“Um… maybe something with lavender? We’ll have to try some things out and see what works, but I did have this one idea a while back. How about an earl-gray, lavender, and lemon tart? It’s unusual, but those flavor profiles are complementary. We’ll have to book one of the campus kitchens to work on it after classes.” Remi offered and felt a tension headache begin to bloom as the alpha looked so pleased with the suggestion.
“That sounds great! We’ll have to check the schedule and see when there are available time slots.”
Cade was smiling that very charming smile that made all the other omegas swoon. Remi wondered if there was something off about him that he felt nothing for that look. The omega much preferred Dimitrios' dark, penetrating gaze that made him shiver as it ran up and down his body. He had to shake his head to get his thoughts back on track.
“Sure. We’ll have to do some other research to see what is the best way to incorporate the ingredients together. But, I think I have the basics of the recipe written up already.” Remi said, pulling one of his notebooks out of his bag.
Remi flipped quickly through the book where he kept all his original recipe notes for future reference. He found the page with the basics of the pastry he’d talked about and turned the notebook around to let Cade look at the page that was written out neatly with a little drawing at the bottom of how the final product should look.
The alpha’s eyebrows shot up as he read over the recipe and realized how much Remi had already done in figuring out the proper measurements. Cade reached down and flipped a couple of pages, showing similar neatly written recipes and tiny illustrations before Remi reached over and took it back. The omega didn’t usually let people look through his recipes. He liked to keep them private.
“Sorry. I was being nosy, wasn’t I?” Cade asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll copy this recipe down for you to review on your own and we can make our own notes and meet up once we know when we can get in at the campus kitchens.”
“You’re really talented, Remi. You know, I always thought you were probably the best chef in our year.”
Remi wasn’t really sure what to say to that, so he just tried to keep it generic. “Thanks, Cade. That’s very kind.”
Remi pulled out a second notebook and copied the entirety of the incomplete recipe page onto another sheet before tearing it out and giving it to Cade. They spent the rest of the lesson talking about the project. As the class was coming to a close, they made plans to meet at the library the next day at noon, both having only morning classes on Fridays.
Remi had to get the alpha’s number, and Cade seemed a little upset that Remi didn’t have his contact saved anymore, but the omega pretended not to notice. The entire situation was becoming more and more awkward by the minute, and he was thankful to escape Cade’s clutches.
Remi worried over the project as he walked with Aiden and Phoenix to their next class, but knew there was nothing to do about it. He tried to put his worries to the side but wasn’t very successful.
He made it through his last class and walked to the bus stop, wanting to head home and fall asleep. The stress of the day had given him a headache and Remi just wanted to lay in his nest until the pain was gone.
As soon as he locked the door to his tiny apartment, Remi dropped his backpack and stripped down to just the oversized hoodie and boxers before climbing into his bed and huddling up in his blankets in a little ball, massaging his temples as he attempted to stop the headache.
The quiet and warmth soothed him and leached some of his stress away, and with it, his headache. He let the familiarity and comfortable scent inside his nest lull him to sleep.
Remi woke to the sound and feel of his phone receiving a message. He cracked his lids to see that it was already dark inside his apartment, but his phone was glowing next to him. He reached out and grabbed it, smiling when he saw that it was Dimitrios texting him.
All the stress and thoughts of Cade fled straight out of his mind as soon as he saw the contact name on his screen.
Dimitrios:Hey pretty boy. How was your day?
Remi read the message and felt a little thrill of excitement rush up his spine. He could almost hear the way the alpha’s voice would sound saying it. He typed back, an honest answer, too tired to try and be sexy or cool.
Remi:Good. Tiring. Honestly I fell asleep as soon as I got home just woke up when you texted.
Dimitrios:Sorry I woke you. I’m actually about to crash myself. Just wanted to check in on you.
Remi wondered if Dimitrios was okay. He was probably having a stressful time with all the traveling and work that he was having to do. Remi wished he was there. He wouldn’t mind helping the alpha to relieve some of his stress. He didn’t want to bring up work in case Dimitrios didn’t want to talk about it, so he went with the honest answer again.
Remi:Its okay I need to get up and eat something anyway
Dimitrios:Have you eaten at all today?
Remi felt something foreign and warm bloom in his belly at the caring question. Dimitrios was such a good alpha.
Remi:Yeah, all my classes today were cooking so I got to snack a little bit
Dimitrios:What are you going to have for dinner?
Remi peeked his head up and looked over to his kitchen. He knew that there was nothing to cook, and even if he had something, his stove gave off a weird smell that made Remi afraid it would catch on fire if he used it too much.
Remi:IDK… Ramen probably.