Hearts of Deceit (ManxMan)

Ch 5: James

"Three months and you haven't even come talk to me. And Elise is still pissy about the mechanic shop." James leaned against the counter, smiling in my general direction.

"Hey, I called, didn't I?" My voice caught his attention as he adjusted his head to more accurately look at where I was standing behind the counter, cleaning shot glasses.

"Hardly counts when I haven't seen my best childhood friend since five years ago." His voice was always a little husky, coming out softly, quietly, and evenly. I watched him fold up his white cane before taking a seat. "Awful cruel to keep a blind man looking for you, Fitzroy. And Declan is going to be very disappointed to hear you chose this bar over his. Traitor. I haven't even been to this bar." 

I chuckled, forgoing the urge to tell him that it was kind of hilarious watching him stumble in with his white cane. 

"Drink?" I said instead. James shook his head. He leaned forward with an upward quirk of the mouth. 

"So...I hear you've been seeing this new beta? What's his name?"

I scoffed. Of course. Elise had visited me a few times at the bar and on more than one occasion she'd caught Misha at the counter making conversation with me. And of course, she would jump to some ridiculous conclusions and let James in on it. 

"His names Mikhail. Tells me to call him Misha."

"That's how they do it in Russia," James smiled. "Elise thinks he might be, to use her crude language, a 'rebound'."

I closed my eyes before sighing. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a customer wave for me. "He's just come beta, James," I said after giving the older gamma a drink. "I dunno, if, y'know, I wanna do this. It's just..." 

I didn't say anything for a little while. Just let the words hang in the air between us. The bar was relatively empty and James couldn't see the tears hanging on at the edge of my eyes, or the way my cheeks flushed with emotion. He could hear the sniffing, though, and the deep breath I took in. 

"I thought...I thought we were...in love. It sounds stupid, and I'm a twenty-two year old man, but Christ, I thought we were so close. It didn't fucking matter, apparently." James flinched, not quite being receptive to harsh words and bitter tones. "I feel like shit, ok? And I feel like this Misha guy is gonna be the same way. I was dumb and naive before, but now I get it. I finally get it."

"What do you get?" James said slowly and softly.

"I'm a delta. You're a delta. You understand better than anyone else. I really made myself believe that Joe, some big-shot alpha with a thousand omegas going after him, would actually fall for me. What kind of bullshit is that? I'm done with all this for now. Just gonna focus on my job. No distractions. Got to save up and move out of this shit-hole. I was way too dependent on Joe's money. I won't ever do that again." 

James didn't say anything and it was impossible to discern what he was thinking with his sunglasses covering his eyes. Blind from a young age, James didn't really pick up on the habit of schooling his expressions. When Elise and I told him this, he compensated by always wearing sunglasses, keeping his voice quiet and even at all times, and keeping his mouth a straight line when is wasn't quirked up at the corner. 

We didn't say much as I attended to a few customers. Finally, after what felt like eons, James sighed and slipped off his glasses. Light bluish eyes that stared at nothing in particular revealed themselves. It was enough to see the tension in his eyebrows to know something was wrong. 

"Elise told you about Dominic, right?" He began slowly. I nodded.  

"Yeah," I said. "Heard he started up on his father's business again. Harassing small businesses and all....is he-?"

"No," James interjected. "No trafficking, no drugs, but...I keep telling him he'll get there. He's going down the same path just harassing local businesses...and I couldn't stick by and stay quiet. He...he wasn't very happy to hear that."

I scoffed. Of course he wasn't. It was Dominic god-damned Seraz. Egotistical didn't do enough justice to describe his kind of self-centered mania. 

James rubbed his eyes and sighed again for what seemed to be the millionth time. "He kicked me out....currently looking for a place to stay." 

"What? That asshole! What-why-that piece of shit! How could he?" I clenched my jaw, boring a fiery glare into the bottle of vodka I'd taken down for a customer. 

James quirked a brow, a slight smile on his face. "If I recall, you just went on a rant about the unfairness of this world to deltas. Does this really surprise you? You're still terrified of him."

I blinked and then scowled. "Jesus, James, that doesn't change the fact that he loved you! One of the few alphas I've ever known to accept a delta mate even as his brothers were freaking out. I just...fuck. What about your family?"

"You know that's not an option." James said cooly. It was infuriating. The world really wasn't fair. 

"Stay at my place," I said.

James only smiled and shook his while slipping his glasses back on. I watched as he unfolded his cane and stood up, rubbing down the gray suit he was wearing. "Sakden and Hale Law hired me a fews days ago. They have a tendency and reputation for sucking the soul out of any attorney they hire, but I've got to do my work somewhere. I'll find a place. I know your apartment is cramped as is."

I groaned as he gave me a hug. "Come on, man, you won't bother me. Besides, your lack of an apparent emotional reaction to all this is worrying me. You sure you're not an unfeeling vampire or some shit? Maybe law school already sucked out your soul."

James only chuckled before giving my shoulder the weird little shake he always gave it (I assumed it's what the elite, old beta men of New York all did to each other) before he was ready to leave. "I'll be fine. I'll come by and visit. You come by too. Goodbye, Fitzroy."

I waved him away but he stopped just before reaching the door. I was already attending to some customers so I didn't notice when James stopped in front of the door. I raised my head when he called for me. At the front entrance stood a certain beta who'd been talking to me non-stop these past few weeks. I groaned. My eye twitched a little as I watched James introduce himself, smirking like the smug bastard that he was and even indicating to me once before leaving.

When Misha began strolling up to the counter, his eyes very obviously focusing on me, I went down the counter, attending to any customer I could. 

"It almost feels like you're trying to avoid me, Conrad." My name rolled off his tongue, sounding way too nice for me, someone who had sworn off all romantic pursuits only a few minutes ago. 

"I've got customers."

Misha raised a brow before looking around. I flushed. Yes, ok, there were only like four people. 

"If I've done something wrong, you should let me know, Solnishko."

Mentally, I tried not to let it affect me. Misha still hadn't told me what that word meant, and I was too stubborn just to look it up (I'd get it out of him one day). Still, they way he said it, the way his voice deepened and softened, the way his eyes looked at me with something akin to tenderness-god, it all came together, and I couldn't help myself. I looked at him and shrugged.

"It's just something personal to me, ok? You haven't done anything."

"Then is it really fair for you to treat me like I've done something? I'm sorry if you've been hurt, but at least give me a chance to ask."

"Ask...what?" I said slowly.

He gave me that signature smile, the small, quiet one that was half-covered by a brown curl falling in front of his face. "A date. I'd like to ask you out on a date."

-8-

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