Out Of Time

I wasn't expecting to see my roommate when I returned to the dorm.

My roommate, Adam, and I shared a double room. He was, like me, one of the best art students in this school. He studied painting, whereas I studied the lyre.

Adam was a tangerine-flavored alpha with tangerine-flavored pheromone. His entire being was as bright and lively as his pheromone.

Because I am a beta, AO pheromones have no effect on me. As a result, Adam had never used a pheromone-blocking agent in our dorm.

I detected a faint tangerine aroma as soon as I opened the door.

"Ah, Jillian, you've returned." Adam flashed a bright smile.

"Didn't you go home?" I asked, nodding.

"I'm not entirely satisfied with my graduation project and would like to revise it further.  The studio environment at school is far more capable of keeping me interested."

Adam stated.

I noticed a half-sketched brushstrokes on the easel in front of him as I spoke. Adam specialised in oil painting, but in his spare time he enjoyed creating small, refreshing oil paint paintings.

"Jill, you've lost so much weight," he frowned as I approached.

“I…” I touched my face and lied, "Practicing in silence... I didn't get much sleep, and I keep forgetting to eat..."

"That is not acceptable." Adam rose to his feet.

He pinched my face in his cupped hands. "Let's go, I'll take you to a delicious restaurant."

I let him rub and fiddle for the sake of his years of college helping me buy food.

I was exhausted all night yesterday. I hadn't eaten anything in the morning, so I was a little dazed when I walked.

When Adam helped me open the car door, he nudged me on the back. "You weren't practising in seclusion, you've been tied up and starved for half a month," he grumbled to himself.

I pretended not to hear. I snuck into the car and fiddled with my phone.

My chat page with Alvin was displayed on the screen. He rarely sent me messages on his own initiative. The majority of the content would be - come here tonight, come to the office.

Scrolling up, the most recent one was, "I won't be back for a while, so don't wait for me."

Alvin had said he'd come over for dinner with me later that afternoon. I got up early and went into the kitchen with Aunt Lee to prepare his favourite dishes. When I got the message, the pork was still steaming hot from the pot.

While he stayed up all night, I ate dinner by myself.

The next morning, I saw Alvin in the newspaper's entertainment section, holding a beautiful young omega as he exited a nightclub. I saw the omega at Alvin's house a few days later.

Fresh and clean at the age of eighteen or nineteen. As if a budding gardenia had rooted itself on a branch.

I stood upstairs, watching him follow Alvin with flushed cheeks, tentatively pulling Alvin's sleeve.

He appeared to be vulnerable.

But Alvin didn't know how to feel sorry for or cherish Jade. He encircled the omega's waist and led him back to the master bedroom without looking up at me.

"So young, and such a thin body," I thought sarcastically. He might not be able to stand Alvin's tossing and turning.

It's merely a toy. Alvin would have none of it.

It's just a toy.

As am I.

"What are you thinking, Jillian?"

The phone had been locked automatically. When I regained consciousness, I noticed my face reflected on the black screen.

"It's nothing..."

"What are we eating?" I inquired.

"Eat the Indian food that you enjoy the most." Adam flashed a bright smile.

He parked outside a large mall a few minutes later. A well-known Indian restaurant was tucked away near the building. We've spent a lot of time here together.

Alvin disliked Indian food and spices and refused to accompany me.

Adam was aware of what was going on between me and Alvin, and I was grateful that he didn't dismiss me or accuse me of doing something wrong.

"Jillian, it's good that you don't regret it," he simply said, touching my head.

But.

I wasn't expecting to run into Alvin here.

Adam was telling me as we were walking in the door that he had been thinking about eating chicken curry for half a month and that he was waiting for me to eat it with him.

I told him to take it easy and reminded him that the last time he ate two bowls of it in one sitting, he had to use the restroom several times.

He giggled and said, "You sure talk a lot." Then we looked up and saw Alvin exit the elevator.

Alvin appeared to have just finished a meeting. His suit was crease-free, and his hair was perfectly coiffed. He was trailed by bodyguards and secretaries, all of whom were elite alphas.

I tried to avoid him, but it was too late.

Alvin's brow furrowed imperceptibly when he saw me, then he moved his gaze to Adam beside me.

Prior to the gland transplant, I was not affected by the AO pheromones. But now I was overcome by the pheromones that Alvin and Adam had unexpectedly released.

High-ranking alphas were naturally repulsed by one another. They were fighting each other, causing me, who was in the middle, to suffer.

I was dizzy to the point of losing my footing. Fortunately, Adam picked me up, retracted his pheromone, and asked in hushed tones, "Jill, are you all right?"

I shook my head and stepped away from his arm.

“Sorry…” Adam apologised, a little bafflement on his face.

"It's fine."

I lowered my gaze and turned to face Alvin. I didn't dare to look at his expression. Only a pair of spotless black leathered shoes were in my line of sight.

"Alvin..." I murmured.

Alvin's cold, scrutinising gaze was palpable.

Fortunately, he said nothing and averted his gaze in a matter of seconds before departing with his people.

Even as I ate, I was nervous. Even my usual comfort food, chicken curry, was out of the question.

"I forgot you can be affected by pheromones now, but I didn't control it right now," Adam said, concerned. "I'm sorry, Jillian."

"I can't say I blame you." "I haven't gotten used to it myself," I said with a smile.

"I've heard that the artificial gland will eventually be suitable for the human body. Why do I believe your situation has deteriorated instead... or should you go to the hospital and have it checked?" Adam stated.

“I…” I couldn't come up with an excuse to refuse, so I had to promise, "I'll go when I have time."

"You're out of time."

 "I'll go with you this afternoon," Adam interjected.

We never made it to the hospital. On the way, I received a message from Alvin asking me to come over to his workplace right away.

Adam appeared to want to tell me something, but he didn't say anything in the end. He reversed the car and drove me to Alvin's workplace.

When I got off the bus and said my goodbyes, Adam called out to me and asked, hesitantly, "Are you going back to school today?"

I couldn't figure out what Alvin wanted from me, so I replied honestly, "I don't know..."

"...forget it." 

"See you," Adam sighed.