Chapter 63 SET DATES AND UNKNOWN NUMBERS
MERRIELYNN.
Emorie stared at me, her brow furrowed in confusion. “Wait. Are you trying to tell me that Chaos had girls over in your cabin while you slept across from him? He did that?”
I nodded, bracing myself for her reaction.
“Are you kidding me? That jerk!” She exploded, cursing Cormac with a passion that made me flinch. “What the hell was he thinking? How could he do something like that?”
“Well, at least you see what I’m up against,” I pointed out, trying to keep my voice steady. “He’s so exposed to the concept of sex. And then there’s me…” I trailed off, remembering how Cormac looked when I’d gone to see him.
We’d come to an… arrangement, and I didn’t even know the first thing about sex.
Emorie’s expression shifted, her anger giving way to uncertainty as she stared at me. “You don’t think Chaos would force himself on you, do you? I mean like, other than... the rut.”
The question hit me like a punch to the gut, pulling me out of my reverie. “No,” I blurted out before I could even think it through.
But as soon as the word left my lips, I felt a chill run down my spine. I had seen Cormac’s depraved side, yes, often. But there were moments—glimpses—of a good twin hidden beneath the surface.
After processing all that, I whispered, “He wouldn’t.”
He was a monster with balance.
An absolute anomaly.
But I was so sure that he wouldn’t hurt me like that.
“So…” Emorie clasped her hands together, her curiosity piqued as she wiggled her brows at me.
“What?” I asked curiously.
“Did you pay attention at all?”
“Pay attention in what way?” I asked, furrowing my brow.
“Well, did the girls sound like they were enjoying it? Did Chaos seem like he was good in the sheets?”
“Jeez, Em!” I exclaimed, all embarrassed.
“What?” She asked like it was nothing. “It’s just a question.”
I shifted uncomfortably, recalling how awkward I felt that night. “Honestly, I was so uncomfortable that I didn’t pay attention to any of that.”
Emorie drew back, her eyes widening as the reality sank in. “Wait that’s true! You guys are mates, and he pulled off a stunt like that? Had you already marked him before then?”
“No,” I admitted, feeling a knot tighten in my stomach.
With a finger on her chin, she thought for a moment, then said, “Chaos has to be good if girls keep flocking around him the way they do.”
“What a conclusion,” I said with a half-smile. But on a second thought, I shook my head, wanting to argue. “It could just be his status that attracts them.”
Emorie frowned. “I don’t think so. He doesn’t even associate with some of them publicly. Honestly, Juniper was the only one he ever had a title with.”
I thought about that for a moment. “Yeah, but just because Cormac is good in bed doesn’t mean he’ll be good with me, especially with my lack of experience,” I told her.
And honestly, that kinda worried me.
I had always imagined how my first time would go. Every girl does, but I did not expect mine to go down like this.
Emorie frowned as she stared into my eyes. “You’re right. Chaos doesn’t seem like the caring type.”
I nodded, but a voice in the back of my mind made me feel like I was lying a little.
If he only showed me in his less horrible aspects, then what did that really say about his character?
Wasn’t the person everyone got to see the real him?
He had shown that version of himself—his depraved, soulless side—to me, so why couldn’t I let go of the little snippets of humanity I saw in him?
Emorie looked almost haunted as she broke the short silence, “How am I supposed to prep you for sex with someone like Chaos?”
“What? No!” I answered, flushed and all. “I don’t need you to prepare me for that in particular, just the concept in general.”
With a smile spreading across her lips, Emorie suddenly exclaimed, “We should go to the mall!”
I sighed, frustration bubbling up inside me. “Why? I don’t want to go shopping right now.”
“You need to trust me,” she insisted, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
Reluctantly, I let her drag me to the mall, and soon I realized why.
She pulled me into a salon for a full-body wax, and honestly, it was ridiculously painful.
Did I have to go through all that because I wanted to have sex?
I pressed my lips together and just bore the pain. Once we were done, I could barely walk properly. “Thanks, Emorie,” I said without a smile.
“You’re welcome,” she grinned.
After that, we ventured into stores, picking up products for something called a ‘booty call shower’ and an overwhelming amount of lingerie.
I frowned at the racks, shaking my head. “I don’t want to put in that much effort for Cormac.”
Emorie rolled her eyes. “It’s not for Chaos, it’s for you and your confidence.”
When I finally tried on a few pieces, I had to admit, I couldn’t deny how…sexy I felt.
I looked myself over in the mirror in the fitting room, a small smile creeping up my lips as I imagined what Cormac would think.
And then I scolded myself.
This was practically a business transaction.
Taking a difficult step to prevent the worst from happening.
“We don’t have all day, Mere,” Emorie called in a loud voice.
“Right,” I muttered, quickly putting on my own dress.
After a long day of shopping, we returned to the dorms, and I found myself reminiscing about everything. But it all felt like jargons swirling in my mind.
The hard part was coming tomorrow.
We hadn’t set a date, but the first weekend since our arrangement seemed the most viable.
I went to take a shower, trying out some of my new products.
Afterward, I slipped into my nightwear and began brushing my hair when my phone pinged with a text.
I glanced at the screen, and my heart cooled as I saw it was from an unknown number.
I opened it, and the single message sent a distinct and familiar chill down my spine:
All it said was one lone word.
But I read it like a promise.
‘Tomorrow.’