"Have a good day, bud," William said to Nate as he dropped him off in front of the school. Nate jumped out of the car and ran to Jenny by the front gate, and the two of them walked together, chattering to each other.

On Sunday, the day after their dinner with Parker and Kell, he'd dropped Nate off at Jenny's house for another playdate and had spent a good portion of the rest of the day debating whether or not he should pop in to Send Noods for a meal, even though he'd already eaten and wasn't even hungry. He'd decided against it. Three days in a row? How weird would that be? Not to mention he normally didn't eat out so much, and it was going to start getting expensive. But even without going to the restaurant, he found himself thinking about the hunky chef. The thoughts persisted all the way to when he went to get Nate from Jenny's house, through cooking dinner, even when he and Nate sat in the living room playing Nintendo. And as William drove to work from Nate's school, thoughts of Dakota were still following him. It was just curiosity, mainly, but he still felt oddly stalkerish thinking about him so much. The guy barely even knew he existed.

The Leipold Design office was a relatively short drive from William's neighborhood, nestled amongst a series of old warehouses that'd been converted into fancy loft apartments and offices. Their place was fairly small. He, Parker, and Kell were the only employees. It was an open floor plan, with tall ceilings and exposed concrete walls. Parker and Kell were both sitting at their desks, quietly drawing on their tablet computers. Lianne had her own special baby corner, with a crib and toys and a little swing, and they sometimes brought in a sitter to watch her when they were extra busy. They both looked up and smiled. Parker pulled out his earbuds and said, "Good morning."

William settled in at his desk and clicked through the emails for the day. The two of them had recently completed work on an art installation for the airport, and through that had received several other high-profile commissions for corporate installations. Because they were in the design phases of those, they'd closed off their availability for new work, which meant fairly easy days for William. Mostly he would sort through and organize paperwork, reply to any emails, answer the occasional phone call, and run errands.

"You guys want coffee?" he asked, but both of them had earbuds in and didn't hear him. He went over to the kitchen to prepare a pot. Someone would drink it.

His phone vibrated.

VICTOR: I heard through the grapevine that you went back to Send Noods? Sounds like someone's got a crush.

WILLIAM: Whaaat who told you that?

VICTOR: Nate mentioned it yesterday.

WILLIAM: That little snitch. We were going to go somewhere else but the highway was overrun by chickens.

VICTOR: OMG. I heard about that. So sad.

WILLIAM: I don't have a crush. But for some reason I can't stop thinking about him.

He paused and sent another message.

WILLIAM: It makes me feel creepy. Isn’t that creepy?

VICTOR: He's a good-looking guy and you're in need of some alpha lovin’. Nothing wrong with that.

WILLIAM: You didn't say that it isn't creepy...

VICTOR: Oops, I gotta go. Brb!

Dammit, Victor, he thought and pocketed his phone. Thanks a lot. The coffee machine gurgled and began to drip the fragrant roast into the pot. His phone vibrated again, and he saw that he'd received some Ember notifications.

DESMOND41: Hey, sexy. You look fucking hot right now. Wanna fuck?

He deleted the message.

BIGDADDYYY: There has never been an exquisite angel such as yourself to grace this planet. I'm enraptured by the sight of your perfect face and body. I would love to suck your cock.

"Oh god," he muttered, horrified. Was that all people wanted from this thing? Just to hook up? A feeling of hopelessness slowly draped over him, the same feeling that'd kept him from dating all this time. He couldn't bear dealing with assholes like that anymore.

The coffee pot sputtered. He pushed the phone back into his pocket. He was just glad that online dating apps hadn't been around when he was still making poor decisions with his life.

"I smelled coffee," Kell said, coming around to the kitchen. "You're the best, William. The coffee that Parker makes is always so damn bitter. Kind of like his soul."

William laughed. They both looked over at Parker, who was glaring intensely at his computer screen. His brother had always been a very no-nonsense type of person and could often be harsh with his demeanor and words. Tact had never been his strongest point, and even though he'd gotten quite a bit more sensitive since being mated to Kell, he still could be as black and bitter as a cup of over-brewed coffee.

Parker looked up at them and pulled out his earbuds. "What?"

The two of them laughed again. "Nothing," William said. "You want coffee?"

"Yes," he said, standing up and stretching his wrist. "I would kill for some coffee."

"Well, it's brewing. Come grab yourself a mug."

"You're not going to get it for me?" he asked.

"Ha-ha," said William. The machine finished brewing, and he poured himself a mug and handed the pot to Kell before going back to his desk. Later, Kell sent him a big list of materials that needed to be ordered for the project: paints, ceramics, various specialty tools, licenses for new drafting software. He went through it all, making phone calls and writing emails to place bulk orders and look for discounts. He was good at getting them deals due to the charming and gently persistent way he spoke to the vendors. Just like his brother, he also had a sharp, no-nonsense sensibility, though he was much better at dealing with people than Parker was. He secured a discounted bulk order of paint for the project, on the condition that it be picked up from the warehouse that day. He let Parker and Kell know and left the office to go pick it up.

The warehouse was further east, and the trip there took him over an hour with the usual traffic. He spent another hour figuring out how to load the heavy palette of paint cans into the back of his car. He was starving by the time he finished. It was already mid-afternoon, and he headed back to the office with lunch on his mind. He had a box of leftovers from last night’s dinner waiting for him in the fridge, but with traffic getting back he didn't know if he could wait that long to eat. He could feel a hunger headache coming on. But where would he go?

Almost immediately, Send Noods popped into his head. He had to laugh. No way could he go there again, the third time in less than a week. Then he'd really be creepy.

He remembered what the waitress had told them the other night, that after lunch on weekdays were usually not very busy. He imagined going into the restaurant and sitting alone at a table in the corner, staring at a bowl of ramen trying not to be awkward and weird.

Or... he could go and talk to Dakota.

It didn't have to mean anything. He could just sit at the counter and make some conversation. Get to know the guy a bit.

And then what?

What the hell was he expecting? Why was he spending so much emotional energy thinking about this? If he wanted to go and talk to him, then he should just do it instead of overthinking every little thing. That was what was making it weird. Nothing would happen, anyway. All that was just in his head.

"Okay," he said to himself, squeezing the steering wheel tightly as he made the decision. He'd go to the restaurant.

* * *

Dakota was running the place by himself, as he sometimes did on weekday afternoons after the lunch rush. It was mostly empty, with just a couple guys from one of the local offices eating on their break. Today was Ellie's day off, and though there was no one to talk to, Dakota could always find things that needed to be done to occupy himself. He washed and chopped up spinach that he would add to the miso ramen, and then cleaned each of the soy sauce and vinegar dispensers on the tables, one by one. The glass dispensers with their red lids looked especially tiny in his huge hands. His knuckles were marked with old scars from when he was young, scars that he'd gotten from fights.

He wiped the dried soy sauce from the dispenser and placed it back on the table, and heard the front door to the restaurant open. "Welcome!" he boomed, turning around. He was surprised to see William standing in the doorway. He wore a crisp oxford button up that was tucked into a pair of ironed chinos. It looked like he was coming from work. He looked very sharp.

Dakota's heart pounded. He definitely did not expect to see William back here again already. Did this mean something? Or did he just really like ramen?

"Oh, hello," Dakota said, slightly flustered. "Just you today, William?"

"Just me," he replied.

"Sit anywhere you'd like," Dakota said. He felt all tingly and loose with adrenaline, a similar feeling to the one he used to get after getting into a confrontation with someone. It'd been a long time since he'd felt that.

He watched as William passed the tables and took a seat at the counter. Dakota swallowed a lump in his throat, figured out how to control his legs again, and brought a menu over to William. He went back behind the counter and put a bowl on the counter to prepare for William's order.

"I really like the salt broth ramen," William said. "But maybe there's something better I should try?"

"I'd recommend them all," said Dakota. "But the miso is my personal favorite. It's a recipe I brought over from Japan."

"Well, I'm definitely going to need to try that, then."

"Coming right up."

Dakota pulled out the ingredients to complete the miso broth, and then decided he would cook something extra for William. He grabbed the stuff for the gyoza pot stickers and set to work.

William sat quietly at the counter. The two office workers had left, and the restaurant felt extra silent.

"You went to Japan?" William asked.

William had also felt the uncomfortable silence. Why was there this awkwardness between them? He was just another customer, so why was he getting all nervous?

"I was born there," Dakota said, squirting some oil onto the stove. He put the pot stickers onto the surface and they hissed and crackled loudly. He covered them up with a metal lid. "U.S. army base."

"No wonder your food is so good," William said.

Dakota smiled. He checked the noodles bubbling in their mesh strainer. "You must like it, to come back a third time so soon."

William laughed. "I was in the area and it was the first place I thought of."

Did I play a part in you coming back?

The thought bolted through his mind, and he cursed himself. What the hell was he thinking?

"I’m glad to hear that," Dakota said. He pulled the noodles out of the boiling water and shook the strainer to flick off the excess water, then tipped the strainer over the bowl and gently let the noodles pool up in the middle. Then he ladled a bit more broth over the top and carefully added the toppings. He gave William an extra piece of meat and a whole egg, instead of a half. Finally, he moved the pot stickers from the grill onto a plate. "Miso ramen," he said, placing the steaming bowl in front of William. "And, a small order of gyoza. On the house."

William looked at him, surprised. "Oh, you didn't have to do that. Thank you so much."

"My pleasure," said Dakota.

It would be rude to just stand there and stare while William ate, but he wanted to continue talking to him. He pulled a rag out from his back pocket and wiped down the prep area in front of him, even though it was already perfectly clean. William tried a pot sticker and let out a low moan.

"Oh my god," he said. "This is so good. I was starving." He dug into his ramen and hungrily sucked down some noodles. "And this broth. Wow. This is really good."

"Glad you think so," Dakota said, smiling. Compliments on the food weren't anything new, but William's gave him a ridiculous feeling of happiness that seemed to swell and radiate out from his chest to every part of his body. Watching William happily enjoying the food really made Dakota feel good. Not to mention, he was extremely cute. He'd known that, of course, but he'd really only had a few brief chances to look at him before. Now, William was right in front of him. Was it odd to be feeling this way about a stranger?

Say something to him, he thought. He'd made a promise to himself, after all.

"Do you, uh, live around here?" Dakota asked.

William looked up at him, noodles hanging from his mouth. "Hm?"

"Ah, sorry. You don't need to answer that. I was just wondering, since we ran into each other at the supermarket."

"Yeah," William replied. "I live just a short drive from here. Me and my son."

"Right. Single dad." Dakota cringed the moment the words left his mouth. He was trying to be jovial, but it came out sounding extremely awkward. Jesus, single dad? What the hell was he thinking, saying something like that.

But William laughed. His eyes tightened as he did, his lips pulling back to reveal white teeth. He had a very adorable way of laughing. Dakota felt his stomach flutter.

"Dammit, Victor," William said. "That guy always says the most unnecessary things. Yeah, single dad. Nate is eight years old."

"He was in here the other night, right? Cute kid."

"Thank you. I got lucky with him. He's an angel. Complete opposite of his alpha father." William laughed again, but this time it sounded strained, and Dakota got the sense that William regretted mentioning his ex. He looked down at his bowl of ramen and continued to eat, silently.

Dakota leaned over the counter and refilled William's glass of water. He wanted to keep talking but wasn't sure what to say. He looked across the room and realized that he hadn't cleared the table where the two office guys had been sitting. "Excuse me," he said.

He wondered who William's ex-alpha had been. There'd been a noticeable change in his face when he'd mentioned him. Dakota had the feeling that it wasn't sadness from missing him.

He couldn't deny that he was interested in William, and he had the feeling that William might be interested in him too. He'd never felt interested in someone like this before. Dakota had always figured that if he ever were to meet someone, it would've been a fellow chef, or an employee. Someone close to him who he'd develop an interest in due to proximity more than anything else. He never could've imagined becoming so interested in a customer. A practical stranger. It didn't really make sense—but then, perhaps that was just how things were. Developing feelings for someone probably didn't follow any kind of logic or pattern or anything. Attraction just happened. Probably. He didn't actually know.

He’d been through a lot of shit in his life. He knew how to tough it out on his own. He knew how to fight. He knew how to stand up to bullies and handle life when everything seemed to be against him. He knew how to survive through a parent's bitter divorce. But he didn't know a damn thing about liking someone. He was pretty much clueless when it came to relationships and romance.

"The other two who were with me were my brother and brother-in-law," said William. "And their daughter Lianne."

"You know, I think I recognized them. They've eaten here before."

"They’re big fans. I've been wondering, why did you call this place Send Noods? Apart from the obvious, I mean."

Dakota laughed. "You like the name?"

"Somehow I wouldn't have thought a place with such good food would have such a silly name," William said. "I would've thought it'd be all gimmicky, or something. But you're the real deal. Japan trained and everything."

"There are so many ramen shops around," said Dakota. "Especially here in LA. Tons of great ones. I didn't think that just having the pedigree was gonna be good enough to draw people. I figured a silly name would do the trick."

“Well, I think it worked," William said. "You're really popular. You've got five stars on all the food sites. From first looking at you, I wouldn't have pegged you as the silly, joking type."

"Because I'm big and intimidating?"

"Bingo."

"Honestly, I’m a pretty serious guy. I don't know any jokes. If you asked me to make you laugh, I'd definitely fail."

William smiled. He finished up his ramen, tipping the bowl to his lips and drinking down every last drop of the broth. "That was so good," he said. "Thank you."

"Can I get you anything else?" Dakota asked. "We have mochi ice cream." He just wanted William to stay a bit longer so they could continue to talk. He knew Ellie would've nagged him to get his number, but he just didn't feel comfortable doing that. He didn't want to make assumptions and cross a boundary. William was a customer.

"No, I'm stuffed. Just the check?"

Dakota passed him the receipt. "Here you go."

William frowned. "This seems a little cheaper than it should be."

"I gave you the lunch price," Dakota said. "Normally it's until one o'clock, but I decided to extend it for today."

"Thanks, Dakota," William said. There was that adorable grin of his again. The flutter in Dakota's stomach turned into a pang of want. Another foreign feeling. "See you next time?"

"I'll be here," Dakota said. "Come back any time. It was nice talking with you." That aching feeling grew stronger, tightening around his chest. Should he just ask him for his number? He really didn't want to make William feel uncomfortable.

William walked towards the door. "You too. See you."

And then he was gone.

Dakota sighed and went around to the front of the counter to clear away William's dishes. The front door opened again. He turned around. It was William.

"Forget something?" Dakota asked.

"Hey, um... This is gonna sound really weird and I can't believe I'm even asking this but, would you be interested in going out sometime? Like, with me?"

Dakota froze in place, and he fought hard to keep his exterior looking cool. "Sure. Definitely." His heart was beating so fast.

"Oh!" William said, obviously surprised. "Okay, great."

"Oh, but I, um, I kinda work every day."

"Oh... That makes things a little difficult."

Dakota set the dishes back down on the counter and walked over to William. "Here, why don't you give me your number? We can figure something out."

"Okay," William said. The eagerness that showed on his face was way too adorable. Dakota pulled out his phone and handed it to William. Their fingers touched for a brief moment, and Dakota felt a little shiver go up his arm, like a buzz of electricity. William tapped his fingers on the phone and handed it back. "That's me. Call me so I have your number, too."

Dakota did, and William's phone buzzed in his pocket. "Great," he said. His heart had not slowed one bit. He wanted to say more, but he probably would just trip over his own words.

"Text me," William said. "We'll figure it out." He walked away, waving to Dakota, and ran into the door. "Ow. That's a door."

Dakota laughed. "Careful."

"Bye," said William, and he slipped out.

Dakota stood in silence for a few minutes in the middle of the restaurant. "Holy shit," he whispered to himself, staring at William's number on his phone. "Holy shit."

* * *

William sat in his car out in the parking lot of Send Noods, the sound of his heart throbbing loudly in his ears. He started the car and slowly pulled out of the parking lot, taking extra care not to smash into anything. He'd actually asked Dakota out. That had really happened—and he'd said yes!

Though their conversation had been quick, William was surprised at how gentle Dakota's manner was. He seemed... Mature. Put together. William didn't think he seemed like any of the other alphas he'd been with before, and certainly was nothing like Eddie.

Or maybe he just wanted to believe that, because he was really attracted to him and couldn't bear the thought of being wrong again. Just asking him out had taken a significant effort. He'd had to force that nagging part of his mind to shut down and stop doubting. He'd dived off the cliff, hoping that the landing wouldn't be too hard. Or even better, that someone catch him on the way down.

"Yo!" William said, poking his head into the door of the office. "Parker! Kell!"

The two of them peeked up over their computer monitors, like a couple of gophers popping up from their holes. "You're back," said Parker.

"Come help me with the paint," William said. "It weighs a ton."

The three of them walked to William's car and peered into the trunk, where the big cans of paint were stacked up like bricks.

"Jeez," said Kell. "You loaded all of these by yourself? Thank you, William."

"C'mon, let's grab them," Parker said, hoisting out two cans with a grunt. "We've got a deadline to keep. And yeah, thanks William. You're the best."

"You're welcome," William said, smiling.

He and Kell grabbed two cans each, and they went back and forth from the car slowly unloading it all.

"Did you eat?" Kell asked. "The traffic must've been insane. You were gone for a few hours."

"I did," he said. "I went to Send Noods."

"Again?" Parker asked. "I didn't realize you were such a big fan. Or did you just want to check out the owner?"

"He was trained in Japan," William said, matter-of-factly, ignoring his brother's question. "That's why his ramen is so good."

"How'd you find that out?"

"We talked a bit." He thought about telling Parker and Kell that he'd also asked him out on a date but decided he would withhold that information for now. He'd just gotten his number, nothing was scheduled. He didn't want to get his own hopes up by talking too much about it, but the truth was that he was thrilled. Completely unexpectedly thrilled.

William sat in his chair staring at his computer screen, barely able to concentrate on anything. When his phone vibrated on the desk, he jumped with surprise. His heart twirled when he looked at the screen.

DAKOTA: Does this Sunday work for you?

William stared at the phone, his heart pounding. He definitely hadn't expected Dakota to message him this soon. Or at all.

He did a mental schedule check, not that he even had to. He never had anything going on the weekends, except to take Nate to playdates and sleepovers.

WILLIAM: I think so.

He didn't want to sound too eager.

WILLIAM: You don't have to work?

DAKOTA: An opening in my schedule, for once.

WILLIAM: Perfect. What are we doing?

DAKOTA: Dinner?

WILLIAM: Sounds great.

DAKOTA: We'll talk more, soon. Gotta run.

One week. So it was actually happening. He was going to go on a date with Dakota in one week. It didn't seem real. Not too long ago they'd been strangers, and now they were... dating?

William reminded himself that Dakota was still a stranger. He reminded himself not to get caught up in the feelings of excitement that were welling up in his chest, to not lose his head to them like he had so many times before. But it'd been so long since he'd felt this. He squeezed his phone tightly and smiled giddily to himself. Maybe he could allow himself to get a little excited.