THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW:

"Thank you for the food," Tristan said as he placed the utensils on the plate carefully. The table was silent for a few minutes. No one dared to say a word and that only made Justin felt really awkward.

"Uh... T-Tristan, why don't we go out for a bit?" Justin said and smiled awkwardly. Tristan didn't have the guts to say 'no' after seeing how Justin looked.

'He looks so uneasy. Should I have just... let them be and never came here at all?' He thought to himself as he looked at Justin's face.

"Yeah, sure," he said and stood up with a smile on his face. "We'll be leaving for a bit," Justin said as he stood immediately right after Tristan spoke. Xander was also about to speak, wanting to come with them, but Daryl held his arm and shook his head. Xander rolled his eyes in defeat and leaned his back against his chair.

"Alright, be safe," Xander mumbled under his breath as he pouted while staring at the small bubbles on his glass of cola. "Stay safe outside," Daryl said and waved them goodbye.

The two of them left, leaving Xander and Daryl alone in the condo. The place was filled with awkward silence since they were never close to begin with. They only ever spoke to each other because of Justin.

"I guess I should take my leave, then," Xander said as he stood up. Xander was expecting Daryl to just let him be and not bother with him at all, but unexpectedly, Daryl stopped him from leaving.

"Wait."

Xander looked at Daryl who was still sitting. "Yeah?" Xander said, a bit confused. "Do you have feelings for Justin?" Daryl straightforwardly askes as he looked up to see Xander's face.

Xander's eyes widened due to the unexpected question from Daryl. "No, I don't," Xander said without hesitation.

"Ah, I see."

They were filled with silence once again, but this time, the awkwardness worsened.

"So, uh... Do you feel better now?" Xander asked as his eyes strayed all over the place, feeling so awkward because he's never talked this way to Daryl. Most of the time, they just bicker and curse at each other, but this time, it was different.

Daryl remained silent.

Xander realized what he just asked, and he wanted to punch himself for asking something as stupid as that. It was like rubbing salt to an open wound. He just reminded Daryl of the pain from his breakup.

"Um... N-Never mind that. I, uh..." Xander awkwardly scratched the back of his head. Daryl was staring at him as his ears turned red. Xander kept thinking about what to say because Daryl must have felt bad after he asked something so stupid, but he was shocked when Daryl suddenly burst into laughter.

"W-What? Why are you laughing?" Xander said as he turned his head to look at Daryl. "If you're worrying whether your question has offended me, made me feel bad, or something of the sort, you don't have to worry. I've never been better," Daryl said and smiled, but his eyes say otherwise.

Xander knew that Daryl was lying from the look of his eyes, but he kept quiet about it. His usual mouth without any filter that only babbled about what he wants to say was shut because he doesn't want to make him feel worse.

"Do you have a lover?" Daryl asked out of the blue. Xander chuckled and said, "What was that? That's so sudden." He sat back on the chair to hold a better conversation with Daryl. "Why? Do you want to date me?" He said teasingly while grinning. Daryl just rolled his eyes and said, "Dumbass. I just wanted to know since you said you don't like Justin, but you're clearly all over him."

"I used to."

Daryl's brow raised, a bit confused. 'He used to have a lover? Or he used to like Justin?' Daryl thought to himself, wondering what Xander meant.

"I used to like Justin," Xander said and blankly stared at a plate. "And... I used to have a lover," he continued, his eyes trembling, as he remembered what happened in the past. "What happened?" Daryl asked, curious. "Ah, I'm sorry if I'm being too nosy. You can just tell me if you want. It's also fine if you don't," Daryl immediately said after he realized that he was being too nosy for someone who's not even close with Xander.

historical

"No, it's alright. This has been quite a burden to me for years already. I want to tell someone about this," Xander said and let out a soft chuckle. Daryl remained silent.

"During my senior year in high school, I met this omega at a club. That was my first time going to a place like that. Honestly, I looked so awkward as if I don't belong there at all," Xander started and chuckled.

XANDER'S POINT OF VIEW:

(Flashback)

I stood awkwardly in the corner of the dance floor, watching people dance. The atmosphere here isn't really to my taste.

It's noisy. It smells like alcohol, cigarette smoke, and pheromones from alphas and omegas.

I don't like. I don't like it at all.

Honestly, if my friends hadn't forced me to come here, I wouldn't have gone at all.

I searched for them on the dance floor, and I squeezed my eyes shut to compose myself when I saw that they were having so much fun. I wanna punch them so bad. They were never considerate of me when it comes to things like this. Haaa...

I just decided to go to the bar counter to get myself something to drink. I have no business there anyway, so there's no reason for me to stay longer on the dance floor.

The person on the counter placed a glass of some kind of drink. I don't know what it was called, but its color was orange and it smelled fruity with a hint of alcohol. I guess I can drink this much for now.

I sat on a high chair and watched the people who were wildly dancing on the dance floor. The music just changed a while ago, which made the who place hyper than it was earlier.

My eyes traveled all over the place, trying to figure out what was so good about this place. I don't really understand why my friends are so desperate to come here. It feels so stuffy being in a place as crowded as this.

I looked at the door where we entered earlier, feeling the need to leave this place, but the thoughts that I had earlier suddenly vanished.

My mind went blank. I stopped thinking all at once as soon as I saw a very beautiful person walk in. And as if everything was on mute, the deafening music and yells from people that crowded this whole place suddenly vanished and the world became silent.

I blinked a few times and even rubbed my eyes to confirm if I wasn't hallucinating because of the alcohol.

"Wow..." I said in awe.

I've never thought that someone could look as beautiful as him.

He had beautiful amber eyes that shone even in the dim lights from the club. He stood out from the crowd of people whom he passed by, and everyone stared at him in awe with their mouths gaping, and eyes following him wherever he went.

He continued walking and without realizing it, I was already staring at him, mesmerized by his beauty.

Who wouldn't? To see someone as beautiful as that... It would be a shame not to stare at him for as long as I could.

My eyes were glued to him. I couldn't take my eyes off of him...

His lips slowly curved into a smile as he walked deeper into the club.

My body froze when our eyes suddenly met. He was walking closer and closer in my direction, and it feels like he's looking at me. I don't know what to do. Should I think of something we can talk about? Should I buy him a drink and try to flirt with him? Argh, I don't know! Is he even really looking at me? And why should I flirt with him in the first place? I already like someone!

"H-Hey, what's your name?" A man said as he approached him. My eyebrows scrunched as I blinked multiple times as the beautiful man moved his face closer to the other guy's face.

Ah, I thought he was gonna kiss him. It turns out he just whispered something to him.

You can still see how the man's face turned bright red despite the club being dimly lit.

What did he say to him?

Before I knew it, that person was already standing near me. "One cosmopolitan please," he said as he sat on a high chair next to mine.

I shifted my eyes towards something else so he won't think that I was actually staring at him earlier.

As my eyes wandered around, I can't help but notice that everybody's gaze was on me—maybe not on me, but on him.

I looked at him again and I felt like my heart would jump out of my throat when I saw that he was staring at me.

As his lips slowly curved into a smile, his eyes also smiled.

"Hey."