We came in early the next day to make sure that all the work was properly executed, then left the laboratory under Pedro and Pilar's supervision. It was a good thing that I was able to persuade the professor to clean himself and wear something presentable in a checkered polo shirt and jeans. He was planning to meet Nathan's professor, after all.
"Damn that Nathan, I've been trying to call him, but he won't pick-up!" the professor mumbled as we drove towards the campus. "I even told Bless to tell him to contact me, but he never called!"
"Perhaps he is still in class," I told him.
"Hmph!" he grumbled. "That's no reason not to contact me last night!"
He kept dialing his nephew's number, until the call finally went through.
"Nathan! Where the hell are you?!" he snapped as soon as it was answered, "I've been trying to contact you since last night!"
'Tito Eric? Why? What's the problem?' his nephew asked.
"Nothing. Are you in campus right now?"
'Yeah, but I'm about to get some lunch...'
'Opo, pero, maglu-lunch na kami...'
"Good, wait for us there."
'Ha?'
"I'll meet you at the lobby of your college building in an 30 minutes. Eat fast. I hate waiting."
'What the – wait a minu – '
The professor dropped the call before his nephew finished talking.
"I think he was still trying to say something."
"Don't bother. He'd just make some stupid excuse not to come." he said as he faced me. "Now, remember, that idiot Louie doesn't want his kids to know about Blondie yet. So don't go spouting anything about them. Got it?"
"Got it."
We made our way to the College of Business Administration Building. I parked my car, then went to the lobby where we stood by the entrance to wait for Nathan. People were already gathering around us when the professor's nephew finally arrived, accompanied by several women who stared at us with their mouths open.
"Tito Eric, sorry for being late, we were eating our lunch at the other college department, Nathan apologized. "Guys, this is my uncle Eric and his friend Aahmes."
"That's Dr. Aahmes Abdel to you," snapped the professor. "I'll be taking my nephew for a while."
"I'll see you guys tomorrow," Nathan waved at his friends.
We went to their college department's library.
The librarian looked surprised when we handed her out ID's to enter the vacinity. We heard whispers as we entered and chose a table at the end of the room to keep away from unwelcome stares. The professor sat beside me, his back to the rest of the room, and placed his head on my shoulder.
"Ugh... what a draining experience... I don't think I wanna step out anymore..." he glared at Nathan. "This is all your fault! I wouldn't have to endure all those stares if only you arrived in time!"
"Can you blame them if they like what they see?" Nathan said with a chuckle as he looked his uncle and I with a smirk. "You two look great together, by the way. So, what are you doing here anyway?"
"Ask him!" he pouted at my direction.
"It was just a small request," I said.
Why can't he just admit that he was worried about his nephew, too?
"You know I could never say no to you!" he said.
It was then that I noticed that he was actually sweating and shaking a little. He was probably worried that an alpha might attack me again.
"Are you feeling okay, professor?" I asked him.
"It's okay, you're all I need to calm me down." He reaches out to my left cheek, caressing it, and gently gave me a kiss.
"I'm still here, you know," his nephew said flatly.
I sat straight in my seat and gently pushed the professor off my shoulder.
"So, what did you want to say to me? Couldn't you just meet me back home?" he asked.
"Ugh... and risk the chance of seeing Louie? No thanks!" replied Prof. Antonio.
"Speaking of Dad, did you know that an omega's trying to woo him?" Nathan whispered.
"Hu-Wat?!" answered the professor exaggeratedly.
"Shh!" Nathan silenced him, "Keep it down, the librarian might kick us out!"
"I bet he's just a kid after a sugar daddy! How dare that bastard father of yours replace my brother with a gold digger!"
I have to admit, the professor can act well. Something tells me though, that he wasn't merely acting.
"Relax, Tito, he's not a gold digger, he's still in high school, but he's of legal age already, and he's desperately going after Dad like a chihuahua in heat!" Nathan told us. "He's actually Dad's client, hails from a rich family, and says he fell in love at first sight. And dig this," he added, "he insists that it's mutual!"
"In what way?" I asked Nathan, genuinely interested. "How did they meet? What did they feel?"
"He said he felt a bolt of lightning strike him when they touched, and smelled something special from the first time they met."
I knew it.
"He said our dad smelled like vanilla," continued Continued, "while his partner smelled like cinnamon."
"So, it is true, they really are fated pairs!" I happily aced the professor. "I was actually able to conclude that, the night I took their blood and pheromone samples."
"Huh? What samples?" Nathan looked confused.
"Pshh... not this again, with the fated pairs!" the professor frowned at me. "I already told you about my brother, didn't I? If this shit about 'fated pairs' were real, then how was my brother able to turn his back on his so-called 'destined pair'? And didn't you write a book yourself, explaining FPS and debunking the myth?" He looked at his nephew next. "Did you ask your dad about Winston Heuer?" he asked.
"I did," replied Nathan. "And the answer is simple. It just shows that Papa Louie and Papa Jonas are real fated pairs."
"That's just wishful thinking!" the professor insisted. "And with your assumption, it would imply that Louie is just lusting over a young omega. It's been about 15 years, after all."
"But we cannot disregard the evidence!" I insisted. "The first touch, the unique scent, the inability to resist the other... this makes it the 18th incident from actual people I have studied so far!"
"If that is the case, are you then saying that omegas should refrain from having intimate relations with alphas and just simply wait for their fated pair?" the professor asked coldly.
"No, of course not," I answered back. "People have the right to pursue happiness, but it does not change the fact that two complete strangers – an alpha and omega, can and will get attracted to their fated pair, with no regard to who, what, or where they may meet in the future."
"Ugh... go ahead and believe what you want. I still refuse accept that hypothesis. Destiny has no power over people! It's just lust, pure and simple." insisted the professor.
"You are correct, Professor, and that is exactly what I aim to prove," I told him.
"Habibi, you really like to contradict yourself," the professor said, glaring at me.
"Of course. I am a man of science. I have a broad mind, open to all possibilities. FPS may be explained through science, but the fact still remains that destiny plays a big role in how two complete strangers get drawn to each other as if by magic."
"Wait a minute," Nathan piped in, "can you tell me all the signs for FPS or what ever that is?"
"Well," I took a deep breath, "they say, it is like love at first sight; the captivating first glance, the electrifying sensation when you first touch, the current running through your bodies, the feeling that you are finally complete. Some people also say that they notice a particular scent after the first touch, while others say that they follow this unique scent to lead them to their destined pair..."
"Wait, what kind of scent?"
"It is unique for every person. You know how a regular omega smells sickly sweet?" I asked Nathan who nodded at me. "Well, they say your fated pair would smell like the most fragrant thing you have ever smelled in the world. In some cases, it is a nostalgic scent from an old memory. To others, their favorite fragrance, or something they are well accustomed to, and of course, you won't be able to resist each other, and would feel miserable when the other is away. This is the greatest evidence of passionate love of a fated pair."
"Fuck." Nathan mumbled.
I stared at him.
"I had no idea you were such a romantic," he told me, trying to hide his reaction.
"Oh, I am not," I replied, "I am more in love with the mystery behind this science."
"Whatever. We're getting off topic," said the professor who was looking bored. "Why don't you tell him the real reason why you dragged me here?"
"Oh, right, I almost forgot!" I faced Nathan once again. "I want to meet your dominant omega."
"Eh?!" Nathan covered his mouth and looked around the silent library. "Wait a minute... what about that confidentiality rule that you told me before?!" he asked his uncle.
"Did I say a name?" the professor replied coldly.
"You mentioned that he was in your campus, so I decided to come here to meet with him," I told him.
"With me in tow," the professor piped in.
"I plan to sniff him out myself," I said proudly.
"Just know that I have nothing to do with this, Habibi just forced me to come with him," the professor told him.
"And just how do you plan to sniff him out?" asked Nathan.
"I have a very sensitive nose," I told him.
"Good luck," the professor snorted, "as long as they're taking suppressants, omegas won't leak any pheromones. Same with alphas, dominant o otherwise."
"I have my ways," I added. "So, why don't you give me a tour of your college building, Nathan?"