92. The Bear - Erik
He had been picking up extra shifts whenever possible to prepare for this activity. Although he couldn't afford anything fancy, he could, however, now afford the price of tickets and as long as he rented a suit, he could attend with Lia. Now all he had to do was figure out the best way to ask her. He had sacrificed all his free time, including the opportunities to see her outside of work, for the last couple of weeks. Knowing she was a little miffed at his busy schedule, he wanted to make it up to her with this surprise.
Arriving at work the next morning, Erik found himself still trying to think up the perfect way to ask. While his head was in the clouds, he nearly ran into a tall and burly man in a police uniform. Looking up at the towering hulk before him, he immediately recognized the man as a dominant alpha.
Erik was fighting to not recoil at the man; was taking every ounce of self control. Not only was this man a police officer, but the colors that invaded his vision were of an orange, almost salmon color. They were somewhere between pink and orange, like they couldn't decide. Warning signals were going off in his head. Authority figures scared the hell out of him. Authority figures meant danger to him and his family. Struggling to appear calm and not like he was afraid of the guy, he tried to back up, but the joyful sound of Dani behind him stopped him in his tracks.
"Sasha!" Dani cried out happily.
"Pumpkin!" The officer's voice belied his bulk.
Erik watched as Dani practically lept the last foot and into the waiting arms of the giant before him. This shocked him. Although Dani had mentioned having a boyfriend, he never pictured a hulk of a man with burgundy hair with auburn highlights, cropped close on the sides and the slightly longer top swept neatly back.
As Dani was practically swung around just outside of the coffee shop, Erik tried to sidestep the two, since they seemed in their own little world. However, in doing so, he inadvertently stepped into the path of the behemoth.
"Oh. Terribly sorry, I didn't see you there!" The thickly accented voice spoke, continuing to surprise him. It wasn't the voice he imagined such a large man having. Somehow, it was slightly feminine and about an octave higher than he thought possible. It was rich, sweet, and full of what appeared to be genuine concern. "Are you alright? I tend to be a little distracted when it comes to seeing my pumpkin."
"I- I'm fi- fine…" Erik spoke nervously.
"Sasha! You must be more aware of your surroundings, especially when it comes to being around me!" Dani chided gently.
Erik was uncomfortable. He felt the pinning gaze of the police officer with his bright topaz eyes, preventing him from scurrying away, out of sight.
"But Pumpkin! How can I not look at my cutie patootie?" Sasha pouted visibly.
Dani sighed audibly. "I understand, my big teddy bear, but that's my friend you nearly knocked over!"
The dialog between Dani and his boyfriend was so cringe, it made Erik want to give them privacy.
The big man addressed him, "I am sorry for not paying attention. I am Sasha Pavel. You are my Dani's friend?" Again, the slightly feminine pitch threw him for a loop.
"Ye-yeah." Erik gulped before remembering that his knee jerk reaction to authority figures didn't necessarily mean that they were automatically out to get him and his family. He hadn't committed a crime since moving here, and as far as he was aware, as long as he kept his head down, it would stay that way. However, he was still reluctant to give his name to the officer.
"Good! Good! Dani speaks highly of you! Good friend to my pumpkin, yes?" The accent was thicker this time. It made Erik wonder where he was from, since it didn't sound like it was from anywhere he had lived before.
"Anyway, why are you here so early, my cuddly wuddly?" Dani was still in the burly giant's arms and was unabashedly being affectionate with him. It reminded Erik of how affectionate Liona was with him, but he tried to be professional at work, so he insisted she keep the public display of affection mild during those hours. Although he craved nothing more than to be as close as humanly possible to her.
"Did you forget? It's our six-month anniversary!" Sasha pouted, which just seemed odd for such a larger than life looking person.
"I didn't forget, my big blue bear! I was planning on surprising you after my shift today!"
Erik couldn't handle it anymore. The more affectionate the two were, the more he missed Liona. He hurried past the two lovebirds, heading inside, then clocked in for his shift. A few minutes later, Dani walked in, looking like a cat that had eaten the canary. That and he had a slight hickey peeking out from his uniform collar that hadn't been there before.
"Sorry about that, Erik. Sasha doesn't always realize his surroundings when he's near me. Our bond is a little intense like that…"
"Are you two mated?" Erik blurted out against his better judgment.
"Goddess, no! We're waiting until I turn twenty to bond. But we've known we were mates for quite a while now." Dani explained as he was washing up before their shift.
"Aren't you nearly twenty already?"
"I won't be twenty until June. Until then, my big cuddly alpha has been ever so patient with my decision to wait." Dani started setting up his work area to prepare for the first wave of customers.
"Why did you want to wait until twenty? Why not bond right away? Or you could wait until you are twenty-one?" Erik genuinely was curious as he double checked if the espresso machine was working properly.
"Well, when I turn twenty, Sasha will be twenty-one. You see, we share the same birthday, just a year apart." Dani flipped the closed sign to open and turned on his headset for the first drive-through orders.
"That's neat. Then I guess I'll have to wish you a happy birthday then." Erik opened the pedestrian window to greet the first customer.
"Welcome to McDermott's Coffee. What can I get started for you?" It was the same spiel both Dani and his coworkers said the entire shift, so he thought nothing of it when Dani spoke into the headset.
"Of course, one double shot tuxedo mocha and a special bento delivery for Erik. Gotcha. Your total will be at the window…" Erik nearly dropped the drink he was handing to a customer at the pedestrian window.
"Erik, you hear that? Your mate is waiting to give you lunch. Switch places for a moment, but don't take too long. We have a line around the corner of cars." Dani turned and danced around a couple of their co-workers, who were warming food and preparing cold drinks.
At the drive-through window, Erik was happier than ever to see the sunny smile of his lovely girlfriend. He had missed her greatly, even though she had quietly sat studying at a table just yesterday at his second job.
"Hiya! I've got your lunch for today. It's orange chicken, served with fried rice. I hope you like it!" Liona handed him the all too familiar bento. A tap on his shoulder had him turning to see Dani handing him Liona's signature coffee order.
"Thanks, Lia. Will you be coming by the burger shop later?" Erik asked quickly as he handed her the hot coffee.
"Yep! Gotta jet right now, but I'll see you later!" She blew him a cute kiss before driving off.
The morning at the coffee shop flew by and before Erik realized it, it was time to clock out and head to school.
On his way to school, Erik continued his musing about how to invite Lia to prom. He wanted to make it special for her, but he had never done something like this before and was at a loss for timing and the words to express himself properly. Again, all around him at school was the buzz around prom. He even witnessed a few promposals in the halls. None of what the other students were doing even remotely looked special, so he didn't think he would get any ideas from lingering to watch.
When he arrived at his class, he headed for his seat in health class. It was 2nd period for most of the other students, but for him it was just the start of his school day. The giggles and gossip of his classmates didn't die down until the bell rang. His teacher, which he had been surprised to learn was Lia's uncle, was the teacher. He figured class would start like any other day, but this morning was different. Mr. Edevane had an announcement to make.