(BL)Alpha Made
Chapter 73: Nostalgia in a cup

Chapter 73: Nostalgia in a cup

Andrew calmed down by the time the smaller Mrs. Proctor came back and put down the tea she had made as well as a plate of cookies.

Andrew glanced at her from where he was and found that her smile was soft, and she held onto her tray in front of her as she looked at them.

"It’s okay if you don’t want to do this today." She told him softly. "I know it must be a lot. We’ve been working like this for a while, it won’t hurt us if we continue to work like this for a little bit more." She told him, and that seemed to calm him more.

No. He couldn’t keep them living like this. This was something he should have done years ago, and it wasn’t fair to them. They had been living like this, thinking that...

"Mrs. Proctor." Andrew sniffed, before he slowly unwrapped himself from around Maxwell, to find both of them were looking at him expectantly. He winced. "Uh, Kim, specifically." She nodded, while her wife sat down next to her. Instinctually, Kim pulled her closer to wrap her arm around her shoulder, and Mrs. Proctor tucked herself against her mate.

"Yes, Andy?" She responded, a small smile on her face. Andrew fiddled with Maxwell’s hand, tracing his fingers nervously as he tried to think of the best way to phrase this.

"Did you...did you know? That she had passed?" It was a hard question to ask, let alone answer. When Andrew met both of their gazes, he found that they had the exact same expression on their faces. It was a mix of sadness, grief, and endurance. Kim chuckled, pushing her free hand through her hair.

"Well, of course I hoped that she had run away somewhere nice and sunny where she could flourish and there were a lot of flowers and plants for her to enjoy, but I also knew her condition. She tried her best to hide it from me, but some things you just...know, you know? Especially when she started giving us gifts from things that she liked. Things that you wouldn’t care about if they got placed with us." Her smiled warped, and Andrew could tell it was because her lips were trembling. Her wife put her hand on her thigh, squeezing it in comfort. "When I didn’t hear from her for a while, and you hadn’t sent a message to the company, I thought it was okay. But then I continued to not hear anything, and after a while you just...you know, right?" Andrew’s heart was breaking.

After spending time with her and listening to her stories about the past and his Mother, he felt like such an asshole that he hadn’t followed up.

"I am so, so sorry that I didn’t make sure that you knew." Andrew bowed, his head almost hitting the table and surprising all three of the others in the room.

"Andy, you don’t need to apologise! Your family member had just died. It’s okay. I’m not angry or even mad at you. I just..." Andrew raised his head when her voice cut off. She was swallowing a lump in her throat, fighting tears. "W-Was it...was it painless?" She asked softly, and Andrew’s own eyes watered.

He thought back to his Mom, withering away by the day, her skin clung to her bones and she looked like she would break at a touch. Her grip remained firm when she held Andrew’s hand, but her eyes had lost their shine and her hearing had been going. She swore she wasn’t in pain, but Andrew had seen how much medication they were pumping into her system. He knew that his Mom had the habit of lying to him when things got tough.

Cause they always got tough.

Squeezing Maxwell’s hand a little too tightly, Andrew swallowed before he met Kim’s gaze.

"Yes. It was painless." He lied easily, knowing any other answer wouldn’t be correct. The couple closed their eyes in unison and sighed, holding each other.

"Oh thank the gods." Kim whispered, and Andrew’s jaw tightened. "I just wanted...one part of it to be painless, you know?" Andrew nodded, unable to speak past the emotions inside of him. He was turbulent inside, all of the old feelings he’d had for the man who had done this growing once more. His father had hurt so many people with his actions, and he didn’t even care.

Andrew was going to punch his lights out the moment he saw him.

A phone ringing filled the air and Maxwell sighed heavily.

"I am so sorry. They wouldn’t call me if it wasn’t urgent." Andrew nodded as Maxwell got to his feet, pulling out his phone and leaving the room. Andrew could tell it was Mr. Newman on the other line since he opened with an apology before rattling on. Maxwell gave Andrew a brief smile before the large doors closed behind him and everyone had some privacy.

Andrew worried that this change in topic had ruined the mood, but he also wasn’t sure how to recover it either. It was Mrs. Proctor who did so. She gestured to the tea in front of Andrew with a warm smile.

"Have a sip. It was something your Mom used to enjoy when she was in the office. I’ve kept some on hand ever since. Whenever Kim and I miss her too much, we brew ourselves a batch and just talk about her until we feel better." Andrew jerked his head in a nod at her soft, kind words and reached out. His hands were shaking almost violently and he took a second to take a deep breath and calm himself.

He was a strong man. He could handle some conversations about his Mom without filling with panic, even with Maxwell gone for a little bit. Maxwell would be so proud of him if he managed okay without him at his side for a moment. He might even get rewarded.

With that thought, his hands slowly began to slow down until it was a manageable tremble, and he picked up the teacup. Raising the cup to his lips, Andrew let the floral, slightly bitter scent wash over him before he took a sip, and felt tears run down his face when it touched his tongue.

Andrew wasn’t a connoisseur when it came to tea. He’d never had been. He drank whatever gave him caffeine, and preferred it to be on the sweet side. His Mom however, because of her years working in a flower shop before opening her next venture, had a very delicate palate. She loved teas of all kinds, but had a soft spot for anything that was floral, with a slight tang, and made her feel at home.

This tea fit that description. It wasn’t overwhelming when it hit his mouth, but it was floral, reminding him of roses. It had a hint of something else, a little richer and deeper that mellowed out the floral front notes, but Andrew didn’t know what that flavour was called. But the taste, the smell, and the emotions it made him feel turned into tears running down his face.

"Andy? Are you alright?" Kim asked, clearly worried by his response but Andrew nodded, using the back of his hand to wipe away his tears.

"Sorry. You’re right. This does remind me of Mom." Andrew’s lips trembled as he tried to smile. All efforts to calm himself were out the window, but he wasn’t going to let his emotions get the best of him. He knew that he couldn’t let his pheromones leak out and hurt the women across from him, so he did his best to stop that from happening as he took another sip of the tea.

It was washing through him, cleansing him of all of his anger and rage. Like a wave flavoured with the sweet scent of roses and something a bit richer, Andrew found that with each sip he became cleaner and cleaner. Soothed, warmed, tears still running down his face, Andrew reached for a cookie and nibbled on it while he sniffed.

Kim’s chuckle made him look up. Her eyes were also wet, but there was a soft look in her eyes. "You haven’t changed. You were always a big baby as a kid. Your Mom had a hard time getting you to stop hiding behind her. She called you her little leech since you wouldn’t let her go." Andrew paused, having forgotten that as she laughed.

"I...don’t remember that." Mrs. Proctor chuckled, covering her mouth as she laughed.

"Of course you wouldn’t. You were practically a baby back then. You were so small, and your Mom loved to dress you up in little suits. It was adorable. You had such big, brown eyes back then, and when you had to get glasses? Oh, I nearly had a heart attack, you were so cute." Andrew’s tears were slowly drying as embarrassment began to fill him.

"Oh. I-I wasn’t that cute." The door opened as Maxwell came back in, tucking his phone into his pant pocket.

"What is this about Andrew being cute?" He asked, taking in the trio. Maxwell’s smile dropped when he noticed how red Andrew’s face had gotten. "Why were you crying?" Maxwell asked, marching towards him and cupping Andrew’s face in his hands. Maxwell frowned as he stared down at Andrew’s slightly puffy eyes, his runny nose, and the way he was shaking. "What has my big Baby so upset, hmm?" Maxwell murmured, and Andrew felt his cheeks heat for a different reason.

"W-We were just discussing my Mom." Andrew muttered, his words a little slurred because of Maxwell’s hold. Maxwell frowned, before leaning in and pressing a kiss under each of Andrew’s eyes. Andrew felt his breathing stop at the obvious affection Maxwell was showing in front of others. Maxwell pulled back, his thumbs rubbing small, distracting circles into his skin.

"I am sorry you are crying then. Are these sad tears?" Maxwell asked softly. Andrew sniffed.

"They are complicated tears." Andrew answered, and Maxwell stared at him for a long moment before pressing a light, quick kiss against Andrew’s lips.

"Alright. As long as you aren’t upset." Maxwell said, giving his face a squeeze before he released him and sat down next to him. Andrew sat in a daze as Maxwell picked up the teacup in front of him and took a sip. "Oh! What a lovely tea. I haven’t had something like this in quite some time." Andrew couldn’t shake the feeling that Maxwell had just had his wicked way with him and then went into a meeting. In fact, Andrew had a feeling that was going to happen in their future.

Swallowing, Andrew’s hands shook for a different reason as he raised his almost empty teacup to his lips again.