Sarah sat at the side table with her chin propped in one hand. She was watching two separate couples dissolve into their own private universes as if the rest of the seaside estate had simply ceased to exist.

The sunset poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, painting the first floor in bands of molten gold and violet. The soft ambient lighting dimmed in response as if it wanted to set the mood.

Over by the pool table, Grayson had his hand resting on the small of Neville’s back while murmuring something near his ear.

Whatever he said made Neville’s ears turn a shade of pink that no amount of dim lighting could hide.

Neville smacked Grayson’s arm and tried to look annoyed, but the corners of his mouth curled upward.

A few meters away, Bryan leaned against the table, while Iris pretended she wasn’t leaning into his shoulder. Bryan’s free hand rested casually on the back of the table.

Sarah knew she had done this to herself. But she couldn’t help but let out a slow breath, drinking her annoyance away.

"I know I’m the one who suggested this ’competition,’" she said, her voice tinged with the complicated emotion. "But damn. They’re really going at it."

The "competition" had been a joke, something about which of the couple could out-flirt each other. She hadn’t expected anyone to actually take it seriously.

And yet here she was, a front-row spectator to a live romantic drama unfolding in surround sound, and she couldn’t even change the channel.

Pete sat across from her, drinking and also watching calmly, faintly amused. He tilted his head slightly, tracking Grayson’s hand as it moved from Neville’s back to brush a stray lock of hazel-brown hair behind his ear.

"They probably aren’t even thinking about the ’competition’ anymore," Pete said with a flat and unhurried tone.

Next to him, Chronos had his legs crossed at the ankle, enjoying the free entertainment.

For someone whose public persona was that of an untouchable idol, he was really enjoying this.

Chronos reached into the small plate of avoine cookies between them and popped another one into his mouth without looking away from the couple.

"This is better than anything on StarNet," Chronos said, chewing carefully.

"Still. Live action is really..." Sarah’s eye twitched. "...different."

No drama broadcast could ever replicate something real like this. The couple’s micro-expressions. The accidental touches that lasted half a second too long.

The way Neville’s ocean-blue eyes darted away from Grayson’s gaze and then drifted back, as if pulled by something magnetic and completely involuntary.

Sarah’s chest tightened for a second, but she shook her head, blaming the alcoholic drinks she had already consumed.

Chronos crunched another cookie. "Ten star coins on the new couple."

Pete turned to him. "Oi. You’re eating too much of that," but Chronos just ignored him.

"Twenty on Bryan and Iris," Sarah shot back, because if she was going to suffer, she was going to profit from it.

Pete looked between them. "Are you two serious?"

Chronos plucked a small piece from the cookie and held it out toward Pete. His fingers brushed Pete’s lips as Pete instinctively opened his mouth.

The gesture was so natural that it barely registered as unusual—unless you were Sarah, who was incredibly sensitive today, noticing practically everything.

"Just watch," Chronos said softly.

Pete chewed the piece of cookie and said nothing.

Sarah’s eyes narrowed. She looked from Chronos to Pete. Then back to Chronos. Then to Pete’s hand, which at some point came to rest on the armrest that was suspiciously close to Chronos’s elbow.

"Are you two—"

Pete’s eyes slid toward her with an unmistakable message.

"Shh."

Sarah’s mouth fell open. Her eyes widened, and she pressed both hands flat against the table.

"Seriously?!" Her voice rose, gesturing wildly between them, then at the two couples, then at herself. "Am I the only one single here?!"

It was dramatic and tragic, but her voice wasn’t loud enough to get everyone’s attention.

A shadow then fell across the table.

Julius set down a tray of non-alcoholic drinks—tall glasses of something carbonated with thin slices of khe citrone floating on top—and slid into the empty chair beside Sarah.

"I am too," he commented.

Sarah turned to look at him. Julius’s expression was as blank and unyielding, equally pitiful like hers.

She eyed him with naked suspicion. "You? Are you sure?"

Julius shrugged, "Been that way since birth."

Sarah made a sound that was half laugh, half incredulous exhale. "Pfftt—"

Pete reached for one of the glasses and took a measured sip with a thoughtful expression. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

After a moment, he set the glass down and said, "If Grayson hadn’t been with Neville, Grayson’s one too."

Sarah whipped toward him. "Him too?"

Chronos tilted his head, "Is being single since birth really a problem?"

"Of course it is!"

Sarah said, turning to Chronos. She lowered her voice, though not nearly enough to be called a whisper.

"If a single alpha pheromones aren’t released or appeased regularly by an omega, their future partner would suffer. All that pent-up—"

She made a vague, expressive gesture with both hands.

Chronos nodded slowly; his expression became that of understanding.

"Oh, you mean that pent-up."

Sarah’s eyes narrowed again, "Is that from experience?"

Chronos smiled, giving absolutely nothing away.

Julius glanced toward the pool table, where Grayson had just chalked his cue. Neville stood beside him, arms crossed, watching Iris line up her next shot.

The game had paused, but the tension between the two couples was still there.

"Fifty on Grayson," Julius said.

Chronos blinked and turned to him. "I know I bet on them, too, but they have no experience."

"No experience means more to explore." Julius picked up his glass and took a slow sip. "They have the tendency to go wild."

Sarah stared at him. "And you say you have no experience."

Julius’s expression remained perfectly blank. "There’s porn."

Pete choked on his drink, making his eyes water a little. He set the glass down and pressed the back of his hand to his mouth, staring at Julius.

"I didn’t expect you to be that kind of person," Pete said.

Julius offered no explanation, utterly unbothered.