"I'm twenty-four!" Arthur protested, throwing his hands up.
"So?" Natalia countered effortlessly.
"So, I am no baby boy."
"But my mom calls you her baby."
Arthur huffed, his cheeks puffing out slightly. "...But I am not yours. I only belong to Auntie and Uncle."
"Can't you belong to me, too?" Natalia's lips curled into another slow, devastating smirk.
"O-of course you can't- I mean, I can't!" Arthur stammered, entirely losing his grip on the language.
Wait. What were they even talking about again?
Arthur's brain short-circuited. He completely forgot the trajectory of their conversation, slipping into a daze as he stared at her gorgeous, teasing grin.
He was pulled out of his trance only when Natalia let out another low chuckle. Her eyes swept over his face, mapping out his expressions with an intensity that made him want to evaporate on the spot.
If his face got any hotter, he was going to combust. There was definitely something wrong with his heart. He had never felt this helpless, miserable, and utterly flustered in his entire life.
"Okay, okay," Natalia relented, her eyes dancing with amusement. "You're no baby boy."
Arthur didn't know how to respond. He darted his gaze from her face to the floor, deeply displeased by the lingering chuckle in her voice. Pouting, he stood there in a thoroughly defeated, exhausted silence, his cheeks burning like fire.
When Natalia finally turned back to her laptop, apparently done with her teasing, Arthur seized the opportunity. He swiftly slipped away and bolted down the hallway to his room, his heart hammering against his ribs.
Closing the bedroom door behind him, Arthur let out a massive, theatrical sigh of relief.
"She is just... terrifying!" he whispered, stomping around his room as he searched for a strategy to avoid further public humiliation.
Ever since Natalia arrived, his dignified, professional teacher persona had completely shattered. And the worst part? It was entirely his own fault. If he could just control his eyes-
Am I a pervert? Arthur thought, horror-struck. I know I'm just looking at her because she's beautiful, but... is this how perverts start out?
He was seriously concerned. He had interacted with dozens of attractive Alphas before, both male and female, but he had never felt the slightest urge to analyze their appearance.
Natalia, however, was like a magnet. Whenever she was in the room, his eyes simply refused to obey him.
He felt pathetic. Defeated. And thoroughly compromised.
I really have a crush on her. Just like a dramatic high schooler. He groaned, burying his face in his hands. Seriously, Arthur, get a grip! Crushes are temporary, right? Besides, Auntie and Uncle would be totally weirded out. She's basically my sister, right?
He absolutely did not want her as a sister, but the thought of disappointing his foster parents sent a chill down his spine. He couldn't afford to mess up the dynamics of the only real family he had.
Haa... maybe I'm overthinking everything.
Arthur flopped onto his bed, trying to drown out his racing thoughts by scrolling mindlessly on his phone.
"Arthur, sweetie? Are you in there?"
Hearing Kelly's voice, Arthur's anxiety instantly vanished. He scrambled off the bed and threw the door open with a massive, beaming grin. "Yes! Your sweetie is right he-"
The words died in his throat. Standing right behind Aunt Kelly was Natalia. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and her lips were twitched upward, clearly fighting back a laugh.
Oh, god, just bury me alive, Arthur thought, his soul practically leaving his body. He had just spent twenty minutes arguing about how mature and grown-up he was, only to yell out "Your sweetie is right here" like an excited toddler.
Arthur leveled a deep, betrayal-filled pout at Aunt Kelly. She merely giggled, covering her mouth with her hand before clearing her throat to try and inject some seriousness into the situation.
"Talk to him and figure it out yourself," Kelly murmured to Natalia, giving her a gentle nudge forward.
Arthur's gaze bounced between the two women, completely bewildered. Figure what out? What was Aunt Kelly talking about?
"No, wait, don't leave!" Arthur panicked as Kelly turned on her heel. He lunged forward and grabbed her arm, but Kelly just patted his hand reassuringly.
"You two need to get along. Consider this an icebreaker," Kelly whispered, giving him a blatant, conspiratorial wink before slipping away down the hall.
Okay... get along... Arthur repeated mentally. He didn't even realize he was standing alone in the doorway until a familiar, intoxicating scent began to waft through the air.
That delicious scent again. Arthur took a stealthy breath of her pheromones, his eyes darting to Natalia's face. She was watching him intently, a faint smirk gracing her lips.
Naturally, his blush returned with a vengeance.
Trying to salvage what little dignity he had left, Arthur cleared his throat, gathering every ounce of courage to ask her why she was outside his room. But before he could speak, she beat him to it, instantly rendering his bravado useless.
"Can I borrow your laptop charger?" Natalia asked.
Arthur, of course, intended to say yes. But his mouth had other plans. "N-no!"
He instantly winced at his own bluntness. Before he could scramble for a polite excuse, Natalia raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
He could have just explained that it might not fit. Instead, his defensive instincts dragged the awkwardness out. "B-because it's mine."
"Well, that's exactly why I asked to borrow it," she said, amusement bleeding into her tone.
"Y-yeah... I know," Arthur mumbled, his shoulders dropping. "I just wanted to say it might not work for your model."
"It works. I checked earlier. Don't worry about it."
"Oh. Okay then."
Arthur let out a quiet sigh of relief, turning around to rush into his room. He rummaged through his desk drawer, quickly locating the white charging cable before hurrying back to the threshold where Natalia stood waiting.
"H-here." Arthur handed it over, trying to sneak a glance at her face. He thought he was being incredibly smooth and subtle. He wasn't.
Natalia let out a soft chuckle, taking the wire. "You really like stealing things, don't you?"
Arthur's eyes widened, his inner omega instantly taking offense. "When did I ever steal?! I am not a thief. You're the thief!" he shot back, his mind instantly flashing to the tragedy of the stolen chicken drumstick from lunch.
Yes, Arthur was exceptionally petty when it came to food.
Natalia blinked, thoroughly entertained. "Heh. I'm a thief? How do you figure that? I literally just got here today."
Arthur stared at her, his mind going entirely blank. He couldn't exactly look a lethal, sophisticated Alpha in the eye and say, 'You stole the chicken leg I wanted.' That was too embarrassing, even for him.
"How am I a thief?" Natalia pressed, stepping a fraction closer.
Arthur looked everywhere but at her. "I don't know. Just... because."
"Well," Natalia purred, leaning in slightly. "Guess who keeps stealing glances at me?"
"T-that... I didn't!" Arthur stuttered, his heart doing a gymnastics routine.
"...Okay, if you say so."
Arthur blinked, confused by how easily she had dropped it. But when he looked up, the triumphant smirk on her face told him everything. She was playing with him like a cat with a mouse.
"I... really didn't," Arthur mumbled in a tiny, breathless voice, knowing damn well he was a terrible liar.
Hiding behind his signature pout, Arthur stared intently at the floorboards. Natalia used the silence to take him in from this proximity.
Up close, she noticed his face was still dusted with a soft pink hue, and his cheeks were surprisingly plush and soft-looking.
I could honestly bite them, Natalia thought suddenly.
She caught herself, a wave of self-directed cringe hitting her as she took a half-step back. Where had that thought come from? She had thought he was cute earlier, but seeing him under the hallway lights, she had to admit he was genuinely good-looking.
He possessed a bright, radiant energy that made him effortlessly magnetic.
Then, her eyes dropped to his collarbone. ...He isn't marked.
Natalia hadn't paid attention to it before, but the distinct absence of another Alpha's scent on him was undeniable. He was completely unbonded. Did he have an Alpha who was just taking things slow?
Natalia was rarely ever nosy about other people's personal lives, and she felt a sudden twinge of annoyance at her own curiosity. But before her brain could stop her, her mouth had already crossed the line.
"Do you have an Alpha?"
Natalia internally winced the moment the question left her lips, though she maintained her cool exterior.
Arthur's mouth fell half-open. He looked entirely stunned, as if she had just asked him for the secrets to the universe.
Shit, did I really just ask an unmarked omega that? Natalia scolded herself. He's going to think I'm trying to hit on him or take advantage of him. She opened her mouth to tell him to forget it, but Arthur's quiet voice cut through her panic.
"No."
Natalia paused, a strange wave of relief washing over her. "Oh," she muttered, the sudden silence turning incredibly awkward.
"W-what about you?" Arthur asked quickly, his eyes instantly widening with immediate regret. He looked like he wanted to punch himself. Why did I ask that?! It's literally none of my business. Aaaah!
"Well, I don't have an Alpha either," Natalia said, a genuine laugh escaping her. The awkwardness melted away, replaced by a sudden surge of enthusiasm because he was actually engaging with her.
"Y-you like Alphas?"
Natalia stared at him, her brain stalling.
Arthur looked completely horrified, his eyes wide and round.
It took her a solid five seconds to realize what had just happened.
A loud, vibrant laugh bubbled up from Natalia's throat. This was absolutely ridiculous.
First, she tried to banter. Second, it blew up in her face. Third, this poor boy looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack. And fourth... he was just so impossibly endearing like this.
Aren't you just the cutest thing?
The thought echoed clearly in her mind, or so she thought.
Suddenly, Arthur's entire face flushed a color so violently red it bordered on purple. His knees visibly trembled, and he looked like he was about to pass out on the hallway rug.
Natalia froze, her own eyes widening as a horrible realization dawned on her. Wait... did I just say that out loud?
Spoiler alert: she did.
At first, Arthur thought his ears were playing tricks on him. Nobody ever called him cute, outside of Aunt Kelly and Uncle Kevin. And out of everyone in the world, the terrifying, untouchable, gorgeous Natalia definitely wouldn't say something like that to a just some omega, right?
But the stunned silence in the hallway confirmed it. She had said it.
Arthur's entire body tingled with a sudden, electric rush of adrenaline. Goosebumps broke out across his arms. A dizzying, euphoric wave of excitement crashed over him, making his head spin over a single, casual compliment. Even if she didn't mean anything serious by it...
Oh, god... Arthur thought, his heart hammering a frantic rhythm against his chest. I finally understand why the high school girls in my class giggle and act like total idiots when their crush looks at them.
It was official. There was no denying it anymore.
Arthur had a massive, catastrophic crush on Natalia. And he had fallen hard.