Chapter 45

KATELYN.

Is this true? Is it true that something happened between Eligor and me? Wait— I wasn't dreaming, right? This isn't just a dream like my previous dreams, is it?

OMG! He's right next to me! Lying down and topless! This is really happening, and everything we did together actually happened.

I hide under the blanket, trying to contain the excitement in my body. I can't believe we actually did those things, not just once but six times!

Now that I've woken up, I can feel the aches in my body. It feels like I've been beaten up and crushed by an elephant, I can't explain the pain, but it was definitely worth it!

In my twenty-six years of existence, I've never experienced anything like this before. I thought I would just rely on the wet dreams that have been happening to me in the past few months, but thankfully, I now have a boyfriend who can share these experiences with me.

I feel so fresh and my skin is glowing. I'm so incredibly happy! It's like all the stress has suddenly vanished from my body.

"Hehehe," I giggle, stealing a glance at the handsome guy next to me. He's still asleep, with his mouth slightly open. His lips are so beautiful and rosy, the same lips that kissed me last night and—

Wait! Here goes my mind again! I'm filled with all sorts of ideas, I can't forget what he did to me last night. Only with him have I experienced such things.

I look at Eli again, his curly hair tousled, and he looks so cute while sleeping. He seems so innocent, you'd never think he could do such things. He's so wild, and if I hadn't melted last night, he wouldn't have let me go.

"You naughty monkey, I thought you were an innocent boy, turns out you're not," I whisper while admiring his handsome face. I wanted to run my fingers through his messy hair, but he slowly opens his eyes and looks at me.

He gazes at me so affectionately, and I feel like my heart is about to burst from his incredible handsomeness and the way he looks at me.

But it seems like he's still sleepy, just looking at me without saying anything.

"Good morning, Eli," I greet him with a smile, which surprises him. I see his eyes widen and he touches both of my cheeks.

"Katelyn? I thought I was just dreaming," he responds, still in disbelief, and I can't help but smile. He approaches me, about to kiss me, but I quickly get up, which confuses him.

"Wait! I haven't brushed my teeth yet!" I rush to his bathroom and as soon as I enter, my mind flashes back to all the scenes we created last night.

Every corner of this bathroom, from the shower to the bathtub and even the sink, was filled with our love. It's crazy how every corner of that bathroom now holds memories or, you could say, lovemaking.

"Hahaha, what do you think of me, being so particular about your breath?" I turn around and there he is, Eli, lying down with just his boxer shorts on.

I quickly brush my teeth in front of the large sink, and he joins me, also brushing his teeth.

"It's not that, but I'm just afraid you might get turned off by me," I reply after drying my mouth.

"I don't think I can ever get turned off by you. Where else can I find a girl like you?" he says, looking at my chest, causing me to raise an eyebrow.

"Okay, that's enough. I think I know where this is going. My body is already too sore, and I need to go back to my apartment because Aimee and Loriane will be arriving this afternoon," I reply as I quickly put on my clothes.

Eli is intimidating; just his looks alone make you want to give in to his desires. I need to be careful with him because we might go overboard.

"Wait, have breakfast here. I'll cook something real quick," I call out to him as I put on my clothes, and he rushes to the kitchen wearing only his boxer shorts.

I laugh as I watch him run out of his room. I quickly follow him and help him prepare our breakfast.

We share a simple meal, along with hot coffee and conversations.

So this is what it feels like to have a proper relationship? I really thought I would never experience this, that it would just remain in my imagination or as a mere dream.

But then Eli came along, he fulfilled this dream of mine and filled the void in my life.

***

Aimee and Loraine arrived at my apartment, bringing snacks, pizza, and soju.

"I still can't believe, Aimee, that you're not with Charles today," I mention to her as she arranges the food on the table.

"Huh? Of course, this is a girls' hangout," she replies, and I shake my head.

"Hey, remember when even on our dates, you would bring Charles along? It made me look like a chaperone," I retort, and she scratches her head.

"Really? When did that happen? Hahaha," she laughs, pretending not to remember her usual behavior.

I just scratch my head, unable to comprehend what's happening. It's like she forgets, and so do I. There's something I need to remember, but I forgot what it was.

We start watching a horror movie and discussing various topics, eventually leading to our boyfriends.

"Am I the only one who stalks my boyfriend's exes? I want to know who's prettier between the two of us, hahaha," Aimee starts a new topic.

"I don't even know who Eli's exes are. I'm still scared to ask about those things, hahaha," I reply, slightly tipsy from the you we're drinking.

"Um... well, I don't really want to say this because it might hurt Katelyn," Loraine responds, furrowing my brows. What could she possibly say that would hurt my feelings?

"What is it? We've been together for so many years," I reply to her, and she looks at both of us.

"Actually, Eli used to be my boyfriend," she replied, raising Aimee's eyebrows and silencing both of us.

"What? Since when? And why didn't we know about this?" Aimee asked, clearly puzzled by what she was hearing. I wasn't sure, but it seemed like she was more upset with me because her face clearly showed annoyance.

"I mean, I met him in college, so I didn't know they would end up together. It's been eight years since then," Loraine explained, but something felt off.

I don't know, but I couldn't believe it, and her stories didn't seem to add up. I was confused. She had memories with me back then, so why was it like this? Something didn't feel right.

"I wanted to tell you, but when he became Kate's boyfriend, I lost the chance," she added, but I couldn't feel her concern for me.

Didn't she visit Eligor's apartment yesterday without me knowing? If she were my friend, she should have stopped by my apartment first before heading to Eli's.

"How long did you guys last?" I asked, looking at her seriously.

"Just a few months, maybe around five months," she replied, and I slumped back in my chair, taking a sip of my soju.

"Okay," I responded shortly, not wanting to hear any more of what she wanted to say. I would ask Eli instead. I didn't know, but it felt like she was playing with my mind, and I didn't want to give in to what she wanted to happen.

"That's it?" she asked, and I nodded while Aimee didn't know where to stand, probably sensing the tension between Loriane and me.

"Yes, it's in the past anyway. I don't care anymore, hehe," I smiled at her, grabbing a slice of pizza from the box.

"Ha-ha-haha, yeah, let's leave it at that. The important thing is that we're friends now, and we have happy hearts, right?" Aimee replied, and I faked a smile in front of her.

"Yep, we're friends, so everything's fine. Let's leave the past behind," I added, and Loriane laughed, taking a sip of her soju.

"Yap."

We chatted about different topics and movies while watching. But I noticed that Loriane was always conscious whenever we talked about our past bonding moments.

It was strange because I had known her for five years, but we didn't seem that close, unlike when Aimee and I would talk and instantly click with each other.

"Kate, what's hanging inside your room?" I turned to Loriane, who had just finished using the bathroom. We were now tidying up because we were going to set up our sleeping area in the living room.

"Huh? You don't know? That's a dream catcher that I always hang in my room. It's a gift from Aunt Katherine," Aimee answered her question, and we both wondered.

We had been with her for five years, and she only noticed my dream catcher now?

"Oh, hahaha, yeah, I forgot. I was just wondering because it doesn't match the design of your room. If I were you, I would just put it aside," she said, causing Aimee and me to exchange looks.

Didn't she know about my trauma and what happened to my family? And the meaning behind that dream catcher? Almost everyone close to me knows why I can't remove that thing from my room.

"Weird, what's happening to Loriane?" I heard Aimee whisper while holding her chin.

We both looked at Loriane again, and she sat down on the mattress we laid out in the living room to sleep on.

"It's kind of weird," I replied to her, but we didn't pay it much attention and settled down to sleep.

It was already past midnight, and they had fallen asleep, but I couldn't sleep because of how much I ate.

Ping I looked at my phone and saw a message from Eli. After reading it, I slowly got up from the bed and tiptoed out of the apartment.

When I opened the door, I saw him leaning against his apartment door, smiling at me.

"Hi," he greeted me, and I immediately approached him and hugged him. I don't know, I felt tired and couldn't relax.

"Why? Something wrong?" he asked, and I just shook my head and listened to the beating of his heart as I held him tight.

"I just found out that Loraine was your ex," I told him, and his forehead furrowed as if he couldn't believe what he heard.

As I thought, there was definitely something wrong with what was happening.