(BL)Alpha Made-Chapter 312: A man who needs a plan

Andrew knew that Amir and his grandmother were behaving as if they weren’t watching the jeweler run around, but Andrew didn’t have that level of professionalism to not do so. In another circumstance, yeah, but in a sparkly, almost hospital-like environment? Andrew’s head was on a swivel.

Andrew had a feeling that if they were in an actual hospital they might have opposite reactions, but then again, the Beckett family was also involved with hospitals as well, so maybe Amir would be used to it. Andrew wasn’t sure, and it honestly didn’t matter.

What mattered was that it was obvious that the poor guy was having a hard time, and Jennifer wasn’t helping out. She should have been, but maybe she was too busy trying to figure out who Andrew was attached to to care about the actual service they received.

"Are all stores this cutthroat?" Andrew asked quietly to Amir and his grandmother. Amir’s grandmother patted Andrew’s hand, chuckling.

"No. So in a way, this was also a good introduction into what not to look for when actually purchasing the ring. Clearly they have written us off because of what you said, and every action that’s followed so far. The jeweler has a chance to make it up to us. He’s been dealt a rather shitty hand. It’s all in how he recovers this." Amir’s grandmother said, his eyes curled at the corners and Amir had a similar expression on his face.

Andrew chuckled. They were as bad as the Beckett’s, but quieter about it.

"You and Ben are a match made in heaven." Andrew said quietly and Amir lit up. His face sparkling while his grandmother laughed. Hearty, full belly laughs.

"Andrew my dear, you shouldn’t say something like that. The others who know might get smart." He teased, squeezing Andrew’s arm. Andrew smiled. He was sure part of the reason that they were being treated the way that they were was due to the fact that they were both omegas. It was...pretty obvious what they were. If they had been alone, without Andrew, he had a feeling that they would be treated even worse.

Andrew didn’t like that reality, so he tended to avoid places that upset him like this. He honestly hoped that Amir’s grandparents reconsidered working with a place that was treating all of them like this. It wasn’t lost on him, nor he was sure anyone else in their two groups, that Maria and her family who were white were being treated much better than Andrew, Amir and his grandmother.

Even though Amir’s grandmother was a supplier for them.

"How do you think Max is going to react?" Andrew asked. "I didn’t tell him what I was up to today. Obviously I told him I was going to see my Mom, but I didn’t tell him why. Do you think he’s going to guess?" Andrew asked and Amir turned to him with a smile.

"Andy, there is a chance that he guesses what you were up to today, but is that such a bad thing? Even though Ben and I were engaged on paper and through our families, I knew the moment that he bought a ring that was meant for me as a symbol of our feelings for each other, not because of the agreement our parents made. He was a nervous, jittery mess. You aren’t going to be able to hide it. The only reason Maxy was able to was because he probably bought it when you were unwell and not up on his odd behaviours yet." Amir said, before his eyes widened comically. "Or he told you as soon as he got it. Not even hiding it at all." It was an interesting thing to consider.

Maxwell was good at hiding things. That was something that had been a slight problem in their relationship so far, but he had been opening up to him. Andrew didn’t think that he had gotten the ring recently, given the fact that he had pulled out the collars like it was nothing, but...Amir could be right. He probably was getting something custom made and there was a chance that it hadn’t arrived until recently. Or at the very least, a finished product that he liked.

"There is some possibility to those thoughts, but he already had some collars custom made when I was still a beta." Andrew said just as their jeweler was coming back. The jeweler paused, his eyes going wide as he turned his gaze towards Andrew. Andrew gave him a toothy grin. The jeweler dropped their gaze, swallowing as Amir reached across and slapped Andrew’s shoulder.

"He did what? Max! He’s so sneaky! You didn’t even know what they meant, did you?" Andrew felt his smile shift slightly to one that was just a little bit shy.

"No. I didn’t. My understanding of it is that it’s basically a bite mark from an alpha, right?" Amir’s eyes softened as he smiled and his grandmother squeezed Andrew again.

"Sneaky like a damn cat that one is. You better be careful or he’ll have you wrapped around his finger." He warned, no bite to his words. Andrew laughed.

"It’s too late. I was a goner when I first laid eyes on him. Apparently it was the same for him. He told me when he had them made, but I’ll leave that up to your imagination." Andrew said, giving them a wink and Amir snorted, before he covered his mouth when his grandmother gave him a look,

The jeweler quietly cleared his throat, drawing their attention towards him.

"Forgive me for interrupting, I just came back with a few selections as one of my coworkers went to grab some that I don’t have permission to. Would you mind having a look at what I have right now, and we can discuss the pros and cons of some of them?" Andrew was surprised that was what he said, but he didn’t mind. He stepped forward, Amir coming around to his other side so that Andrew had his grandmother on his left, and Amir on his right.

If Andrew was honest, he couldn’t really tell the difference between most rings. This was his blind spot, and it was becoming a glaring issue the more he stared at the rings. The jeweler chuckled.

"You look a bit like a deer in the headlights. Is this your first time inside of a jewelry store?" He asked, his tone kind and Andrew chuckled.

"Unless you count following my Mom around in mall jewelry stores when I was a kid, yes." He admitted and the expression on the jeweler softened. He seemed a little less nervous the more he talked and Andrew was glad for it.

"Well, if that’s the case, how about I explain what I’ve selected, and why. Something to consider is that, and I’m making an assumption here so feel free to correct me, that you are buying for someone else. When doing so, you need to think about what the other person would like. How they would wear it, what their job is, if that would impact the ring, those kinds of things. Wear and tear happen to all jewelry pieces which is why most people have insurance on their bands that they purchase, but if you are buying a ring for someone who does a lot of work outside, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend certain styles. Unless they have something particular they had in mind?" He left it open and Andrew hesitated.

"He doesn’t work outside. He has an office job, so I don’t really know what that means for ring types. Beyond that, this is going to sound sappy but...I think he’d just be happy with anything I got him. I just don’t want to get anything that’s not worthy of him." Andrew admitted, his face warming and the omega across from him brightened.

"Perfect. Well, if he works an office job, that leaves pretty much any design available or style available. Are you wanting to go for the classic diamond, cubic zirconia or any other semi-precious stones?" He asked and Andrew felt the two gemstone dealers beside him stiffen. Andrew chuckled.

"What does that mean?" Andrew asked. He had a feeling that they had explained it to him, but he wasn’t against having it explained again. The man nodded.

"Well, cubic zirconia is lab grown. It’s not a terrible stone for someone who wants something sparkly, but doesn’t want to pay the price that diamonds have for the same amount of carat. But you didn’t hear that from me." He whispered and Andrew felt his face break with a smile. He nodded.

"I will let you know, money is not a problem for me, but the old me appreciates the explanation. I am glad that there is a stone out there that is just as pretty as diamonds but cheaper." Amir’s grandmother cleared his throat, clearly annoyed and Amir giggled beside Andrew.

"You just got kicked off of the Christmas card list." Amir told Andrew warmly and Andrew laughed.

"Before this, I probably would have gone that route. I think it’s nice that people have options." Andrew told them. "A stone’s a stone, and dirt is dirt. I’ve always felt that way." Andrew said. "That doesn’t mean that I am demeaning any of the things that you do." Andrew told Amir’s grandmother, who looked up at him with narrow eyes. Andrew felt like his cheeks hurt with how much he was smiling. "I apologise. You already know that I’m using the gems you’re providing for his ring. If I buy more and make him a collar as well, will you forgive me?" Andrew asked.

The jeweler was trying to hide his smile as Amir giggled behind him. Amir’s grandmother hummed and hawed, before finally grumbling and pulling Andrew down to pinch his cheek.

"Be happy that you’re so cute, otherwise Amir would be right." He warned and Andrew grinned.

"You think I’m cute? Only my Mom thought that." Andrew said and he grumbled.

"You’re a liar. Who couldn’t think this cheekiness is cute? Now go listen to the jeweler. Max’s already seven steps ahead of you." He sounded grumpy, maybe even angry but Andrew knew that he was in the clear. He turned back to the jeweler who was smiling as well. He seemed to be enjoying the dynamic between the group and Andrew was glad that he wasn’t as nervous as he had been before.

"So, I’m safe to assume that you’re looking more towards diamonds and other semi-precious gemstones?" He asked and Andrew nodded.

"I’m really trying to get inspiration for what I think would suit my partner." Andrew told him and he nodded.

"Perfect. Well then, I am glad I listened to your...grandmother? And selected a few different styles for you to go through. I’ll walk you through them." He said and that seemed to work wonders on everyone involved. Amir brightened, as did his grandmother. They liked being referred to as Andrew’s family, and Andrew also liked it as well.

But he needed to focus. He needed to make some kind of progress today. If he didn’t, he was only going to stress himself out more.