Page 5 of Thorns That Bloom
Whether it’s a coincidence or they know more about me at this company than Sandra let on, there seem to be only betas and a few omegas around. Internally, I sigh in relief. My chest opens up a bit, and the knot in my stomach loosens.
After the mandatory pleasantries and showing me where the kitchen and the toilets are, Sandra takes me into a smaller office in the corner, away from everyone.
The room is windowless, filled with stacks and stacks of paper. At first sight, it’s probably the last place someone would want to work, especially compared to the fancy main area. The ventilation is pretty miserable, too, and whatever unorganized data is lying around seems about ten years out of date. The computer on the only free table in the room also appears a few decades old. And yet, I finally feel at ease.
This isolated little den is precisely what I need. It’s almost like they created this entire job position specifically for me. I don’t even care if that’s the case. I will take any win I can get.
I step inside and look up at the weak ceiling light that probably needs changing. Sandra stands behind me, hands held together over her lap. “Let’s leave this door open, so you get some fresh air. We wouldn’t want you fainting in here. I will ask someone to bring a fan. It gets hot.”
Another person appears at the door, startling me.
“There he is,” Sandra says, her powerful voice filling the small room. She spreads her arms out before touching the man’s shoulder. “This is Kristoff Dawn. He will show you the ins and outs of our system and be the one to train and look afteryou. For bigger things, ask for me. Everything else—Kristoff here should help you.”
“Hello!” Kristoff waves at me. He seems to be younger, or at least has this smooth, round face that’s almost boyish.
“Hey. Sam. Nice to meet you.” I step forward and hesitantly reach out my hand. When he squeezes it, everything inside me tightens, but I clench my teeth and slowly breathe through the discomfort. There are no pheromones. He’s a beta. And while the knowledge that any man could potentially hurt me stands out at the forefront of my mind, I think I can handle being alone with him.
His eyes are mossy green and soft. Coupled with his slightly awkward aura, I successfully convince myself that he’s not a threat.
“I’ll leave you to it for now. Duty calls,” Sandra says while glancing at her smartwatch. “There are some legal papers we still need to complete together, but we shall deal with that after lunch. Don’t want to overwhelm you.”
I nod. “Thank you.”
Sandra rushes out of the room, leaving only the two of us.
Just as I turn my attention from the door back to Kristoff, I notice his eyes flicker sharply from my stomach to my face. He smiles politely. So they told him, huh? I guess everyone knows, even though I’m not showing much. Some betas can get a little weird about pregnant omega men, especially if they’re not used to seeing it.
Wouldn't be the first time in the last few months I've encountered a beta who can't quite look me in the eye.
“How long have you been working here?” I ask, hoping to fill the awkward silence.
Kristoff perks up. “About two years. Let’s, um… do you want to take a seat?” He points to the office chair in front of the desk. Stretching my back quickly, I do, and turn on the computer while I’m at it.
He glances around the room and heads toward a chair that has a storage box and what seems to be an old, broken printer stacked on top of it. With a huff, he sets them aside, brushes off the dust, and rolls the chair in so he can sit next to me, leaning over the backrest with his chest. “Alrighty,” Kristoff says, letting out a frazzled pant while it creaks under him.
As he shuffles closer to be able to show me something on the computer, my body locks up. My hand twitches to shield my stomach without thinking.
A little too close, but it’s okay. Everything is fucking fine. I need to get over this uneasiness.
“So...you’ve obviously been told, but you’re here to store and generally upkeep the data from the Engineering. Do the stuff they don’t have time for. I think they’re behind on quite a few things for the yearly review for the management. By…um, by them, I mean us. We…are…pretty late on things,” he says with an uneasy, guilty grin.
I chuckle. At least he’s honest.
“Sounds like what I should be doing, yeah. I did something similar in my other job.”
“Good. Great! Well, let me bring you up to speed with the program and everything. That’s the most important thing right now. I’ll run to IT and have them set up your account, password, and all that stuff later,” Kristoff continues in an upbeat tone. “I’ve been told I am good at explaining things, so let’s hope that’s the case.”
I gradually coax my body into relaxing again. Rather than worrying or being uncomfortable, I focus on his words and attentively nod as he takes me through the system, the program, and everything else I am going to need to know.
As much as I worried about returning to work, it seems to make my mind flow in a way that stops it from tangling up in those self-destructive, overthinking loops. I fixate on every little detail of the program in front of me instead of the chaos inside and it…works.
The hours fly by. Before I realize it, my stomach growls for food so loudly it interrupts what Kristoff is saying about the advanced settings of the export options.
I move back into the chair with an apologetic grimace while he laughs. “Ah, look at the time! I can’t believe we’ve been here this long,” he says, looking at the clock. “You must be starving! And not just— Not just because you’re eating for two. I mean, I’m starving,” he mumbles, his hands awkwardly shooting up.
For the first time in a long while, I genuinely smile. “I am,” I admit. “Is the cafeteria any good?”
“Oh, it is!” He flashes his brows at me eagerly. “You picked the best day to start. On Mondays, it’s always something special. Did Mrs. Randall show you how to get there? It gets a bit complicated if you take the wrong turn. Every hallway looks the same here.”
