Middle Child Syndrome - Chapter 89

Chapter 89: Ch 89: You don’t like me
“Here are your flowers. Your total is 50. Would you like to pay with a card or cash?”

Rika asked as she tried to ignore the look she was getting this whole time.

“I’ll pay with cash.”

Andrew replied, but he did not move to bring the cash. At this point, Rika did not care to ask for it either.

But she made an impatient face that told Andrew to hurry up and speak if he had anything to discuss.

“Dear customer, we need to close the shop for the day. Could you please pay now?”

Finally, Daniel takes over for Rika once he realises that Rika has no intention of asking this man to pay the money. His interference finally ended the last sale for the day.

Rika left Andrew to Daniel and left early.

…Or that was what she thought she did. But Andrew caught up to her in a heartbeat and gave her a puppy-like expression.

“Hey, wait! Where are you going? I need to talk to you about something, so can I accompany you as well? I promise I am not a bad person. Don’t give me that look that says that I am a scum.”

Andrew raised his hands as soon as he faced Rika’s judgmental stare.

But even then, he refused to back down. He looked Rika directly in the eyes, and his faith seemed steady.

‘Ahh, this man will return when he gets what he wants from me. This means I have no choice but to listen to him.’

Rika sighed mentally as she watched her hopes of walking home alone being dashed. But her instincts told her that anything she said to discourage this man right now would backfire on her heavily.

“…”

Her silence was as good as a confirmation that Andrew would follow after her, and he did not hesitate for even a second as he walked after her.

It was silent for a while, and Rika liked the peace she felt. If Andrew kept being like this, Rika was sure she could endure his company.

But Andrew decided to drop a bomb on Rika’s head when she got comfortable.

“Hey, Rika. I know I have been a pain in your ass ever since we met again, and I know that you don’t like me. But I need to tell you my feelings. I like you. And I mean romantically. I want to date you.”

Rika stopped walking. For a second, she stopped breathing as well as soon as these words registered in her mind.

Her brain stopped working, and it caused her to collide with Andrew.

As soon as it all happened, Rika gathered herself and decided to calm herself down forcefully.

‘One deep breath, nor twice! Don’t let it bother you like this. You can just focus on yourself. Shit! That shocked me.’

“Hey Rika, are you alright? Did I drop this bomb too early? Sorry, I did not mean to do that. I just wanted to get my feelings out in the open. Sorry if I scared you.”

Andrew tried to touch Rika’s face to see if she was okay, but she backed away before his hand could feel her face.

“I am fine. Also, I am afraid that you are mistaken about liking me. Your instincts need clarification since I look and feel like an omega. This feeling will settle down soon.”

Rika assured the alpha in front of her.

She was confident about her words because that was what usually happened.

The first time someone confessed to Rika was when she had just passed her presentation age.

When that alpha confessed, it was a shock and a surprise. But then she was dumped even before she could answer.

She remembered how the alpha had walked up to her with an annoyed and scared expression the next day after confession. She told Rika that he had been mistaken about her and liked omegas better than her.

It had hurt the first time, but after being told this a dozen times, Rika had become insensitive.

“You don’t like me, Andrew Tweten. No one does. You just like the ‘idea’ of me – a beta that feels and looks almost like an omega. But as much as you like that idea and me, it will not last long. So, I would rather not take this risk.”

That and the fact that Rika liked someone else made her unable to commit herself to a relationship, even if she did get into one.

Hurting another person was not her intention.

Andrew looked like he accepted what he was hearing. He sighed, and Rika felt her heart relax.

But when she felt safe, Andrew reached out to grab her arm, and his grip hurt Rika’s arm.

“Do you think you know my feelings better than I do? I know what I feel for you is more than friendship. My heart skipped a beat the first time I saw you in the mall. Even now, it is thundering in my chest. There is no way I am mistaken about you-”

“So, you think you would like a beta Romantically? Can your alpha even handle it? Think about your ruts! Even another alpha would be a better choice. At least they would be able to help you out with their pheromones. What can I even do for you?”

In the end, it all came down to this.

No matter how much this alpha liked Rika, he could not stand the lack of pheromones or when his own refused to work.

Rika was sure the air around her was filled with pheromones, but she did not feel them. She just thought that the air was a little denser than usual.

Andrew looked tense, and Rika could tell that he was about to crack soon.

But before she could give that last push, someone slammed into Andrew from the back and almost knocked him right on top of Rika.

Thankfully, there was a wall Andrew put his hand on to maintain his balance, and he did not crush Rika with his weight.

Rika managed to look behind Andrew and noticed the omega that had crashed into the pair.

That omega looked unsteady and had hazy eyes.

‘Shit! That omega is in heat.’