Aiden alone at the table, and Navid looked back through the café’s window. He caught Geoff smiling at Aiden before both men disappeared from view.
Navid leaned into Zana’s embrace in the back seat of the Mercedes, grinning.
“What are you smiling about, love? You look a little sly.”
Navid cuddled closer and tilted his face up to meet his husband’s gaze. “I think they like each other.”
Zana’s eyebrows shot up. “Who?”
“Aiden and Geoff.”
“Geoff? Isn’t he married?”
Navid shook his head. “He got divorced when he was in the army. His husband was tired of waiting for him. He’s been alone since he came back. You didn’t know?”
“No.” Zana was quiet for a moment. “Aiden seems energetic compared to Geoff.”
“They could complement each other.”
Zana squinted, then nodded. “You know, you might be right.”
One thing made Navid apprehensive about his matchmaking endeavors. “Do you think it would bother Geoff if he knew Aiden’s child was born from a bought heat?”
“I don’t know.” Zana sighed, rubbing his stubbly chin. “Many men will judge Aiden, even in this country. And strangely, those same men would never look down on the alphas who buy heats. Only on the omegas who sell them.”
Navid frowned. “Do you think Geoff is like that?”
“No. Maybe he already knows? He must suspect it. Most of the single fathers at the university are omegas who sold their heats. That’s how they can afford to study.”
“Aiden isn’t ashamed for it, but he says heat purchase should be made illegal. That omegas should be able to afford to study without having to sell their bodies.”
“He’s right. Did you know that an unmarried omega is three times less likely to get a loan than an unmarried alpha?”
“Aiden said something like that too.”
Would Geoff be okay with it? Was Navid worried about other people judging Aiden for his choices? What if Navid himself was judging Aiden? It had occurred to him many times that Aiden could have worked a little longer and saved money. He would have been able to afford to study then as well. It would have to be later and at a cheaper college, yes, but selling his heat was so extreme. And twice. Navid had thought people only did that when they were desperate, with nothing to eat. How long would it have taken Aiden to save up enough for tuition had he not sold himself? He didn’t seem to regret his choices, and maybe what he’d done wasn’t wrong at all. Maybe everybody else was wrong; all the men who built and sustained a society where some had all the power and some none.
“Aiden teases me sometimes,” he said. “He doesn’t mean anything bad by it, but I think the difference between us entertains him.”
“Does it bother you?”
“No. Not at all. He’s always kind. But we’re different.”
Zana frowned. “Of course. He grew up here in Dalton City, in this culture. His personality and temperament are different. But what do you mean when you say he’s teasing you?”
“I think he’s only trying to understand why I’m happy with my life when he couldn’t be.”
A cloud of worry passed on Zana’s face, and Navid hurried to explain. “I’m lucky because I have you and because you love me.” He swallowed. “But in front of the law, in front of god, in every aspect of our lives, you have power over me. Aiden doesn’t understand why it never bothers me.”
“Darling, in my mind, you’re a free man. I’d never…”
Navid laid his hand on his husband’s. “I know, Zana. You’re not like that. I guess I’m just realizing now how unjust the world is, you know? And how lucky I am not to suffer the consequences like others do.”
Zana kissed his temple, lingering. He didn’t say anything else, only hugged Navid’s shoulders.
“How do you feel?” he asked after a while.
The strain of the hectic day and the lengthy exam seemed to catch up with Navid. How did he feel? Drained, beat. “Just a little sleepy.”
The car hummed quietly, and Navid closed his eyes, enjoying Zana’s closeness. He’d almost dozed off before the car turned into the driveway.
They were supposed to celebrate, but Navid felt exhausted, and of course Zana noticed. It must have been the stress from the exams. After dinner, they showered together. They made love lazily and fell asleep earlier than usual, tangled in each other.
When Navid woke up in the middle of the night, he knew something wasn’t right. This wasn’t just fatigue. Had he caught a bug somewhere?
He untangled himself from his husband’s