(BL)Alpha Made
Chapter 58: You and I are not the same

Chapter 58: You and I are not the same

Andrew stared down at Maxwell, unsure what he should do next. He realised he probably shouldn’t have kissed him in front of his family, which is why he had held himself back for so long. Maxwell had just been too sweet for him to resist.

"A-Andrew, not in front of everyone." Maxwell whispered tensely, his cheeks turning a brighter shade and Andrew exhaled slowly.

"I’m sorry Maxwell. I didn’t mean to embarrass you." Andrew apologised easily, withdrawing his hand from Maxwell’s face. Maxwell made a face, and Andrew paused. He wasn’t sure what to do here. He knew that face. It was the face he made when Maxwell didn’t like what he’d done.

Did that mean he wanted him to keep his hand on his face? Or was he upset that Andrew kissed him?

Panic filing him, Andrew was frozen in place. Until laughter filled the air, and everyone turned to look at the smaller man who had broken the silence. It was the darker skinned man who was wearing glasses. His shoulders were shaking as he laughed, glancing at the two of them with a smile on his face.

"It’s nice to know that Maxwell can make faces like that. Thank you, Dr. Knox, for showing us a side of Maxwell we haven’t seen before." Andrew blinked, surprised by the pretty omegas response, before he softened and smiled at them.

"I am more than happy to do so, but only with Maxwell’s permission. I fear I might have overstepped this time." Andrew said, and the table laughed while Maxwell stared up at Andrew. Turning his head to the side, Maxwell sighed, before his fingers tightened on Andrew’s thigh. Andrew turned his attention back to Maxwell, finding the man adorable as he ducked his head.

"It’s not that at all, Andrew. I just...don’t like pda." Maxwell whispered, and Andrew’s eyes went wide before they softened.

"I knew that, which was why I knew I had overstepped. You were just so sweet I had a hard time stopping myself." Andrew told him warmly, and when Maxwell looked up at him, his blue eyes were soft.

"Fuck." Maxwell muttered, before he raised his other hand and yanked Andrew down to kiss him on the cheek. Surprised at Maxwell’s sudden move, Andrew’s heart was racing in his chest. Had Maxwell...ever kissed him on the cheek before? Was this the first time? If he had, Andrew couldn’t remember.

Maxwell pulled back, his ears pink, before he cleared his throat and turned away from Andrew and continued to eat. Andrew sat in shock for a moment, before a goofy, wide grin crossed his face and he turned back to his own meal, warm from the inside out.

"So, if I understood what you said earlier, you are currently unemployed?" The man next to Andrew spoke to him again, and Andrew glanced at him before nodding.

"Technically, yes. I am on hold in my field, and I have a feeling they’ve spread some wonderful rumours about me as well. So, I’m trying to pivot." Andrew smiled, before glancing at Maxwell. "Maxwell suggested that I go back to school, but I am unsure if I should. I love my job, but I just have a sneaking suspicion they are going to drag this out." Andrew laughed, and the rest of the table didn’t do the same.

"Those damn fools didn’t even realise that you were a fucking beta after all the blood tests, and that ex of yours only got hired because her aunt is on the damn board." Maxwell revealed, and Andrew was genuinely surprised. Leaning back in his chair, he thought back to his time in that office.

"Ah, that would make sense why that woman was glaring at me so harshly then. I think she’s the one who is going to hold out the longest. It’s okay. I’ll figure something out." Andrew smiled, while Maxwell fumed.

"I hate that you’re just accepting what they’ve done to you." Maxwell was so angry for Andrew’s sake, and Andrew still found it endearing.

"It’s alright, Maxwell. I am a firm believer that you get back what you give out. They will suffer the consequences of their actions." Andrew said.

"If you were going back to school, what were you planning to take?" Andrew had a feeling that he was the eldest of the three, given the way he had given Andrew the cold shoulder until now. He also seemed to be the calmest of the three, but Andrew didn’t believe that in the slightest. He might outwardly be cool and collected, but if both of his siblings were firecrackers...Andrew sighed.

"Well, I want to continue working in the sciences. I was thinking I might go back and finish my degree for medical sciences, but at the same time, it’s been years and I might have to start from the beginning again."

"It would be no problem if I put in a good word for you, especially given we backed you for scholarship originally." Maxwell’s Father interjected, and Andrew smiled at him.

"I appreciate it, but I’m never comfortable relying on others when it comes to my own abilities." Andrew told him, and the tone in the room shifted.

"Dr. Knox, how long were you in school before you had to drop out?" The eldest asked, and Andrew had to think back to it.

"2 and a half years?" Andrew guessed, the last six months of that degree a blur. The man next to him sighed, before turning to face him.

"So you accepted our scholarship for that long, you accepted our help, but now you are going to turn it away? It isn’t as if we just give that out to anyone, Dr. Knox. We give our support to the best of the best in their respective fields. I also assume you got a full ride when you were in Cambridge as well, correct?" Andrew blinked, surprised, but nodded. He scoffed. "Then I am having a hard time understanding why you are turning down my Father’s help then. He’s just finishing supporting you through a degree he promised to help with. It isn’t as if you stopped for a selfish reason." Andrew could sense his anger, and he wasn’t sure why.

"I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you." Andrew apologised easily, readily, and that only seemed to make a muscle twitch in his cheek.

"I am not upset, Dr. Knox. If I was, you would know." Andrew glanced around the table, but no one was of any help. He was having a hard time reading their expressions.

"It is clear that you are in some capacity. Did something I said upset you?" The man glared at Andrew, and it took Andrew by surprise.

"Is it wrong of me to be minorly upset when you deny our help? It’s clear that our Father wants to curry favour with you, but you turned him down. Do you think you are better than us? Is that why you keep doing it?" Andrew paled, his mouth opening to respond but he turned away from him. A bark of laughter came from Maxwell’s brother’s mouth. "This is why I don’t like people of different social statuses. It isn’t that you aren’t a good person, Dr. Knox, but we have different laws we live by. I bet you think of this as a burden, don’t you?" Andrew couldn’t refute what he was saying, and that only made him laugh harder. His pale eyes were angry, and Andrew couldn’t do or say anything at the moment to calm him.

He pushed away from the table, glancing at everyone.

"I’m going to take a smoke break. Please continue." His tone was stiff, and it was clear his partner wanted to follow him, but he was told to remain. Andrew’s head was reeling. When he glanced at Maxwell, he was staring at his older brother with a complicated expression. Andrew turned towards Maxwell’s Father, who had a similar, complicated expression of his own. Uh oh.

Andrew had a feeling that if he offered an apology now, it would be useless. He wasn’t sure if he should follow Maxwell’s older brother, but given the silence at the table, even from the wild one named William, Andrew couldn’t take it anymore.

Pushing his chair back, he smiled at Maxwell as he did so. "I think this is the time I should go explain myself, right?" Andrew said softly, and Maxwell frowned.

"You don’t have to. He’s allowed to have his own opinions." Maxwell muttered, but it was clear to Andrew that he was conflicted. As much as Maxwell moaned and groaned about his family, it was clear he didn’t like when they argued. Cupping Maxwell’s face in his hand, Andrew smiled.

"I won’t be gone long. I don’t want anyone in your family thinking I hate them fundamentally, and that we aren’t going to work out, alright?" Andrew told him, and Maxwell bit his lip, before he nodded.

"Come back safe. No fights, am I understood?" Maxwell ordered, and Andrew pressed a kiss against his forehead.

"I will not throw the first punch, nor will I stop him if he does so. I expect to be nursed to health if your brother does punch me, Mr. Beckett." Andrew teased, and watched as Maxwell’s shoulders slumped slightly.

"Ben wouldn’t do that." He said softly, and Andrew knew he had to repair this crack before it grew too big. Nodding, he glanced around the table before he made his way towards where he thought Maxwell’s brother had gone, unaware he was tracing the other alpha’s scent trail, even if he couldn’t tell.

He eventually found him on the balcony outside of the living room, and when the other man in the burgundy sweater glanced at him, he looked away. Andrew swallowed, before opening the door. He didn’t wait for the awkward silence to sit between them, and began to speak.