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"Um. Excuse me?" Harry said after clearing his throat, a bit sad that his steps weren't indication enough of his presence, because he was never much of a talker. When there was a good motivation, however, he could be charming.
The bartender turned around from what he was doing (probably polishing glasses) and eyed Harry up and down before plastering a smile on his face. "How can I help you, sir?"
"Um... Hi! I... I'm Harry," Harry burbled very quickly and realized that the bartender's smile got even wider and made wrinkles form around his eyes.
"Harry," the man rolled the two syllabed in his mouth as if to test their taste on his tongue like a good alcohol. "...Nice name."
"Thanks, uh-" There was... something about him, Harry decided. Something in his eyes. It felt like the man wanted Harry to decipher it. He just couldn't pinpoint what that was exactly.
"Nick," the man reached out his hand for Harry to shake. The alpha took it politely. And it was only as they touched, that it finally clicked.
The bartender was an omega. And his scent (almond milk) was floating all around them now. He even let it linger on Harry’s skin...
Harry’s eyes widened with the discovery and he let go so quickly as if the contact burned him.
"Sorry, I..." Having an omega displaying their interest like this was usually very flattering. Harry used to like it. But now, he... he didn't. At all.
"I just wanted to ask if I could play for a bit? On the piano."
Nick's fragrance got tamed right that second. He blushed, apparently embarassed, but Harry didn’t even pay attention to it. His heart was frantically jumping in his chest. Because. What was this?! It never happened. Not once did his alpha reacted like this to a potential mate even before knowing them. Now, though, now, there was cinnamon in his head. And this... this didn't feel right.
He swallowed with difficulty, but that was when another man leaned against the bar from Harry’s side.
"Did I hear you speaking about pianos?" He smiled. "I'm Zayn," he offered his hand and Harry accepted it as the man added: "the one who usually plays and who'd gladly take a pause-" at once, a wrinkle appeared on his brow. He must have picked up on it then. "Sorry, um... did I just... interrupt something?" He shot one look to Nick, who bit his lip regrettingly.
"No," the omega mumbled, eyes pointed to Harry.
"Ok! Thank God!" Zayn faked a relieved exhale. "I almost got scared. Because even I, as a beta, could read the discomfort in the air," he laughed and threw an arm around Harry’s shoulders while also tapping the second one against his chest. "Where's your mate, then? Which one," he turned to the tables where a few of the first morning guests were sitting.
Harry choked on his inhale. "M-mate?"
Zayn raised an eyebrow at him. "Look. I said I'm a beta. Not dumb. No-one without a mate ever resists our Nick, here, so... Wait!" He took a step back as if he needed to take a look at Harry from afar, the arm previously thrown around him now stretched between them and anchored by a squeeze on Harry’s shoulder. "I actually know you! You were the one who boarded the very last second back in New York! I just went out to take a smoke when you were arguing with Richard and Sam about something! I remember your mate, too! Sleeping Beauty!" He laughed and winked. "It was so sweet of you to carry him," he swooned with delight and Harry didn’t know what to do. "Hey!" Zayn yelled with excitement as he turned his focus on the people having breakfast. "Let me point him out in the crowd! That should be fun!"
"He's not my mate," Harry set the record straight before he realized he shouldn't have said it.
As an enormous regret started to seize his stampeding heart, the omega bartender propped himself against the bar eagerly from the other side: "Yes, please, enlighten him!" he pleaded and gave the beta an offended look. "Like I would ever try it on someone who has one!"
Due to Zayn’s confused expression after he realized that Harry didn’t have a bond mark, Harry felt as if he just fell into a meat grinder. Telling people the truth, let alone someone from the crew... that was playing with fire. So... To try and repaire the damage, he quickly said: "It's complicated. Between us."
Zayn stared at him for a very long time before a question: "He doesn't know, then?"
"Uh..." What the hell did Zayn mean?!
Zayn tilted his head slightly. "You should tell him."
"Tell him?" Harry repeated dumbly.
"You know," Zayn squinted his eyes and the look in them felt like it would be more than weird if Harry didn't know, "that he's..."
It made the alpha feel as if this was his last chance to make it seem like he actually did understand what was going on. Like he needed to pretend. "...Oh! Right! Maybe I should. But not so soon after his drop," he forced out a chuckle, still clueless, but relieved that Zayn's suspition seemed appeased when he made a pitiful face.
"Oh!" He looked to his shoes and back at Harry. "...How is he, then?"
Harry knew he should respond quickly. Say anything. And the first word that came to his mind altogether with Louis' face was: "Peculiar."
It was only then that he realized Zayn was probably asking about Louis' health or something, considering that he, Harry, just mentioned the omega's drop.
What even has he just let out of his mouth?!
He started to panic for anew. But Zayn bursted out laughing. "Oh my God, man! You're real fun! Are you sure you're a pianist? I'd have guessed a comic!" Harry noticed he even had to wipe out a tear from how well he was amused.
"Ha, ha!" Harry managed to get out, currently regretting ever coming here to ask about playing.
"Come on! I'll introduce you to the rest of the band, ok?" Zayn tugged his sleeve and Harry sent a thank you to whoever up the sky that just decided to give him mercy.