Page 13 of Choosing Me

“Alright, alright. I know Theodore and Frederick are adorable but I was pretty sure you were coming over to seemeand not them.”

Calvin stands up, putting his hand over his mouth. “Wait. No. That is not their names.”

“What’s wrong with their names?”

He shakes his head, following me into the kitchen. “Nothing. They’re perfect,” he says and my chest warms at how goddamnfondhe sounds. He makes it hard to keep my feelings at bay.

As I plate up our food, Calvin jumps up onto the counter, swinging his feet back and forth. He looks so natural in my space. I try not to think about it.

“You look so cute in that shirt,” he says, running his hand over my sleeve as I walk past him.

“Thanks,” I say, looking down at my pink shirt. It’s so soft and comfortable, featuring a milk carton with Japanese words across the front. “My parents brought it back as a gift when they took a trip to Japan. It’s one of my favorites.”

“It’s soft,” Calvin says, letting out a giant yawn. “Sorry. It’s already been a long weekend. I had to finish a paper this morning so I’m going on very little sleep.”

“That’s okay.” I set the table with our food and then step over to Calvin. “Hold on,” I say before lifting him off the counter and carrying him over to the table. He giggles and the sound is music to my ears, making me grin so wide my cheeks hurt.

“This is some real service you’ve got going on here. I could get used to this.” I don’t say it out loud but god, I hope he’s telling the truth.

Calvin digs in without any hesitation, letting out a moan as he takes his first bite. I smile around my fork, doing my best to ignore the instincts inside of me whispering that Calvin enjoys the food I’ve made. Yes, even I am prone to alpha instincts getting the better of me when it comes to feeding a cute omega. Sue me.

I really need to get it through my thick alpha skull that this isn’t a date. This isn’t me trying to win him over. Calvin has been very honest with his intentions so I need to make sure I keep my heart in check. I can’t fall for the omega when he only sees me as a good time. He’s beingfriendlybecause that’s what we are; friends who scratch each other’s itches. Nothing more.

“This food is so fucking good,” Calvin says around a mouthful, his words coming out a bit mumbled. “I will let you cook for me any time you want. This is so much better than my grilled cheese or ramen.”

“Ah, the diet of a college student,” I tease, “I do not miss it.”

“You went to college?”

I shrug, taking a bite of noodles and marinara. “Yeah. I just did a two year certificate in marketing. Nothing major.”

“Still,” he says between bites. “That’s hard work. Don’t sell yourself short.”

“Me? Short? Never.”

Calvin snorts and for a moment I’m worried he’s going to snort food all over. Thankfully he swallows before talking again. “This last paper really kicked my ass. I was about done with it before I reread the instructions and realized I had written about the wrong topic and needed to scrap and redo theentirething. From now on I’ll be double checking any and all instructions.” He lets out another jaw cracking yawn.

“You look about ready for bed.”

Calvin looks over at me, giving me a smirk that has me freezing. It’s so fucking feral and my heart skips a beat at the sight. Too bad it’s ruined by yet another yawn. “I’m a little tired,” he admits, rolling his eyes. “But I’m fine. Maybe we can sit down for an episode or something before Iget you ready for bed.”

I swallow. “That works for me.”

“Good,” he says, reaching over and running his finger over my forearm. His touch burns me in the best way and I want more of it. I crave it even.

We quickly finish our meal and put our dishes away. Moving over to the living room, I plop down onto the couch, smiling when Calvin flops down right next to me, scooting over until he’s plastered against my side. Theodore and Frederick jump up, not wanting to be left out.

“If they’re bugging you feel free to push them off and onto the floor.”

“Nah,” Calvin says, shaking his head as he pets both of them. “I don’t mind.” Both cats find a spot against Calvin’s lap. Before I can feel left out, Calvin is letting out a long sigh and burrowing into my side, putting his head against my chest.

I carefully wrap my arm around him, making sure we’re both comfortable. “Do you care what we watch?”

“Not particularly,” he answers, his eyes blinking slowly as he looks up at me. He looks like a gentle breeze would tip him over with how tired he is.

I flip through my shows until I find something mindless to watch. The next time I look down I find Calvin completely out, breathing soundly as he sleeps against my chest. From this angle, I can see just how long his blonde lashes are, and how he’s got a couple of barely there freckles on the bridge of his nose. I keep begging my heart to stay in check but the bastard has other plans entirely.

“Fuck,” I whisper to myself as my heart pitter patters against my ribs, whispering that keeping Calvin at a distance is already a lost cause.

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