By the time the shift was over, the sun was up. Rayan was grimy, and sweaty, and tired. He was storing his safety gear in his locker when Michael literally swung his way into the room.
"Hey Rayan, come to the salon with me, dude! I need my expert color-picker!"
"I can't, I've got just enough time to get cleaned up before I have to be at Dean's for the opening shift."
"Fuddy-duddy. You should get your hair cut for tonight."
Jack came in then, not saying a word, as usual. He began putting his gear away.
Rayan sighed in exasperation. "I don't want to cut my hair. Besides, if I suddenly show up with short hair it'll look like I'm trying too hard."
"If I was dating a doctor, I would do everything in my power to lock that down."
Jack loudly finished putting away his things, slammed his locker door, and stalked out.
"Oh, Jac
Rayan paused when he returned with his full plate of food to see Scott sitting down with a small bowl of ice cream and a stack of cookies. Didn’t getting dessert usually mean someone was ready to go? Would Scott be irritated by him getting a second helping and therefore making him obligated to stay longer? It was a buffet, its not like he could just go put the food back and say he changed his mind… And he was still hungry…"Don't be shy, if you're hungry then eat!" Scott insisted, seemingly reading Rayan’s dilemma with a glance. "I’ve got no problem staying until you eat your fill.”
Of course he was late. Rayan practically jogged from the bus stop to the salon where Michael always had his hair done. It was in a somewhat quiet part of the city, where small shops occupied the bottom floor of buildings with housing above. The bright pink "Omega Safe" sticker was proudly displayed on the door, right under the "Service Animals Welcome" sticker. It meant that the shop stocked both emergency suppressants for omegas and tranquilizers for alphas, just in case anyone went into rut or heat. It also meant that omegas were safe to remove their collars while partaking of the salon's services. Rayan paused a moment to catch his breath before entering."Finally! You're here!" Michael exclaimed from his seat in front of the salon's generous window. The chime of the bells hanging from the door signaled his friends arrival. He had a stylist book in one hand, and his phone open to Pinterest on the other. His clothing was vibrant as usual, though since he was o
Either way, Michael got the hint and they sat talking of common place things as the Michael's dye set. Rayan had put his collar back on. With summer nearing full swing, work at the shipping company was sure to slow down a bit. Rayan was hoping his hours wouldn't get cut too much since he only worked two nights a week. Michael was almost full-time, not enough to earn benefits, but he was hoping for some down time to work on some projects he had. Michael was always working on something, and kept up a fairly healthy Instagram account. Seeing what his friend was up to was the only reason Rayan used Instagram.At long last, it was time for the foils to come out. Michael and Rayan both "Oooed" at the very wet preview of Michael's new look. While Michael was getting the excess dye washed out, the next appointment for Rayan's chair came in, so he had to go back to the waiting area."Mick! I'll be waiting on you up front!" Rayan called.
SCOTT - [I'm outside, you ready?]Rayan saw the notification pop up on his phone and panicked. He'd overslept and was rushing to get presentable. It was never good to keep an alpha waiting. Toothbrush in one hand, phone in the other, he sent back:RAYAN – [Almost. In bathroom. Be down soon.]Not a lie, but sounded better than saying he couldn't drag himself out of bed to get ready on time. This was their third official date, and Rayan wasn't quite used to the change in schedule. The lack of sleep gnawed at him. Their first date was only dinner, since Rayan was tired. The second date was the same, though the pizza at that place beat the Chinese buffet hands down. He really wanted to spend time with Scott, but that was hard to do when he was practically falling asleep at the table!--------------------Scott turned his car off when he got Rayan's reply. He was going to
"Oh, now this you would look good in!" Scott pointed out the next store's display. The mannequins were in summer polos and khaki shorts."Maybe. Can't wear shorts to work though.""Well, what do you wear on your days off?""I... don't tend to get any days off. There’s a chunk of time that's about a day off, but the only time I have a day where I don't work is when I'm on my heat.""So that means you worked this morning?'"Overnight at one and opening at the other, yeah.""And tomorrow?""Afternoon shift.""Oh." Scott paused. "Every week?""Yeah. Thankfully I was able to get a set schedule. I'd never be able to keep track of it otherwise."They walked on. Scott swung their hands slightly as he mulled over what he just learned. No wonder Rayan always seemed so tired. He do
Tuesday again, date night! And his grocery shift was finally over! Rayan stored his apron and retrieved his things from his locker. All there was left to do was to catch a quick nap, then it would be time to hang out with Scott again. As difficult as this new addition to his schedule was, Rayan getting used to it. It was tough, but he certainly didn't run out of energy as fast anymore.He checked the time on his phone. The "new text" icon flashed at the top of the screen. Who could have possibly texted him? Mick was bound to be passed out by now, having worked the same overnight shift he did, and Scott wasn't the kind to send stuff out of the blue on a workday. He tapped the notification.SCOTT - [I have to cancel our date. I got strep throat.]Rayan's spirit took a nosedive. Scott’s sick? What was strep throat anyway? He did a quick search on his phone. Every hit indicated it was "painful" and "highly contagious."
After confirming Rayan was done eating, Scott went ahead and put away what little food was left. Rayan started running some water to wash the dishes, but Scott stopped him, pointing out the dishwasher."You sure?" Rayan asked. "There's only a few."Scott made his point by opening the machine to reveal that it already contained some dirty dishes. He leaned over to whisper into Rayan's ear, "You cooked. I'll clean. Go sit on the couch.""You're sick
"We're almost there, Honey Bun. You nervous?" Scott asked, turning down the car radio. Ever since Rayan used the pet name Tuesday, Scott's been trying a few out on his own, hoping one would stick."Who, me? Nervous? Why would I be nervous?""I just noticed you tend to fidget with your collar whenever you're uneasy."Truthfully, that was exactly what Rayan was doing, running his fingers over a slightly uneven spot in the hem."Do you think they'll like me? What if I don't make a good enough impression?""Would you believe me if I told you they forbid me from speaking your name again until they got to meet you in person?" Scott smiled. His family had been hounding him to take his boyfriend home since day one. "You look nice today, by the way "Rayan was wearing a grey button-up and black pants. He'd made it a point to go to the thrift stores in the nicer part o