Chapter 85: Sex Talk

POV: Carly

"I'm not joking, I swear." Aurora said, laughing so hard she had to brace herself on the counter.

Carly's eyes were squeezed shut as she tried to catch her breath. "I just can't picture Niko doing a keg stand. Ever. In any universe."

"Believe it. If I weren't so amazed, it'd be the most viral video this school's ever seen. Well — second most." A nod toward the very public reveal that had taken over the cafeteria weeks ago.

They'd been talking for almost half an hour now, mostly trading old stories, and it hadn't been nearly as awful as Carly had braced herself for. When she wasn't acting like a jealous ex on a mission, Aurora was actually kind of fun.

Carly drained the rest of her cup to cover the small awkward pause that followed.

"It's just weird," she said, shrugging it off with a laugh, "thinking about Niko going wild at parties. Outside of nights like this, I mean. He just seems so—"

"Reserved? Stuck up?" Aurora offered.

"That's not exactly what I was going to say—"

"Oh, just admit it, your boyfriend's a snobbish prick who acts like drinking free liquor is beneath him—" Aurora trailed off mid-sentence.

Carly's eyebrows pulled together. "What?"

Aurora laughed it away, clearing her throat. "Nothing, nothing. It's just still strange to think of Nik as someone's boyfriend. Let alone a witch's."

The bitterness under that was obvious even through Carly's buzz.

"He and I actually talked about it, you know. Being together for real." Aurora added, almost as an afterthought.

Carly's stomach dropped.

What the—

She had asked, more than once, about the extent of whatever Niko and Aurora had been. He'd never once mentioned considering an actual relationship with her. He'd told her, point blank, that he wasn't the relationship type — not until Carly. That Aurora had been nothing more than a warm body he kept coming back to.

Why wouldn't he tell me that? What else is he not telling me?

She forced her face into neutral. "Oh?"

Aurora's eyes narrowed slightly, reading her. "Figured he wouldn't have mentioned it. It wasn't serious. We were both completely drunk that night, but we meant it at the time. Neither of us was ready for something real, so we settled for the next best thing. The friends with benefits thing was his idea, typical guy, but I didn't mind. The benefits were doing me plenty of favors."

Her tone made Carly's skin crawl.

"The sex was phenomenal, honestly. Groundbreaking." Aurora smirked at the memory like she couldn't help it. "What he can do to you, how he makes you want it again within minutes — sinful, but so worth it. But I don't have to tell you that, do I? I'm sure you two have already—"

She said it like she already knew the answer.

Did he tell her what we've done? Does the whole party know?

Carly felt sick. The room suddenly felt smaller, hotter, less fun than it had thirty seconds ago. Hearing Aurora talk so casually about things she had done with Niko — things Carly hadn't even done with him yet — made her feel inferior in a way she hadn't braced for.

Maybe he wants more than he's let on. Maybe you're the dumbass who let him finger you on the second date and announced you were a virgin in the same breath.

She licked her lips, fidgeted with the rim of her empty cup, and forced down the last drop of whatever was left in it.

The buzz hit harder this time, and for once she was grateful for it.

"Yeah, speaking of Niko, I should actually go find him." She said too quickly. "Haven't seen him much tonight, so—"

"Let's go find him together." Aurora offered.

"Oh — no, you really don't have to—"

Please don't.

Aurora was already lacing their arms back together, undeterred. "Nonsense. I won't let you have all the fun of throwing his embarrassing stories in his face. Besides, I'm in dire need of a beer pong rematch."

"Yay." Carly forced the brightest, fakest smile of her life.

Kill me now.