Chapter 1
Never Ever Ever
Remiwastired.Buthis shift was almost over, and that was keeping him going as he loaded plates up on a big tray and headed out to deliver an order to one of his tables. The table was filled with the worst kind of clientele he had to deal with in his job as a waiter. Drunk frat guys… ugh.
Remi put his customer service face on and smiled as he weaved through tables, stopping next to the 6 big alphas that were laughing and throwing packets of sugar and making a mess.
He suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. These guys were all the same, and he was the one who would have to clean up after their bullshit. Remi just forced a smile as he sat their plates of food in front of them. As he reached for the last plate on the tray, he jumped and almost dropped the tray and food as he felt someone pinch his ass. He turned a look at the alpha closest to him, and scowled at the smirk on the asshole’s face. He sat the last plate down with a loud ‘thunk’ in front of him.
“Please keep your hands to yourself sir, or I will have to ask you to leave.” Remi said coldly, before turning to the rest of the table. “Is there anything else I can get you?”
“A blowjob?” One of the guys at the end said, causing a round of guffaws from his fellows and breaking down Remi’s determination not to roll his eyes.
“I’m gonna take that as a no.” He turned and fled back into the kitchen.
“Tough crowd?” One of the other waiters, Phoenix asked as Remi leaned against the counter and sighed
“These frat boy idiots think they can do whatever they want with any omega because all the sororities are all over them at their stupid weekend parties. But if one more of them pinch my ass, I swear to god someone’s getting a cup of scalding coffee in their lap.”
Phoenix was biting his lips trying not to laugh but failing miserably. His laughter brought out Remi’s own and they cracked up together.
“I would pay good money to see that!”
Remi pushed him and scoffed, trying to get his own laughter under control.
“You don’t get it because you’re an alpha. But these frat guys are the worst.” Remi whined, pouting.
“Do you want me to take that table, we can switch one?” Phoenix offered.
“And let them win? Hell no.”
Phoenix laughed and gave him a pat on the back before they both headed back out onto the floor to work. Remi liked his job okay, outside of his late-night weekend shifts. It was just a job, but he liked the nice old lady who owned the place. It was close to his apartment and to campus, which was about as good as it was going to get.
As a broke college student, he was happy with a steady job and the ability to live independently, if maybe a little closer to the poverty line than he would like. His parents had offered to help pay for his bills, but Remi had stupidly refused both. He knew his parents weren’t wealthy and would be dipping into their retirement fund, but also because he wanted to be‘independent’.
It hadn’t taken long to realize that independence blows and he would actually love some help with his bills. But he would never ask his parents for help unless it was a dire emergency.
Unsurprisingly, the table of frat guys left a giant mess when they left and a tip of $3.25. Remi sighed as he started to clean the table, gathering the plates in the bussing tub and carrying it to the back before going back out to finish up. However, as he was about to start cleaning again, the owner stopped him and took over, patting his cheek.
“Why don’t you cash out and head home early? I know you’re tired, I can tell.”
Remi began to protest, but she shooed him away. He turned around and gave her a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek before dashing off to count up his tips and cash out for the night.
“Thanks! You’re the best.”
Remi gathered his inadequate winter coat tighter around him as he walked to the bus stop. It was freezing and his hands were like ice as he blew on them and stomped his feet, trying to warm up. Winter was in full swing, Christmas just under two months away. Remi loved this time of year, even if it meant that he froze his butt off every day on his way to and from school and work. There was just something so nostalgic about wintertime.
His family always spent the holidays together, and some of his best memories were from those times. He wondered if he’d have enough money to go home for the holidays this year. He definitely wouldn’t have enough to buy gifts for everyone. He sighed and watched a little puff of mist cloud in front of him as his warm breath hit the icy air. Maybe he would skip it this year. With bills to pay, and the way tips at work had been rolling in lately, he was going to be short on rent… again.
Remi immediately hopped on the bus when it stopped in front of him, jumping up the steps into the warm air and taking a seat. He was the only person on the bus at 2:00 AM, so he waved at the driver with a smile and received a nod in turn. It took about fifteen minutes to get to the stop closest to his apartment, but was still a ten minute walk from there to the shabby building where his tiny studio apartment was located.
It took all of Remi’s willpower not to fall asleep as he waited for his stop. The bus was so warm compared to his little apartment, where he didn’t dare turn on the heater in fear of running up his electric bill. It made getting up in the mornings very difficult when he had to crawl out of the warmth of his ramshackle little nest and into the cold dawn light. The omega died a little inside every time he had to put his warm foot on the freezing tile floor.
Despite its many flaws, he loved his tiny apartment. It was the first place that was really his, and the first place he’d found independence. Of course, he’d love to live in a big, fancy apartment that was warm and didn’t have ancient peeling wallpaper and cracked floors. He hoped that once he graduated and found work as a chef he’d be able to find something better. But for now, the place worked well enough.
He waved goodbye as he exited the bus and stepped back out into the freezing night air. Remi jogged the four blocks to his apartment, dashed up the stairs and into his little studio. It was just as cold in his apartment as it was outside, but he still felt good to be home. He wished he could shower before bed, but he never did during the winter. Going to sleep with wet hair when his apartment was so cold was a recipe for getting sick, plus it helped to have a hot shower to look forward to in the morning when he had to exit the warm safety of his nest.
The best enemy of the cold were his winter pajamas of thick sweatpants, an oversized hoodie and two pairs of socks. Stripping down and quickly changing, Remi was instantly shivering as what little warmth he’d had leached away from his skin the moment he exposed it to the unforgiving cold air. He brushed his teeth and plugged in his cracked old iPhone, making sure his alarm was set before crawling into his nest. Remi wrapped himself up in several layers of blankets, before curling into a shivering little ball in the hopes of warming up enough to sleep.