the next day to complete their registration and other school necessities.
As they stepped outside the office, Jaden turned to Kael, his dorm number in hand. "What dorm were you assigned?"
"Room 30. You?" Kael asked, shielding his eyes from the harsh sun.
Jaden smirked. "Seems like you have no choice but to tell me what happened with that Beta."
"Don't tell me…" Kael trailed off, glancing at Jaden's key tag.
And just like that, the world betrayed him.
He was going to be stuck with his talkative, annoying friend.
"Just kill me…" Kael mumbled as he trudged under the scorching sun toward their dorm.
That night, after settling in, Kael lay on his bed. "Goodnight," he said.
Surprisingly, Jaden had been quiet while they unpacked and arranged their things. By the time they were done, exhaustion took over, and they both went straight to bed.
_______________
Kael slept peacefully, dreaming of lounging on a yacht in the middle of the sea, enjoying himself with his harem of men. One fed him grapes, another offered him wine, and yet another gave him a lap dance. Life was perfect.
But suddenly, another yacht appeared: Jaden's yacht.
It crashed into his, leaving a gaping hole. Water began flooding in.
One by one, his harem disappeared.
And in the end, he was alone.
The water swallowed him whole.
Kael jolted awake only to find a face staring back at him.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Kael screamed.
His scream startled the man, who fell hard onto the floor.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Jaden yelled, pushing himself up.
"Why were you staring at me while I was sleeping?!" Kael shot back, still shaken. He wrapped his blanket around himself protectively.
"You're such a bad sleeper. Like, really bad. Someone could kill you, and you wouldn't even know," Jaden muttered, grabbing his toothbrush and toothpaste.
Kael frowned. 'Why is he brushing? What's the time?'
He grabbed his phone.
'5:05 a.m.?'
He glanced back at Jaden, who had already left the room. Shrugging, Kael went back to sleep.
When Jaden returned, he sat on his bed, drying his face with a towel before applying a small amount of face cream. Then, he ran some hair cream through his hair and changed into workout clothes.
Looking over at Kael, he sighed. "Can't believe he went back to sleep."
Kael was just settling into his blanket again, finally reclaiming his peace when suddenly, the blanket vanished.
He found himself falling into an abyss of cold air.
Kael shot up, frustration clear on his face. 'Jaden took my blanket! Just like he took my harem!'
His lips pressed into a thin line as he glared at Jaden, but his expression faltered when he saw him fully dressed for... but for what?
"How can I help you?" Kael asked, ruffling his hair.
Jaden tossed something at him, a pillow, which landed on his head.
"Ah!" Kael yelped. "What was that for?!"
Jaden sighed, checking his phone. "You have less than fifteen minutes to get ready for exercise. I don't know why you didn't check the first-year schedule, but we're expected to be awake by 5a.m. And I don't even know how you didn't hear the bell, it's been ringing nonstop."
Kael blinked. "Tell me you're joking…"
"I'm not."