“Dude, he seriously dumped you after one date?” Tarek asked. “That’s awful.”

Dex shrugged and pulled at the paper label on his beer bottle. “He says he doesn’t like me the way I like him, but I don’t know if I believe that. All the time we’ve been spending together, he’s so relaxed and I catch these little smiles he shoots my way.” He took a slug of the yeasty beer. “Maybe I’m reading too much into things.”

“But he wants to be friends?”

“Yeah.”

Tarek popped a few peanuts into his mouth from the free tray at the bar. They’d met at Curio’s, a hole-in-the-wall that served cheap beer and cheap burgers, but Dex wasn’t hungry. He just wanted to talk to his best friend about being dumped kind of publicly last night.

“You don’t want to be friends?” Tarek asked.

“I want to push him into a chair and kiss him senseless, but he doesn’t want that.” Dex pulled a bit more of the damp label off the bottle. “I mean, I know Monte can be a bit much, and he was showing off last night, and I explained that.”

“You said Serge was raised by beta parents, right? Maybe he’s been shielded from that kind of alpha posturing his whole life. It can be a bit much if you aren’t used to it. You know how entitled some alphas act.”

“Yeah.” Dex had confided in Tarek about his two alpha brothers at the start of their friendship, mostly to explain why Dex had been so nervous to share a room in the academy dorms. It had been nice having an alpha take his side for a change. “And I get Serge being upset by the posturing, but what does that have to do with dating me? Nothing.”

“I wish I had some good advice for you, dude, but I have zero dating experience.”

“You don’t even have to date. Once you smell your bondmate, that’s it. You found your person. Betas don’t have it that easy.”

“You call it easy? I call it stifling.” The bartender came over to deliver the double cheeseburger Tarek had ordered, but Tarek didn’t pick it up right away. “You get to go out and meet other guys, get to know them, find someone who’s right for you. I’ll get some random stranger and be bonded to them whether I want to or not.”

Dex studied Tarek’s glum expression. He’d never considered the mating bond thing from that point of view, and it stunned him silent for a moment. “I’m sorry. I hope whoever your omega is, he’s a great guy. I mean, Ivan seems pretty cool, so Monte lucked out.”

“Yeah, he did.” Tarek picked up his burger. “Hopefully, we all luck out with whoever we end up with.”

“Hear hear.” He played more with his beer label while Tarek ate, then finished that bottle and ordered another. Two beers on an empty stomach wasn’t his usual thing, but he didn’t work today, so whatever. And he was still upset about getting dumped. Dex truly, genuinely felt good around Serge, as if simply being next to him gave Dex new life.

Apparently, Serge didn’t feel the same.

Or he does, and he’s fighting it for some reason.

Serge had never mentioned any previous boyfriends, but maybe he’d had a relationship that ended poorly and had left him gunshy? That kind of made sense. It had taken Dex two years in university—the minimum requirement before anyone could apply to the constabulary academy—to let his guard down around his alpha classmates, and now his best friend on earth was an unmated alpha.

Dex wanted to help Serge, to get inside his head and dig those secrets out, but Serge had made it pretty clear he didn’t want that. And it hurt. Dex wanted to be able to say they’d stay friends, but he just wasn’t sure. He wasn’t sure about much of anything right now.

So he ordered a third beer.

* * *

Serge spent the week following his breakup with Dex both missing him and avoiding Gaven as much as possible. His work schedule made it easy enough, because he was on daytime rotation, while Gaven worked nights, and they rarely overlapped in the same ward. He didn’t want to have to explain something to Gaven that Serge didn’t truly understand himself.

And he missed Dex like crazy. Their conversations, their walks in the park, the way everything was so easy with Dex. He made Serge want more than friendship, and that terrified Serge deep down. Down where he kept his pain and fear of ever being vulnerable again.

His plan of avoiding Gaven was foiled the following weekend by a five-car pileup and all hands were needed down in emergency. They went through triage with the more experienced nurses, and Serge ended up with his hand in someone’s leg, keeping the femoral artery clamped down all the way up to surgery.

Once the patient was prepped and a surgical resident took over, Serge exited the operating theater to wash his hands. The leg was in bad shape, but hopefully the surgeon could save it. Serge hadn’t done his surgical rotation yet, and he wasn’t eager to. He much preferred interacting directly with patients, not standing around handing other guys instruments.

Gaven came out of another theater with blood on both gloved hands and his gown, and he looked a little green. He silently stripped out of his protective gear, then stepped to the sink next to Serge and started washing up.

“What did you have?” Serge asked.

“Kid with a piece of metal in his belly.” Gaven flinched, then started scrubbing his skin like crazy. “Not sure if he’ll make it. His intestines were a mess.”

“Sorry. Mine was a femoral artery tear.”

“Ugh.”

These were the most words they’d exchanged in a week.

“I’m sorry you and Dex didn’t work out,” Gaven said. “I really had a feeling about you guys.”

Serge shrugged. “You can’t be right all the time.”

“I guess.”

“Just promise me no more matchmaking? I’m really not interested in dating right now.”

“Sure.”

Gaven still looked pretty bummed once they’d both dried their hands, so Serge slung an arm across his shoulders. “I hope your patient makes it,” Serge said.

“Yours, too, man. Yours, too.”

The rest of his shift went somewhat quickly as the rest of the minor injuries from the crash were dealt with and sent home. Serge didn’t clock out until over an hour after his shift ended, and even though it was only five in the evening, all he wanted to do was face-plant in bed.

He exited the main entrance, which had its own bus stop, and he nearly stumbled over his own ankles at the sight of Dex’s car idling in the pickup zone. Dex was sitting on the trunk of his car, headphones covering his ears, softly singing along to whatever tape was in his handheld player. His eyes were closed, too, so he didn’t see Serge approach.

Serge knocked on the top of the trunk.

Dex yelped and snatched the headphones off. His surprise melted immediately into happiness, and that did funny things to Serge’s heart. “There you are. You were supposed to get off an hour ago.”

“Did Gaven give you my schedule again?”

“Maybe. I heard about the big pileup and wanted to check on you.”

Serge’s heart squeezed again, and he should not feel this gooey over a simple “how are you?” gesture. “It was hard, but we got through it. I helped save a patient’s leg by keeping my hand on the artery.”

“Whoa. Gross. Your hand was, like, in his leg?”

“Yup.”

Dex grimaced. “See, this is why I couldn’t do medicine. I’m not great with blood. My blood, anyone’s blood. Ick.”

“And yet you went into law enforcement.”

“Well, yeah, but patrolmen don’t usually have to do a lot of the bloody stuff, even at accidents.”

“What about crime scenes?”

Dex shrugged, then winked. “I’m stuck in a records room now, so I guess it’s a moot point.”

“True.” Serge leaned against the trunk, because his body ached with exhaustion. “I can’t believe you waited over an hour just to see if I was okay.”

“I know we haven’t talked in a week, but I still care about you, Serge. A lot.”

“Me too.” Serge hadn’t realized how much he’d truly missed Dex until the man was in front of him, smiling so shyly it made Serge want to give him a reassuring hug. Maybe a nice, long kiss, too, and he hadn’t felt that impulse in…well, ever.

“Can I give you a ride somewhere?” Dex asked.

“Home would be amazing. I’m so exhausted I’d probably fall asleep on the bus and end up goddess knows where in the province.”

“My pleasure.” Dex walked to the passenger side and opened the car door with a grin. “Your chariot.”

Serge laughed at the silliness and got in the familiar car that smelled like vanilla and clove from an air freshener, plus the woodsy notes of Dex’s cologne—scents he was beginning to associate with Dex. He gave Dex his address, and then leaned back in the seat to relax. Didn’t mean to close his eyes, but too soon, Dex was shaking him awake.

“Thanks so much for the ride,” Serge said as he wiped sleep from his eyes. “See? I totally would have fallen asleep on the bus.”

“Keeping you safe is never a bother.” The way Dex said it underscored the tenderness in his eyes.

As exhausted as Serge was, not inviting Dex in for a drink—and absolutely nothing else—would be crazy rude, considering how kind Dex was being. “Do you want to come up for a drink? Gaven’s always got beer in the fridge. Or I can brew coffee.”

“A beer sounds nice, thank you.”

The apartment was an older, six-story building that had a moderately functional elevator. Serge usually took the stairs for convenience, as he was only on the third floor, but with Dex’s cane, he called the elevator. It landed with a shriek that made Dex flinch.

“You didn’t ride it when you were here for Gaven’s party?” Serge asked.

“Hell no. I piggybacked on Monte and we took the stairs.”

Serge chuckled. “Just don’t move around too much, and we should be fine.”

Dex gave him an exasperated look before following him into the dreary elevator car. Serge hit the button for three, then braced for the jerk that would start them going up. Dex had to grab the wall to steady himself. “Are you sure this thing has been inspected in the last twenty years?” he asked.

Serge chuckled. “Probably not. The rent’s cheap because the super is cheap. If it isn’t completely destroyed, or a serious hazard, he won’t replace anything. I swear he has stock in duct tape and super glue.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah.” Serge didn’t care very much, because he didn’t spend a lot of time in the apartment. “The pipe beneath the bathroom sink has been leaking off and on for months, but the super just tapes it up and keeps a bucket under it so it doesn’t soak through the floor.”

Dex grunted. “Do you guys have tools? Like a pipe wrench?”

“I doubt it. Why?”

“Because I’m going to fix your sink for you.”

The combination of Dex’s bold statement and the elevator jerking to a stop nearly made Serge fall over. Dex grabbed his elbow to steady him, and the gentle warmth against his skin zinged right to Serge’s groin. Dex held on a moment longer than necessary, their eye contact a little too intense. The car doors squealed open, and Serge escaped the small space that was full of Dex’s cologne. Warm and spicy, but also kind of sweet, like his car.

Serge walked a few yards down the hall to his place, then unlocked the door. Dex had been here before, so Serge didn’t have to show him around. Dex hobbled directly down the hall to the bathroom Serge and Gaven shared and went inside. Serge took a minute to hang his keys by the door and grab a glass of water from the tap to quench his thirst.

You aren’t thirsty, you’re stalling, you coward.

Maybe he was stalling, because crowding into a tiny space with Dex right now was a very bad idea.

Eventually, Dex returned to the kitchen with a determined look on his face. “I know you’re exhausted and probably want to sleep, so do you trust me?”

He’d asked that of Serge once before, and he didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

“I’m going to borrow some tools from a friend, and then I’ll be back. Go to sleep, do whatever, I’ll come do the work while you nap. No charge. All I need is your apartment key, since I assume you’ll want to lock the door while I’m gone.”

Serge gaped at Dex and the huge favor he was doing. “You can’t fix my pipes for free. I have to pay you something.”

“Friends help each other out, Serge, and despite what I said at the park, I do want to stay friends with you. I’ve missed you.”

“Me too.” He’d missed Dex more than he cared to admit. “Okay, you can take my keys.”

“Excellent.” Dex seemed absurdly excited to do handy-work, but if he could fix that leak, more power to him. “Get some sleep, okay?”

“Yeah, sure.” Serge shuffled down the hall to his room, a tad nervous knowing Dex could come and go as he pleased, but also hopeful Dex could help him out with the task. And he didn’t think too hard about why Dex was doing this as he shed his clothes and crawled into bed.

Nope, not gonna read into it. Just friends helping friends out…

…except when Gaven shook him awake a few hours later, Dex had done more than just fix the leaky sink pipe. He’d also re-caulked the bathtub, fixed whatever liked to squeal in the toilet tank, and put putty in a hole in the wall that had been there when they moved in.

“Did you hire a handyman or something?” Gaven asked. “The super would never do this.”

“Nope.” Serge marveled at the bathroom. “Dex did this.”

“Seriously? Why?”

“I have no idea.” Serge detailed his evening on the short walk to the kitchen for some coffee. It was the middle of the night, but Serge was wide awake now.

“Dude, Dex is totally wooing you,” Gaven said.

“Did you really just use the word woo?”

“No one fixes a friend’s entire bathroom for fun. He’s trying to impress you. Show you he can fix stuff, that he’s useful as a potential mate.”

“Betas don’t mate, we marry.”

“As a husband then, whatever.” Gaven perched his ass on the countertop. “He’s totally wooing you.”

Serge put coffee grounds in the filter, no real response to that, because yeah, Dex kind of was wooing him. First with the personal check-in, then the ride home, and now the bathroom. When Serge went to the sink to fill the pot with water, he noticed a note on the refrigerator door.

“Dear Serge,

I hope you like the work I did in the bathroom. When I saw the other problems, I had the tools to fix them, so I did. I’d like to schedule a time to come back and re-caulk your windows. It’ll be autumn soon, and you don’t want a winter draft. –Dex.”

“Holy crap,” Gaven said from over his shoulder.

“It’s just windows.”

“It is so not just windows, but I will not complain, because those windows are hella drafty in winter.”

Serge couldn’t argue with that. He wanted to call Dex and thank him for the work and the offer, but he didn’t want to wake the man up. It would keep until morning.

“If you don’t want to date Dex, can I?” Gaven asked.

Goddess help him, but Serge growled. Gaven squawked at him.

Do not fall for Dex, do not fall for Dex, do not fall for Dex.

At this point, Serge wasn’t sure he could stop himself.

* * *

“You fixed his bathroom?” Monte asked. “Dude, why?”

Dex rolled his eyes, then ate a forkful of eggs. He and Tarek were having brunch with Monte and Ivan at their new home in Hillcrest. Three stories, five bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a lot of work to clean, but Ivan had mentioned a housekeeper, thank goddess. Dex couldn’t imagine cleaning such a big house.

“Because I knew how to fix it,” Dex retorted once he’d swallowed his eggs. “The apartment is cheap and crappy, and it felt good to help.”

“And you want to win him back,” Tarek added.

“That, too.”

“I don’t know why you’re working so hard for one guy,” Monte said with a fond look at Ivan, who hadn’t spoken since they sat down to eat. “Any beta would be lucky to have you.”

“Maybe, but I want Serge. I’m attracted to him, and I like being around him.” Dex smeared jam on a piece of toast. “He’s guarded, but I have a feeling he’s worth the work.”

Tarek regarded him for a beat. “You really have feelings for Serge, don’t you?”

“I really do. This isn’t just about a fuck, Tarek. If I wanted a fuck, I’d find one.” He cut his eyes at Monte, who was now mated and off-limits. “I guess I see people around me settling down, and I want that too.”

“Then I hope it works out, man.”

“Thanks.”

“Oh, hey, look what I got,” Monte said. He pulled a rectangular, gray box out of his jacket pocket and flipped it open. “One of those new mobile phones. They’re crazy expensive, but maybe once they become more popular, you guys can afford one, too.”

Dex hid a flinch. Monte was a great friend, but sometimes he didn’t realize he came across as an entitled jerk. Mobile phones were fairly new to the market, and they seemed to be catching on, but Dex wasn’t so sure. He didn’t like the idea of being reachable twenty-four-seven. Besides, you couldn’t leave your landline in the park or have it fall out of your pocket on a busy street.

“I’ve heard rumors that the constabulary brass has been discussing investing in those phones,” Tarek said. “All of our cars already have radios, and we all wear them on our uniforms, but it could be an interesting switch.”

“Like backup,” Monte replied. “Cool. Then you guys get free phones.”

Dex once again resisted rolling his eyes. “We aren’t destitute you know. Just because Tarek and I actually need our paychecks doesn’t mean we spend every penny on rent and groceries, with nothing left over for fun.”

Monte blinked hard at him, while Ivan seemed to be hiding a smile. Maybe Dex’s new perception of Monte was slightly colored by Serge’s, but this money thing was irritating as hell right now.

“New topic, then,” Ivan said in a soft, hopeful voice. He took one of Monte’s hands and squeezed. “Can we?”

“Of course.” Monte flashed his mate a lovesick smile, then grinned at his friends. “The whole point of brunch was to share some great news. Ivan’s pregnant! His first heat took.”

Dex flinched at the phrasing choice, but still smiled for his friend’s obvious joy over his first child. “Congratulations, you guys.”

“Yeah, seriously,” Tarek said. “That’s awesome.”

Ivan flushed bright red, but he seemed truly happy and he clung to Monte’s arm, a big grin on his face. Wistfulness rose inside Dex, which was odd, because he’d never given any real thought to having kids. Betas didn’t reproduce, they could only adopt, and Dex wasn’t sure what kind of parent he’d be. Completely supportive or willing to turn his back on one kid to believe two others?

Did Serge want kids?

At the end of the meal, Dex asked to use Monte’s landline and he called Serge’s apartment.

“Hello?” Serge said.

“Hey, it’s Dex.”

“Hi! I tried calling your place earlier.”

“I’m at a friend’s house for brunch.” Dex also hadn’t missed that Serge had reached out to him.

“Thank you for the extra work you did in the bathroom. You really didn’t have to.”

Yes, I did.

“I didn’t mind,” Dex said. “Truly. And I was actually calling to see if this afternoon is a good time to fix those windows.”

“This afternoon is great. Around two?”

Dex did a little dance. “Two is perfect. See you then.” He hung up and turned, only to find Tarek watching him with a knowing smirk on his face. “What?”

“Take beer.”

“Beer?”

“It’s a symbolic gesture. A gift, but not super obvious, like wine or flowers.”

“You’re giving me dating advice now, Mr. Perpetually Single?”

Tarek’s smirk turned into a grin. “Dude, I grew up watching five siblings find mates and spouses. I know a few tricks, and if you’re serious about Serge, I’m on your team.”

“Awesome. What other tricks do you know?” Winning over Serge would be like swimming upstream during a hurricane, while wearing full winter gear—but something inside Dex knew the effort would be worth it in the end.