Always Denver: Maple Hart, #2

1

Wayne

My phone buzzed under my pillow for the second time that morning. I groaned, fumbling for it. God, but I needed coffee.

It took me a few tries but I finally held it to my face. I looked at the time. 8.45 am.

Was it really that late?

I swore I set my alarm for 8 am. Then again, I mumbled ‘five more minutes’ to myself a few times. I sat up in bed, definitely more awake now.

Shit.

Denver couldn’t be ready in 15 minutes. My best friend took an awful lot of time preparing in the bathroom. Denver always said his dark brown hair needed extra prep time.

Don’t get me wrong. Denver’s hair always looked fantastic.

He could be a model in a shampoo commercial. I always wondered how it would feel like, running my fingers through those silken strands and tugging at it.

Then I’d angle my face over his for a kiss. One kiss was all I needed and Denver would fall hopelessly in love with me.

Yeah right.

I’d have to keep on dreaming.

Some Alpha I am.

I had no problem asserting my dominance. I’ve fought off meaner and bigger Alphas who wanted to prove who had the bigger balls.

Everyone knew that Denver was my weak point. I couldn’t say no to him.

It didn’t help that Denver wasn’t your average Omega. He was fearless and was never afraid to speak his mind. Maybe it was because he came from a large family with plenty of demanding Omegas.

Perhaps the real problem lay with me.

I didn’t have the guts to tell him how I felt. We had a good thing going here. We were living together. Denver was the first face I saw in the morning and the last face I saw before I went to bed. It should be enough, except lately, I began to picture us as more than friends.

I flung my sheets aside and padded out of the room. The rest of the apartment was quiet. I wasn’t surprised Denver was still in his room, sleeping. My best friend wasn’t a morning person.

Usually, after some cajoling and several attempts to drag him out of bed, he’d be all cranky and annoyed. I was used to it. Denver was cute when he glared at me over his bowl of cereal. That glare wouldn’t be able to scare off a puppy.

I stopped in front of his door and turned it.

Huh. Locked.

That was new.

I knocked.

Denver? Time to wake up. We’re running late, I said.

We both worked at the same place—Happy Motors, a car rental place in town. Our manager Jon was a stickler for punctuality and we’ve already arrived late to work three times this month. Jon was threatening to cut our pay.

I received no answer from Denver.

Denver, come on. We can’t do this every morning, I said with a tired sigh. I’ll make us sandwiches. Peanut butter jelly, your favorite. We can eat on our way to work. You better be ready in ten minutes. Fix your hair in the car.

I took a five-minute shower and hastily dressed in our company t-shirt. I put on a pair of jeans and headed to the kitchen to fix our sandwiches. I hummed a catchy song I heard over the radio at work the other day.

I checked my wristwatch.

Still no sign of Denver.

What the hell?

Maybe he stayed up last night, watching his favorite Korean drama shows again. I reminded him so many times to have a cut-off time. My irritation grew.

I pounded on his door again.

Go away, Wayne, Denver said in a funny voice.

He sounded hoarse. That wasn’t a good sign. Guilt replaced my initial irritation.

Are you sick? Denver, open up. This isn’t funny. If you’re not feeling well, tell me. I could run to the drug store and get you some medicine before going to work.

Why do you always have to be so nice to me? Denver demanded.

Wait. What the hell did that mean?

Sometimes, I didn’t understand Denver at all. I debated calling Gideon, Denver’s favorite cousin. Of all the people in the world, Gideon was one of the few rare individuals who could get under Denver’s skin. Then I remembered Gideon was out of town, honeymooning with his boyfriend Garth.

Damn it.

Don’t make me break down the door. I threatened.

I wasn’t sure I was capable of doing that. Plus, we were also kind of broke. Eventually, I heard Denver unlock the door. I opened it only to find Denver back on his bed. He was lying on his side.

I approached him cautiously. Denver wasn’t easy to deal with when he was sick either.

One time Denver got sick during our senior year in high school. Gideon warned me Denver was a horrible patient. I was stumped when Gideon and Denver’s other cousins told me to take care of him.

I soon understood why they kept their distance. Denver became impossible to deal with when he had a minor cold or fever. He also got super dramatic and kept asking me if he was going to die.

Hey, I said in the most gentle voice I could muster.

I touched his shoulder. Denver didn’t stir but he let out a sniffle.

A sniffle?

Alarmed now, I turned him so he looked right at me. His blue eyes, which were sometimes irritated but usually mischievous and playful—were all puffy. He looked like he’d been crying and that pissed me a lot.

Did someone hurt you? My voice came out hoarse, all growly and unlike me.

I tightened my grip on his shoulder. He touched my arm. Just one touch was enough to wake my cock.

God. I was an awful person. Here was Denver, silently suffering while I was getting all hot and