By Zephyria 
Ezra, managing to hear Grayson’s words amidst the noise, asked while taking a sip of his beer, “Huh? Are you talking about Dane? Didn’t you say you met him too?”
Grayson, facing his questioning look, replied, “Yeah, I did.”
A faint smile appeared on his lips. “I met him.”
“See? I told you so.”
Ezra excitedly chattered on, constantly emptying his glass. Grayson half-listened, already thinking about what was next.
“What? You want us all to go to a club?”
Dane frowned, repeating the question after hearing it from Ezra. Ezra, who had delivered the news with a cheerful expression, nodded and added, “Miller doesn’t really mix well with us. So, I thought this would be a good opportunity to get closer. We’re on the same team, after all…”
Of course, Dane didn’t see it that way.
“He’s only going to be here for a year, right? More like ten months now.”
After subtracting the time that had already passed and roughly estimating the remaining time, Ezra frowned and tapped his arm a couple of times.
“Dane, still, it would be nice to get along while he’s here.”
Ezra added, as if trying to persuade him, “Miller is just a normal person like us. He just has a different Trait.”
Dane’s reaction was immediate. “Ezra, are you drunk?”
Instead of answering, Ezra looked at Dane with a scolding expression. Soon after, Ezra sighed and changed his tone to coax Dane.
“Dane, we were wrong about him. Miller isn’t such a bad guy. If we just help him a little, he’ll be much better, I promise?”
“You’re too soft, Ezra.”
Dane still didn’t change his mind. But Ezra knew exactly what to do in these situations. He already had three daughters who were well into their stubborn years.
“Okay, okay. I understand what you’re saying. Anyway, let’s all go together. He’s reaching out to us, saying he wants to get to know us, so it wouldn’t be polite to refuse, right? Let’s just go, hang out for a bit, and then leave. If you’re busy, you can make up an excuse about Darling and leave early, right? The important thing is that you showed your face. Okay?”
Ezra continued to persuade him. Dane stubbornly kept his mouth shut but eventually let out a deep sigh and ran a hand over his face.
“It’s not an excuse about the cat. Darling gets worried if I’m late, really.”
“Yeah, of course, he does.”
Ezra, as if he knew everything, patted Dane’s back and quickly changed his tune, saying, “Then it’s settled, right? I’m counting on you to be there, okay?”
At the repeated confirmations, Dane waved his hand up and down as if telling him to leave now. He would definitely get angry if he bothered him any more than this. Ezra knew very well that this was already quite a concession from Dane’s perspective, so he quickly backed away.
Now I can clear up the misunderstanding with Dane.
A smile appeared on his lips as he walked away with light steps. Drinking with Grayson the day before had been a very good choice. During that beneficial time, Ezra had cleared up many misunderstandings about Grayson and now even considered him a pretty decent guy.
The first impression wasn’t very good, but we were the ones who attacked first, so…
Anyway, all’s well that ends well. This will put the first button that was wrongly fastened back in its place.
Watching Ezra’s retreating figure with a refreshed expression, Dane brought the can he was drinking to his mouth and emptied it in one go. The bubbles of the soda popped loudly in his mouth, stinging his throat.
What’s he thinking, that guy.
Dane frowned as he thought. Grayson Miller turning out to be a good guy? That’s ridiculous. Ezra is completely mistaken.
Usually, he’s such a good person that one of his few flaws is seeing the whole world through rose-colored glasses. He doesn’t even think about why Dominant Alphas are called psychopaths.
Well, that’s how all humans are.
It’s not just because they’re psychopaths. Humans are inherently cruel and shameless. So, Ezra’s words might not be entirely wrong. Dominant Alphas are just normal people like us.
Normally shameless, normally brazen.
Thinking that far, he soon chuckled. It’s not like I’m any different.
Loud music echoed all around. The ear-splitting noise made Ezra feel dazed. Making his way through the swaying bodies of people dancing under the flashing lights from all directions required a considerable amount of energy. By the time he finally reached the bar and ordered a beer, he already felt completely drained.
“Are you okay? Snap out of it.”
DeAndre grinned as he spoke. Only after chugging the cold beer did Ezra finally shake his head and answer, “I never liked places like this. It’s amazing, really. I’m already exhausted just from getting here, but those people are even going out there to dance.”
Ezra, who had spoken in admiration, slowly lowered the beer bottle he was about to bring to his mouth. DeAndre, who was standing next to him, was also staring blankly in the same direction.
There was Dane, dancing. The sight of his body naturally swaying under the chaotic lights, with a woman he had never seen before pressed tightly against him, moving together, made it clear to anyone that he was enjoying himself a thousand percent. After seeing him put his arm around the woman’s waist and kiss her neck, DeAndre burst out in frustration and asked, “Didn’t that bastard say he didn’t want to come?”
“He did.”
Ezra replied. DeAndre snorted and brought the beer to his mouth.
“Unbelievable, he seems to be enjoying himself the most?”
“I know.”
Ezra replied again with a dazed expression to the resentful tone. Suddenly, he looked to his side and saw Grayson leaning against the bar, drinking beer. Feeling unnecessarily awkward, Ezra glanced at Grayson, but it was difficult to read his expression because of the dazzling lights.
“Hey.”
At the loud call, Grayson paused and looked down at him. Seeing his softly curving eyes, Ezra felt even more weighed down.
“Have you talked to Dane?”
Grayson silently shook his head in response to the question, which he had shouted with all his might. Ezra slumped his shoulders in disappointment.
Haa, I knew it. He thought inwardly. I should have suggested changing the venue when he said club. It’s not like people come here to drink in the first place, and there’s no way Dane would come to a place like this and quietly drink and go home.
He regretted it, but it was already too late. This was Grayson’s fault for choosing the club in the first place. He said he wanted to get closer, so he must have chosen a place that Dane would like, and this fun atmosphere might be helpful, but…
He should have considered the other person before deciding. Bringing a man who always hooks up with someone for a one-night stand on his days off to a place like this is like putting an aquarium in front of a cat.
Ezra shook his head again and brought the beer to his mouth, thinking that he was the one who should go home early, not Dane.
“Why don’t we go to my place together?”
The woman, pressing her chest against Dane’s body, asked. She said that she had come with two friends and that she shared everything with them, including where she lived. In other words, that included doing that. It wasn’t that he had never dealt with three people at once, but it was too late today.
“Sorry, maybe next time.”
He conveyed his apology by giving each of them a very passionate kiss in turn before saying goodbye. After lightly waving his hand, Dane came down from the floor, swept back his sweaty hair, and walked to the bar where his colleagues were waiting. The other men bitterly watched him order and drink a beer, just like the rest of them. Ezra, who had been silently watching him gulp down the cold alcohol, his Adam’s apple bobbing, finally opened his mouth after Dane took the bottle away from his lips.
“You seem to be having a lot of fun, you.”
“Not bad.”
“What? Not bad? Not baaad?”
DeAndre, who was standing right next to him on the other side, immediately shouted exaggeratedly.
“You’re only going to say it’s not bad? How much and how are you going to do it if it’s good? Huh? You were just with three women, huh? Your bodies were like this, like this, huh? And then what? Not bad?”
“He even kissed them! Three of them!”
“You bastard, you’re an enemy of humanity! Be cursed!”
Voices condemning him poured out from all directions. Dane emptied the remaining beer with a nonchalant expression. The loud music continued to ring in his head. Should I just go home? Looking at the time, it was quite late.
Of course, he had no intention of going back without doing anything. As he slowly looked around the room to find a suitable partner, he happened to make eye contact with a plump, cute-faced man with a bit of meat on him.