“Uhh . . . would you like some tea or something else you like to drink,” The omega said as he held the glass.
“Anything is fine,” Aryan responded as his son was looking at them instead of coloring in the drawing book.
“I will make chai.” He gave him a smile.
Aryan’s eyes were observing him as the omega moved back to the kitchen.. He took out a T-pan from a cupboard and put it on the stove. As he tugged the strands of his hair behind the ear, a fancy earring flickering against the room light, embellishing his face when he poured the water from a jug. Then he tossed sugar, tealeaves, and ginger into the pan as if it was any other ordinary day for him to make a cup of tea. But this sight was completely bizarre. Aryan didn’t deem this omega to be the type of person to put his foot in the kitchen to make something ever. Not that he would know that omega ever cooked or anything. Aryan would take Shivam to meet him outside in a restaurant, in a privately reserved room, where he would barely stay for fifteen minutes, always in a hurry to leave the place and sometimes, making excuses for not being available to meet Shivam.
Aryan was compelled to believe he’d created some kind of trouble, considering the change in his disposition and feigning kindness. But if it’d been the case, he would have known. So, it brought Aryan to a deduction that Omega wanted a divorce from him. They never got divorced for two reasons. First, Omega was afraid if he got separated from Aryan, his family would cut all ties with him, vanish from the family and he would lose his lavish life. Second; the bond between them also didn’t leave him any choice. It might take years to wear off that mark on his neck. If he wanted to get a divorce, Aryan had no intention of stopping him either.
Diya came back from the terrace. And she took over the kitchen, and sent her son to the living room.
Taking a warm glass of milk with a slice of chocolate cake, which Shivam loved as his mother’s saying, Chandra strode in the living room. He sat down next to the little boy as he put the tray on the table. And his gaze stayed on Shivam, watching him coloring in the blank spaces of many kinds of vehicles of his drawing book. It reminded him of his home and his sister’s two children coloring in their drawing books, fighting with each other; who was doing better or who stole their colors, and the thief was not anyone but both of themselves.
Chandra’s lips curved into a smile, remembering their bickering.
“Is this your homework?” Chandra asked.
“Yes,” Shivam answered, looking up at him.
Chandra lifted the milk glass from the tray. Shivam took with his both hands and finished it once and then he gave back it to Chandra.
“Should I feed you the cake? So you can do your homework also.”
The boy cheeks turned red. “I will eat it myself.”
Chandra smiled. He gave him the cake, he ate as he watched TV.
Diya came with three cups of tea. And handed both of them, Chandra and Aryan.
“So, how is Amolaka’s wedding arrangements going?” she asked, settling on the couch, grasping the tea cup.
“Everything is going smoothly without any problem,” Aryan said, taking a glance at the omega whose attention was fixed on the TV, watching with Shivam. He’d foreseen the word wedding to trigger emotions of fury inside of him. But Aryan was flabbergasted when he didn’t display any reaction.
After the tea, Aryan, and Shivam were prepared to leave as tomorrow Shivam had school. Chandra walked in the hallway with Shivam followed by Diya. The son and father paused at the entrance to put on shoes.
“Hold me, I will help you,” Chandra said to the little boy, crouching down in front of him.
Shivam did as Chandra told him, placing his hands on Chandra’s shoulder for balance. Chandra aided Shivam in putting on his shoes. While without bending down Aryan decked his feet into his shoes. As usual, a slave of his habit of looking for shoes, Chandra’s eyes latched onto those shoes, which were solid black leather loafers with size eleven or twelve. The stitching was top-notch on the edge. Neither too tight to damage the material nor too loose to look awful but giving the loafer a proper alignment design.
“They are superb-your shoes.” Chandra looked up at the man.
Aryan spoke nothing about the omega’s strange fascination in his shoes. Tying the shoelaces for Shivam, he continued,
“Is it eleven or twelve?”
“Twelve.” Aryan stared at him. Omega’s natural red lips moved silently to repeat the number while he glanced back at the little guy and announced,
“It’s done.”
“Thank you,” Shivam said.
Chandra’s heart was not prepared to let go of the child. He caressed his soft chubby cheeks. He was missing his family these days more and more when he would wake up in the morning with dreams about his previous life. He longed to see them, but he couldn’t see them again. It was not easy but agonising to leave behind everything when you have memories of your other life . . . And Shivam’s arrival-his whole presence lighting him up in a way he had not felt before since he had wound up in this omegaverse world.
“You okay?” Shivam asked, as his mother seemed a little sad.
His mother’s mouth curved into a smile.”It really made me happy you came to see me. Bachha.” He paused and then said, “Come here whenever you want to. Okay?”
The little guy blinked and asked doubtfully with hesitation, “. . . Whenever I want to?”
“Haan, Bachha. Whenever you want to.” His mother chuckled, ruffling his hair. Shivam’s inside flooded with sunshine. “And next time, we will have more fun together.” His mother lips twisted into a grin.
Shivam’s whole face was brightened.
“Okay.”
After saying goodbye to his mother and grandmother Shivam left with his father.
–
Chandra traced a brown leather piece on the shelf. He had come 50 km away from his city to another city to buy things to make shoes. He had to come alone as yesterday, his mother also left after a while Aryan and Shivam had left, saying she’d stayed for long enough and his father needed her. Now he was in the leather shop browsing different colors and designs of leather after buying all the tools and stuff. He was planning to make a pair of loafer shoes for Aryan. Because he was living on his money, he would like to make something for the man. Even though Aryan was not lacking anything, being the owner of a multinational conglomerate.
Chandra wrenched out one more piece of leather from the layer of leather and put it in the carrier basket with the rest of the other pieces of leather. And then he went to the counter and after paying in cash, he stepped outside of the shop. He didn’t realize the time. The sun was setting behind the horizon. The fortnight of February’s crispy wind made him shiver, he soon regretted not bringing anything warm to wear, but coming in jeans and t-shirt. He walked to his car, parked alongside the road. Popping open the trunk, he put the leather with the rest of the stuff back in and closed the trunk with a thud sound.
He moved to the front of the car. “Hey, beautiful,” said a man, approaching Chandra.
Chandra cocked his gaze to the man, who was wearing nice clothes and sunglasses. He was the same height as Aryan’s, maybe around 6 ‘2 feet. He had a lean physique, unlike Aryan who had a fine bulky physique.
The man took his sunglasses off and smiled at Chandra. “I didn’t expect myself to be lucky to run into you like that here.”
“Who are you?” Chandra narrowed his eyes.
“Ishan. Did you forget, beautiful? We met just last week. I’ve been going to the club, so I could meet you again, but you stopped coming there.”
Chandra remembered the man instantly. He’d met the original owner in a club. The original owner was losing in the card games oftentimes. This man came suddenly appeared in front of him and took over the game played with the original owner and let him win, which made him ecstatic. Ishan introduced himself and told him, he couldn’t help but admire how beautiful he was. And then insisted on buying a drink. Although the original owner was already married, he found fun in leading the man in the wrong direction. Doing this, he also enjoyed creating mess, and make Aryan angry as well, but Aryan had no time for his absurd and foolish behavior. The original owner had flirted and laughed with Ishan while having drinks, creating another turmoil for himself by hurting the ego of a man.
It is true that an omega still could have an affair with another person despite being marked. But he shouldn’t be in heat otherwise he would reject any person’s touch except his partner. Also, the marked bond between an alpha and an omega is not everlasting. That means the omega could have the other alpha as his partner. But only If the mark of omega’s neck is wearing off. The other alpha could overwrite the previous diminishing mark on the omega neck easily if either party wanted to. However, to wear off the mark on omega took at least two or three years. . . in some cases five and ten years. The mark on Chandra’s neck was resolute and imperishable, the way Aryan had marked him only one time on their wedding night as if the alpha’s animal instinct swayed him to do it because Chandra was carrying his child.
But the original owner had never had affairs with another person. He has no interest in other alphas except Veer. Even his phone gallery was full of his pictures, which Chandra deleted. Some men had tried oftentimes to take advantage of the original owner in his drinking vulnerable state, but somehow, he always found himself in his room, safe. Chandra knew Aryan’s people, keeping him safe despite his careless lifestyle, and deliberately leading other people the wrong way. And causing trouble all the time for other people. It surprised Chandra that he was still in one piece.
And now the repercussion rushing to bite Chandra on the ass, the deed the original owner had done in his life.
“I’m sorry, you must have mistaken me for someone else,” Chandra opened the door of the car.
But the man stopped him from climbing into the car as he held the door. “No. beautiful! I’m not mistaking you for someone else. I would recognise you anywhere, even though you looked a bit different from that day when you were wearing something sexy.” His eyes run up and down on Chandra.
“Let the door go.” Chandra was irritated.
“Just grab a drink with me,” the man pursued him, looking across the street to a club and suggesting he should have a drink there with him.
“I don’t feel like drinking.”
“Then anything you like-I just want to talk to you for a minute.”
“And I don’t want to talk to you.”
“But you were so good with me last time. It wouldn’t hurt to have a little chat with me, Chaand.”
Chandra didn’t like the way he called him as they were too familiar with each other
“Let the door go.”
“Then agree for a little chat with me,” The man had a sinister smile.
Chandra felt a cold strip at his back, dashing along his spine. He never felt this way-unsafe. As if he was going to be in danger if he chose to go with this man. He forgot he was not any other ordinary guy, he had become an omega with beautiful looks, which had been dragging unnecessary attention to him. It made him uneasy. He had never been used to getting this kind of attention. Back then he had been the kind of person who would melt away in the crowd like sugar in the water. Now he was the kind of person who stood out in the crowd like a coriander garnishing in every dish that cannot be resisted. Sometimes, it’s troublesome. Like today. But he was reassured that he was not alone, the street was bustling with people.
“Madam is this man causing you trouble?” a woman said, who came out from her car, parked at a distance from Chandra’s. She was employed by Aryan. She lived in the background and followed Chandra everywhere to keep him safe on her boss’s orders. Everything Aryan did for him, the original owner loathed him more and more.
“Hey, butt out. That’s none of your business,” Ishan said, turning his attention to her. While Chandra got in the car and closed the door behind him.
And Ishaan turned to him. “Chaand!”
Chandra put on his seat belt. “Look, stop bothering me. I am already married.” He turned on the engine.
“But you said, you hate your ugly husband.” The man stuck to the window.
“You definitely met the wrong person, because my husband is handsome. And as well, a good man. And no one can hate a good man.” Chandra wasn’t being thoughtful. He was merely stating the facts: Aryan was an excellent father to Shivam. And he was the most good-looking man Chandra had ever seen despite his scar.
The woman’s eyes widened at the reply as she tugged Ishan away out the window.
“What’s your name?” Chandra asked her.
“Rohini.”
Chandra beamed. “Thank you, Rohini.”
Rohini was too astonishing to utter a word. And then Chandra drove off, returning to his apartment.
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