I bit my lip and shook my head wildly. I felt like a giddy teenager again, which of course, was highly embarrassing to mull over.

Back in Dallas, I never really had anyone. There were a few boyfriends here and there, but nothing became too serious. When I decided to move, I figured I’d be alone forever. I was a beta, so why would anyone choose to be with me? I was the lowest on the totem pole.

Before I left, I stared at myself in the mirror. “Okay. He’s just a friend. Don’t get ahead of yourself,” I whispered.

This would be the first time Tate would see me without my uniform. I hoped I looked handsome. I hoped I wasn’t overstepping any boundaries either.

“Where do you think you’re going?” My dad, Lee completely startled me. He was sitting in the dark living room, listening to an audiobook on his headphones.

“Dad! Jeez. You freaked me out,” I said.

“If you’re trying to steal something from me, I’ll call the damn police. My son is a highly trained officer,” he said.

I lowered my eyes and walked over to my father. “Hey, dad. It’s me, Elliot. It’s your son,” I said. I put my hand on his shoulder and lightly rubbed his back.

“Who? Elliot?” my father asked.

“Yes, dad. I’m just going outside to get a little air, okay? Are you safe here?” I asked him. “Do you feel okay?”

My father smiled and reached out to me. He ran his hands through my hair. Whenever he did that, I knew he was trying to put the pieces of his life back together. “Oh, yes! I’m just listening to a novel, son. Are you almost ready for bed? Is your homework finished?” he asked.

My father was blind, and he had dementia. First, the eyesight went. Then, the mind slowly dissipated. It was a complete tragedy for me, but life sometimes presented me with some hard-to-take situations.

My friends back in Dallas didn’t understand. They told me to take him to a home, to give him away to someone who could better care for him. For the longest time, I was ready to do that. Then, something changed in me.

I realized time was limited, and I wanted to be around my dad for as long as I could. Back in his prime, he was my hero. A local cop himself, he taught me what it meant to hold yourself to a higher standard. He taught me how to be a good and decent person.

“I finished all of my homework, dad,” I said. My father, Lee didn’t have a grasp on time anymore. He tried his best, though. Whenever I spoke to him, you’d see his mind working overtime, just trying to figure out the context.

I wanted to give my father some relief, so I started buying him audiobooks, music, and listenable plays. He loved them.

“That’s good, son. Have a good day. I’ll be here with your father. Don’t eat too much sugar. We have a big dinner tonight,” my dad said.

“I won’t, dad,” I said, gulping down the emotion.

Before I left, I double-checked all of the drawers. I locked them as best I could. Then, I turned off the gas to the stove, as well as the water. I made sure his jug of water was next to him.

When everything was in order, I could leave. I did this and more every single day, and I felt like I owed it to him. Lee was the man who raised me. He deserved some dignity at the end of his life.

Leaving home, even to see a friend, was bittersweet. In the car, I sat in silence, until I calmed myself down. I turned on the radio and tried to get my head out of the normal space of my busy life.

Once I saw Tate standing in his dirt driveway with a beer in his hand, I felt so much better. I leaned out of my window and waved. “Hey, partner,” I said.

Tate chuckled softly and waved. “Hiya. Nice night,” he said.

I stepped out of my car. Normally, I rested my hands on my police belt, but on this night, I wasn’t on the clock. I awkwardly walked up the steps to his porch and hugged him.

“A hug?” Tate asked.

I blushed, fiery red, and felt my heart quicken. Oh, God. I had already embarrassed myself. “You’re a friend, right? Friends hug,” I said.

“I’m just messing with you. You’re cute when you blush,” Tate said.

I cleared my throat and tried to remain calm and composed. Without smiling, I sat down on an outside chair and said, “I’m always cute.”

Tate laughed and sat down next to me. He finished his beer quickly. “So, what’s wrong?” Tate asked me.

I shrugged. I didn’t want to get into the whole bit with him because if he knew the entire story, he might never invite me over again. I tried to come up with a palatable tale, but what ended up spilling out of my mouth was the truth.

“I’m lonely out here, man,” I admitted. “I thought I could do the ‘small town thing,’ but it’s hard when you don’t have any family out here. I mean I have my dad, but…”

“You don’t have to talk about your father,” Tate said. “I know it’s been difficult for you.”

I smiled and started to feel more comfortable around Tate. “It’s manageable, though. Well, sometimes,” I said. “It’s just something I have to do. For my dad, you know?”

Tate understood me. I could see it in his eyes. He set down his empty beer bottle and stood up, stretching. Then, he placed his hand on my shoulder, fingers brushing against my chest.

“You’re one of the only honorable men around here,” Tate said.

“Thanks,” I muttered. “But you are too.” I hoped that he wouldn’t somehow feel my rapid heartbeat, or see my pupils dilate with excitement. I desperately hoped that my cock wouldn’t push against the center of my pants.

“Here. I’ll grab you a beer. Stay here,” Tate said.

As soon as he stepped inside of the house, I exhaled sharply and closed my eyes. I was feeling way too nervous about this, and I had no idea why. There was something different about this night.

“Here we are,” Tate announced. “One beer for the friend. Another for me.”

I took the bottle gladly. I needed something to calm my nerves. The gentle breeze was not cutting it.

“My boy and I went night fishing a little earlier. Didn’t catch anything, but it’s nice to get out on the water at night,” Tate said.

“That sounds really nice. I’ve never been fishing. And I’ve never been on a boat like that either,” I said.

“I’ll take you out sometime. I’m a terrible fisher, but it beats staying indoors,” Tate said.

“I’d love that,” I said, a bit too over-enthusiastic.

I kept looking at Tate’s strong hands, and the way he gripped the glass bottle. “Do you ever get lonely out here? You’re pretty isolated from the rest of town,” I said.

Tate nodded his head slowly. “Sure. All of the time. Sometimes, my feelings contradict each other, though,” he said.

“What do you mean?” I asked. My eyes searched his for meaning and truth. I fell deeply into them, as the alcohol started to work its way into my system.

“I feel lonely, but ever since you came to town, I’ve felt accepted. So, I guess right now I feel pretty darn good,” Tate said.

Tate’s eyes stared into mine. During that time, I contemplated kissing him, but I couldn’t go through with it. I was too nervous. He was a new friend. I couldn’t fuck that up.

“Me too,” I said. “Like, more than good.”

I think about you a lot. That’s what I wanted to say, but I didn’t want to look like a creep.

Tate stood up again, and I followed him. We walked toward the edge of the lake and stopped at the water. “Kind of spooky,” Tate said.

“I wouldn’t swim in it if you paid me,” I said. The water looked dark and murky. I could only imagine the type of monsters that floated below the surface.

“You’re more likely to step on a pipe, or piece of trash, than a fish.” Tate laughed. “But it sure is pretty the way the trees latch onto the edge like that over there. You see?”

Tate pointed toward the other end of the lake. The trees clung to the edge of the small cliff on the other side. Small lights lit up the landscape. “It’s iconic looking,” I said.

“The barbecues in the summer are the best. Tons of people riding on jet-skis. Bands play on the top decks, near the houses. It’s just a fun time. That’s one of the perks of living in a place like this, I guess,” Tate said.

“Maybe I’ll stay long enough to see it,” I said.

Tate oddly looked at me. “You’re not leaving me. Are you?” he asked.

I didn’t have any concrete plans. I liked the nature surrounding this town, but every single day was a struggle for me.

“I’m just tired of the beta comments. I’m tired of hating my co-workers. I want to feel a sense of pride in my community. I feel like I’ve lost that,” I said.

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a beta, omega, or an alpha. At the end of the day, all of that is so pointless when compared to everything else,” Tate said. “We’ll start our own community. We’ll call it the ‘fuck-off community.’”

I laughed and spat out my beer, on accident. “I like the sound of that!” I exclaimed.

During a short moment of silence, Tate put his arm around my waist. In a way, I felt shocked. I looked up at him, but I had no idea how to react.

Tate let go and coughed. “Sorry,” he said. “I got a little carried away there.”

Every nerve in my body was shaking me to action. I didn’t want him to let go, but I was worried that if we got into something deeper, we might never talk to each other afterward. That always happened to me.

“Don’t be sorry,” I said.

Tate furrowed his brow in confusion. I took his hand and my felt my cock rise almost immediately. I couldn’t control my desire, and neither could Tate.

Tate grinned and ran his hand along my waist. His other hand gently cradled the back of my head. I closed my eyes and felt his lips crush against mine, as a flurry of passion rose through me.

Our tongues intertwined like two beasts at the bottom of the sea, struggling to make sense of their own lives. We were like-minded, even if we were considered outcasts in a town full of monsters. That fact alone brought us together.

I tasted his sweet lips and inhaled his alluring scent. I pulled back my head as his teeth gently dragged across my lips. “Fuck,” I whispered.

Tate took a deep breath and nodded. He stepped forward again and kissed me one more time. “I’ve wanted to do that for a couple of days now,” Tate admitted.

“Me too,” I said.

My cock was throbbing against the inside my pants. I kept taking deep breaths to squelch the intensity, but that act wasn’t helping. “So, now what?” Tate asked, bashfully.

I grabbed the front of his shirt and kissed him for a third time, smiling big while doing it. He reached forward and ran his palm on my cock, slow and gentle.

“You’re so hard, omega,” Tate said. Then, realizing his mistake, he groaned. “Shit. I’m sorry, Elliot. I didn’t mean to call you that.”

Before that comment, I had the biggest urge to let him feel me. The night was so perfect, and we were getting along so well. There just was something about him calling me an omega that made me feel a little rejected.

“I’m not mad,” I said. “But I think I should get back home. My dad is alone, so he probably needs me.”

I didn’t want to make this a big deal. I thought Tate was a great guy and a fantastic dad. All of those things pushed me closer to him, but tonight wasn’t the night.

Tate winced at my reaction, and then scratched the back of his head. “I’m a massive idiot, aren’t I?” he asked.

“No. You just said the wrong thing,” I said. I kissed him one more time, but there wasn’t that much passion attached to it. It was a friendly goodbye kiss on the cheek.

“So, that’s it?” Tate asked.

“That’s it,” I said. “For tonight, anyway.”

When this happened in the past, some guys were relentless. Tate groaned, but the smile on his face assured me that he was taking this in the best way possible. “Okay, I understand. This was nice, though. You should still come over to dinner,” Tate said, as we walked back to my car.

I thought about it for a few minutes. “I’ll be there,” I decided. “It’ll be nice to get to know your boy some more too.”

“He’s a great kid,” Tate said.

I lowered myself into the car and waved goodbye. Tate’s body glowed in the center of my headlights. He waved back.

As I drove away, I saw him standing alone. Then, he turned and walked back inside his home.

As soon as I was out of sight, I honked my horn loudly and screamed, “Yes!”

I had a crush on a single dad from Watson County. This was going to be interesting.