"What can I get for you today?" Ethan rests the tip of his ball point pen on the paper, ready to jot down the customers order.
When there's a stagnant pause, he looks up from his note pad to the handsome men sitting in the window booth. One has styled red and curly hair, a three piece grey suit, and sharp hazel eyes. His arms are crossed over his chest, his legs spread beneath the table, and if Ethan has to guess, he looks unhappy.
Across from him, the other man is more casually dressed, with a black, long sleeved knit sweater, beige slacks, and loafers. How stylish. Is it just Ethan, or have high class people been coming around more often? Should he consider it a good thing?
The man's black hair is styled back, revealing a handsome, sharp lined face, with trimmed black brows, an angular nose, and defined lips. His green eyes lined with purple seem to sparkle at him, and he can't help but feel they're familiar.
"Do you both need more time to decide?" Ethan glances back at the red haired man, putting the cap back on his pen. "I can come back in a few minutes." He turns to head back to the front counter, where Leo works the register.
"Have you already forgotten about me?"
Ethan pauses, his brows furrowing at the eerily familiar tone. He turns to the two alphas in the booth with a frown. "I'm sorry? Have we met before?"
"Ah, I guess that makes sense." The man with black hair rubs the bridge of his nose, his lips quirking with amusement. "I looked a lot different last night."
Ethan's head tilts in confusion, and the alpha's smile grows. Across from him, the red head scoffs, and Ethan glances at him. However, he doesn't interfere with their conversation. Ethan slides his black pen behind his right ear and tucks his notepad into the pocket of his red apron.
"You helped me." The alpha with black hair draws Ethan's attention back to him. His forefinger begins to tap against the table top, his chin resting in his other hand as he gazes up at him. "Twice actually." The tapping is cut off and he flashes two fingers for further emphasis. "The first time in the bathroom, and the second time in the alley." His digits do a little wiggle.
Ethan's eyebrows raise in surprise as he realizes why the alpha is giving him deja vu. What was his name again? "Zan?" Zan was the alpha in the bathroom? Well, he is a dominant alpha, so he could have been. The bruise on his rest gives a dull ache and he resists the urge to rub it.
"Zan?" His friend asks in surprise, his hazel eyes on the dominant alpha across from him. He glances at Ethan and frowns. "Momma's boy?" He murmurs, low enough that Ethan doesn't hear him.
Zander hums, pleased as his nickname leaves the beta's lips. "Hi." He smiles, flashing white teeth.
"Wow." Ethan raises his eyebrows as he scans the length of his face. His nose isn't swollen with discoloration as it was less than twenty-four ago, and the only sign of a wound on his cheek is the small scar that marks his perfect skin. "The regeneration of a dominant alpha is no joke." He ends with a scoff. If Ethan could heal that quickly, he'd have less worries. "Did you go to the hospital?"
Was it even necessary for him to go, if he could heal as quickly as he does?
"Yes." Zan continues to smile. His green gaze is glued to Ethan's face, taking in every minute expression.
Ethan clears his throat awkwardly, eyes shifting to the red head who stares just as openly as Zan. "Good, good. Now, what can I get you today?"
"Ah, I'll have whatever you recommend." Zan nudges the laminated menu back to him.
"Okay, and your friend?"
Beau looks down at the menu and his nose wrinkles in distaste. Zan kicks his shin from under the table, and he winces. "The lunch special, please." He grunts out.
"Sure thing." Ethan forces a smile, tucks the menu beneath his arm, and takes an awkward step back from their booth. "I'll bring it over in a bit."
Before Ethan can get two steps though, Zan grabs his forearm, his large hand encircling it with ease.
"Your wrist," Zan's green gaze drops to the bottom of his long sleeve, and he rubs his thumb along the bare skin he can reach, "Can I see it?"
Ethan's skin erupts into goosebumps, the alpha's warmth seeping into him. The beta frowns and pulls his arm out of Zan's grip. "I get you're an alpha, and you're used to doing as you please. But don't touch me." Ethan turns and walks away, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"You got distracted by a momma's boy, huh?" Beau snorts and adjusts his cuff links. "He's just a random beta."
Zan stares at Ethan's retreating figure, watching as his coworker animatedly talks his ear off. "Convenient, isn't it?" Tap, tap, tap. His forefinger raps against the table top. Beau frowns down at his hand, the habit of his is a dead give away.
"How in the world is that convenient?" Beau asks.
"Did he look mad at me, to you?" The dominant alpha finally tears his eyes away from the working beta and looks at his friend. "I think he's upset I grabbed him." His gaze drifts back to Ethan who stands behind the counter. "Or maybe he's upset that I brought up an injury in front of others. Are betas sensitive like that?"
Beau blows out a breath and follows his line of sight. He doesn't see what Zan does. What is so appealing about a middle class, average looking beta? "Is this what you're going to do now?" He looks back at Zan, the space between his eyebrows wrinkling, "Obsess over a momma boy beta?"
Tap, tap, tap. Then it suddenly stops as Zan lays his palm flat on the surface of the table. "You know what?"
"What?"
"I'm not bored anymore." Zander smiles.
Beau follows his gaze to the unknowing beta. Good luck. He will certainly need it, because when Zander shows an interest, it's better to look away than witness the chaos he's going to unfold.