The Spirit of Lust (Ch. 201 - 210)

[Summary: Oliver Brooks is a high school senior with a crippling case of social anxiety to the point he freezes up and can't even talk to people. One day he gets possessed by a Spirit of Lust, a being that feeds on the energy produced by sex. Unaware of this, Oliver finds that his body has changed overnight, there are these three women that seem attracted to him and he has become a monster in bed despite having no experience. All this doesn't change the fact that he is still a very socially anxious young man, however.]

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Chapter 201: Mostly car talk.

It really was a gorgeous car. It stood out so much next to all the SUVs and minivans, and even against the sedans and coupes in the street. The body, the pop-up headlights, the spoiler, the hot yellow color, the impeccable sheen... It was clear at a glance that Alice put a lot of effort into her car. Even with the passing interest I had in cars from video games, that thing impressed and excited me.

As it approached, one of its pop-up headlights closed and opened, giving the impression that the car had just winked. It got a much needed laugh out of me, helping me with the nerves. Alice pulled up next to the road, right in front of me and waved as I got in.

"That was amazing," I told her, still grinning.

"Right?" She laughed. "I get why pop-up headlights are not a thing anymore, but it's such a shame. They're so fun."

I sat down and closed the door, and although there was enough space, the car felt a little cramped. For starters, it was a two-seater, but on top of that it had these metal pipes around and on the back.

"What are these for?" I asked, tapping one with my fingers.

"These are roll cages. They're for safety, in case the car rolls over. They stiffen the chassis." She then patted her seat. "I also changed the seats for racing ones and the seat belts for harnesses."

I nodded. "Yeah, I noticed that, too. The seat kind of looks like one of those expensive gaming chairs they sell."

"It does?" She asked, raising a curious eyebrow. As she moved the car back to the road, she also asked, "Why do you need a chair like this to play games?"

I chuckled. "You don't. They just look cool and people buy them for that. I hear they're actually pretty uncomfortable."

"I would expect so. These seats are made for safety, not comfort." She smiled apologetically. "Well, that's true for the whole car. I don't use it much for casual driving. Sorry, is it too uncomfortable?"

I shook my head. "You really take this seriously, huh?"

"It's why I'm also wearing gloves," she said, moving her hands on the wheel. "I also have a couple of helmets in the trunk, and I'm wearing a racing suit that's fire resistant under this jacket." She pulled on her white, fluffy jacket for emphasis. "I like racing, but it's not like I'm not aware how dangerous it is. I planned on installing all this even before my brother told me he wouldn't let me go to the mountain pass until I had them."

She turned left on the road, the opposite direction one would take to go to school or downtown. This road led to another residential district, and beyond that, the mountain road that led out of town.

Alice grimaced. "Hey, if you're worried about being in this car with me, I'll understand. If you're having second thoughts..."

"I admit I'm a little nervous, but seeing you take all necessary precautions is reassuring. Have you ever had an accident?"

"A few, but none of them were serious." She giggled. "I'm actually proud of that, you know? There was this one time I oversteered during a race and almost spun out. I managed to get control of the car back and only had a small bump on the tail end. That was the worst one. Then there was the time I was learning to drift, but I don't think those count. I spun the car a lot, but it was an open lot and I only hit the cones."

I pursed my lips. "Say, Alice?"

"Hm?"

"How long... have you been driving this car?"

She suddenly began to laugh nervously. "Do you mind if I keep that a secret?"

"Not at all." I sighed. "I can't believe our president is such a rule breaker..."

"I won't make excuses," Alice said, defeated.

It was a shock, but I reserve any judgment. Different people, different families, different priorities, different customs. Alice definitely had her own situation.

After that, things got a little awkward. Not because of that question, but because we fell into a sudden, awkward silence. So far, we had mostly talked about her car, which was very deliberate on my part, since talking about it meant I didn't have to think about...

...

{God, I've been going on and on about nothing but my car! What are you doing, Alice!? I bet he's just asking out of politeness. God, I'm such a boring person. I should ask him something, but what?}

I heard her thoughts clearly, and it was eerie how close they were to thoughts I'd had in the past. That fear of not being interesting to be around, to fear you're only talking about yourself...

"H-How's Cake doing?" she suddenly asked.

I laughed. "She was bothering Isabelle just before I left. She was walking on top of her laptop."

Alice laughed. "So cats really act like that? You always see videos of them being jerks, right?"

"I've read that it's their way of demanding attention. Of course, they always seem to demand it when you're busy. I was playing guitar the other day and Cake decided she just HAD to sit on my lap."

"Maybe she likes hearing you play music."

"Maybe. I sat on the bed and put her next to me as I played. She stayed there the whole time."

"That's cute."

{I'm not being awkward, am I? He sounds so happy when talking about Cake.}

Alice subtly glanced towards me, but when she saw me looking back at her, she quickly turned her eyes back to the road. Her cheeks reddened.

{Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Why'd you girls have to put ideas in my head? This is so awkward! I can't talk to him normally!}

... It sounded pretty normal to me, actually. And nowhere near as awkward as she seemed to believe it was. I was getting the feeling Alice was the type to be hyper strict on herself.

Maybe she'd relax once we made it to the meet. I'd just be a chaperone, walking with her as she looked at other people's cars and talked with the owners. At least that was what I pictured this would be like. I had no idea what car meets even looked like.

Regardless, hearing Alice's thoughts, knowing how uncomfortable she felt, made me uncomfortable as well. So I decided to do something that had proven effective already.

"By the way, I tried reading about Wankel rotary engines after you told me about them, but I didn't really understand. What is it that makes it so special? Is it the way it handles fuel?"

Alice's eyes immediately brightened. She started explaining from what an engine was, to how normal piston engines worked and how the rotaries were different, and in her opinion, much, much better.

I didn't hear any more awkward thoughts, and after 30 minutes, we'd gone up the mountain pass and made it to the meeting spot: A lookout close to the top of the mountain.

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Chapter 202: The event.

"They canceled?" Alice asked, baffled.

"Two of their guys couldn't come because of problems at work, and your brother and his wife couldn't make it either," the guy in front of us explained. He was tall and slender and looked to be around 30 years old. He had short brown hair and wore thin-framed glasses. "At that point, everyone decided to leave it for another time."

"Are you serious?" Alice let out a restrained sigh as she rubbed her forehead. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

The man crossed his arms. "No one has your number. We told Alex, but it seems he didn't pass on the message."

Alice winced and pursed her lips. "And why are you here, then?"

The man nodded back to the van parked over by the edge of the lookout, next to the railing. "In case others decided to come race anyway, but you're the only one who came. I don't think anyone else will, really."

"... This is embarrassing."

"Relax. We'll just have the meet some other day."

"I suppose."

"Well, I'm going back home. See you around, Alice."

"Yeah, see you around. Say hi to your wife for me."

The man smiled and waved. He got in his van and drove off, going down the mountain.

Alice sighed again and rubbed her face. "That's Ruben. He's the group's doctor," she told me.

"Doctor?"

"Yep. An actual doctor. He's as much into cars as any of us, and he usually brings his M4 to these meets, but when he knows there'll be a race, he brings the van. It's as close to an ambulance as it can get with all the equipment in it. Ruben is good friends with my brother, and the man has saved a couple lives already."

I smiled. "You guys really are serious about this."

"... I would've liked you to see it," Alice said with a small, regretful smile. She looked around the parking area of the lookout. Spacious and so high up we could see the city lights as small dots. "All the cars lined up, everyone sharing tips, telling anecdotes... Sometimes things get heated up, like that one time someone came here with an engine-swapped RX-7." Alice laughed. "That was almost war." That kind of laughter said that even war around here was a good time for them.

Hearing her like this made me realize that when Alice talked about anything else, it often felt stiff and... formal. It reminded me of how I treated customers at the coffee shop: with distant professionalism. Compared to that, when she talked about cars, the meets, the races... She oozed genuine joy.

"It would've been nice to see," I admitted. "Like I said before, I only know cars from games, so seeing some of those in real life would've been amazing."

"Sorry about this." Alice grimaced. "I brought you all the way here for nothing."

I shook my head. "You didn't know. It's fine. You're more disappointed than I am."

She chuckled "I guess I am. I suppose... I should drive you home."

{But now that's it's just the two of us, maybe... No. No, Alice. You'll just bore him with more stupid car talk. If anything, we should talk about... THAT.}

I felt a short fit of lightheadedness, passing like a breeze through me. I shook my head again to make it go away, and it worked.

"I mean, if you don't mind..." I swallowed. "We could still just... hang out."

Alice smiled. "I'd like that. Are you sure?"

I shrugged and forced a chuckle to push away the awkwardness. "You promised me a ride better than any roller coaster, right?"

"I did, didn't I?" Alice giggled. "Why don't we drive back down, buy something to eat and come back up?" She turned away from me to look down at the city, at the lights spreading in front of us. She shivered at the cold breeze, but kept a smile on her face. "I love this view, you know? It's not nearly as nice during the day."

"It's amazing," I agreed. "I never go out of town, so I'd never seen this." I took in the fresh air and fixed my coat. Good thing I decided to wear it. It really was cold. Winter was here before I knew it. "Let's go, then. What do you want to eat?"

"You know, I haven't eaten a hamburger in months."

"Hamburgers it is, then."

I turned around to go into the car, but then I felt something gently grab the back of my coat. I looked back, and was surprised to see Alice bashfully looking down as she held my coat.

"B-Before that, I think that... I... I have a question, Oliver."

I turned to face her again and nodded. "Anything."

She sighed. "Did the girls... Your girlfriends... Mila, Grace and Sarah," she clarified just for good measure. "Did they talk to you after I invited you to come here with me?"

My heart skipped a beat. I knew exactly what she was talking about, and I didn't expect her to bring it up this way, if at all. It meant they had talked to her already. It confirmed what I'd heard her think.

I nodded. "Yeah. We talked." I bit my lower lip. "Did they talk to you too?"

She nodded, too. "After chewing me out for other stuff." She looked me in the eyes. "I didn't expect it. Still don't even know what to think about it."

"It doesn't have to mean anything if you don't want it to," I told her. "It's up to you."

"Oh?" Surprisingly, Alice pouted cutely with one of her cheeks puffed and crossed arms. "So you don't care what happens?"

I flinched. "That's not what I meant!"

"Leaving everything to the girl is not very manly, Oliver."

I smiled wryly. "It isn't?"

"Nope." She giggled. "Those girls have spoiled you."

I chuckled. "They have."

"They probably don't see anything wrong with it, either." Alice laughed and shook her head. "Whatever. We'll see what happens. Let's go buy some food."

I could physically feel the air around us relax. Something about that exchange got rid of the tension between us. Thank God.

"Oliver?"

"Hm?"

"We can have a nice, smooth drive down the mountain, or I can show you what my car and I can do. What do you prefer?"

I swallowed my nerves, and with a shaky smile, I answered. "Show me."

Alice lent me her spare helmet and we were going down the hill. She drove at high speeds and smoothly drifted through most corners. It was insane, it was nerve-wracking and it was fucking amazing. We made it safely to the bottom, but I was still shaking a bit by the time we were buying our food.

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Chapter 203: Barriers begin to come down.

Seriously, it's difficult to explain how that felt. We were going so fast, and every time Alice drifted, I was at the edge of believing she'd spin out of control, but she didn't. Every time she smoothly slid through a corner and exited without any tail wag. I had expected it to be rockier and erratic, but it wasn't the case. I told Alice as much as we got back in her car to go back to the lookout.

"Thanks," she grinned. "Part of it is that I've practiced a lot, another is that this car is perfectly balanced. It's part of what makes me love it so much, and every time I work on it or change parts I make sure not to mess up the weight distribution."

"You clearly know the road," I told her.

"Oh, like the back of my hand!" She giggled. "I didn't start drifting and racing the moment I got my car to work, you know? I learned the track, going through it slowly at first and pushing little by little to improve my times."

"What do you do if a car comes from the other side?" I asked.

"Barely any cars use this road now. I told you, remember? With the new tunnel, you're saving about 30 minutes worth of travel time. And if some car does come, I can tell ahead of time by the lights. The road has so many corners that it makes it easy to spot another car one or two kilometers away. It also means this is a fairly low-speed track, so there's plenty of time for adjustments."

"That was low speed?"

"Well, yes." Alice giggled. "Comparatively speaking."

We made it back to the lookout. As expected, there were no other cars. This place, unlike the rest of the road, was lit by a couple of street lights, so we weren't completely in the dark here.

We got out of the car with the paper bag with our food in it.

"... Please don't spill anything on the car, okay?" Alice asked.

"And if I do?" I asked teasingly.

Alice smiled sweetly. "No one will ever find your body."

I shuddered. "I'm just gonna stand here, next to the railing, thank you."

Alice laughed and moved to stand next to me. We got our food and started eating. I laughed when it was Alice who let a tomato from her hamburger fall to the floor.

"Good thing we're not eating in the car," I teased.

"S-Shut up..." she pouted.

I finished my burger faster than her and as I drank my soda, then I decided to ask Alice something else. "Hey, Alice?"

"Hm?"

"Why racing?"

She tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"Why did you start racing and driving like this? Not that I'm judging, but it's..."

"Weird?"

"I was going to say 'unusual', actually. And dangerous."

She nodded. "I know." She licked her lips to clean up a bit of mayo. "Why did I start street racing? Too many reasons, really." She smiled and looked back at the road. "For starters, I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for this road. The last thing I want is to get bystanders involved in our mess, and thanks to this road we don't have to worry too much. There's no official track for anyone here to go to. The closest one is like a four-day drive away."

I understood. "You'd go to an official track instead of here if you could?"

"100%," she answered with a smile. "My biggest dream is to someday drive the Nurburgring in Germany."

I kind of wanted to say I knew that track from games, but I didn't want to interrupt her answer.

"Those are the reasons I race here, at least. Now, as to the reasons I race at all, well..." She smiled shyly. "I understand it's dangerous, I understand it's not right... But I have nothing but good memories from working with and racing cars."

"Sarah said that both your dad and your brother are really into cars. She also said you played with toy cars as a kid."

Alice blushed and grumbled. "She didn't need to say that last part."

"Can you keep a secret?" I asked her with a nervous smile.

"Hm? Of course."

"I used to play with dolls as a kid."

Alice blinked. "You're lying."

"It's true. Isabelle and I always played together, but all she ever wanted to do was play with dolls. I... I make it sound like she roped me into it, and she sort of did, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't get into it after a while." I chuckled embarrassedly.

"You're not saying that just to make me feel better, are you?"

"I wish. Ask my sister. Now you have dirt on me, but I think it's a fair trade."

Alice laughed heartily. {No wonder they're head over heels for him...}

I felt a short, yet sharp headache. It was only for an instant, and thankfully Alice was too busy laughing to see me wince at the sudden pain. I had no doubts now that the mind reading and the headaches were connected, though I still couldn't predict when the readings would happen.

"So, you were saying?" I said, encouraging her to continue.

"Ah. Right. So... All the memories I have of working on the car are really precious to me. It's what helped me bond with my dad and my brother. Actually, my brother met his wife at one of these meets. They raced and she kicked his ass so hard that he came back the next month for the salty runback. After he won, it was her turn to want a rematch. That went on until they got married two years later." Alice giggled, but then her smile turned sour. "Then there's... They told you, didn't they? I bet they did. They trust you enough."

"Told me what?"

"About... what happened in freshman year."

My chest felt cold. I grimaced. "No details, but yes. They never said your name, but I ended up figuring it out."

Alice chuckled weakly. "Well, that saves me time. When... THAT was happening, working on my car was the only thing that took my mind off it. For that year, it was almost the only thing I did, even." She sighed. Her shoulders dropped and she shivered, biting her lip as she grimaced. "I was so stupid. I believed those stupid lies. He told me he... That I was..." Alice rubbed her eyes and groaned loudly. "Sorry, sorry! That's not what we're talking about. I don't want to think about it. My point is that, during that time, working on my car was the only thing that made me happy." She looked towards her baby, her RX-7. "Then I finally got it working. It wasn't perfect, but it ran. I immediately started learning how to drive. I was ecstatic! They'd given me a hunk of junk for my birthday and I got it working with my own hands!" She giggled weakly, her smile slowly becoming genuine again. "I was super scared at first. I drove slowly, to the point it even irritated my dad. Then I grew more confident and I could drive normally. It was two years ago that my brother came up to me and told me to drive him somewhere. We came here, to this very lookout. I drove the pass up and down for hours, not trying for any times, or drifting or anything else. Just driving, enjoying the balance of the car, the sound it made when revving up, all the while talking with my brother about the next car he wanted to build and the parts I should be buying next."

Alice took a moment to finish her hamburger, as the tomato was dripping juice on her hands. I passed her a napkin and she wiped her mouth and fingers. She asked for another one, and with that one she wiped the few tears threatening her eyes.

"Sorry. I got a little emotional."

"Thank you for telling me. No wonder this means so much to you." I smiled at her. "It's also no wonder Mila calls you a badass."

Alice snickered. "She called me that?"

"Yeah, and I think I agree."

"Shut up!" She laughed and gave me a playful shove.

I could help the grin on my face. Not just because of her reaction, but because the more we talked, the more I noticed her barriers coming down. That it was happening for me was flattering.

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Chapter 204: Her question.

I spared a quick look at the time. It was 10:40 pm and we were still at the lookout, and to be honest, I didn't want to leave yet. The tension and awkwardness between Alice and me was finally fading away. I wanted to keep talking.

"Alright. I answered your question with probably more information than you asked for. Now it's your turn to answer something."

"Sure. Hit me."

"How's it going between you and the girls? I know their side of the story, but I want to know yours."

I take it back. I don't want to talk anymore.

I awkwardly rubbed the back of my neck. "W-What can I even say? What do you want to know?"

Alice's smile widened. She comfortably leaned back on the railing, half-sitting on it with her feet still on the ground. "I don't know. They keep telling me how amazing you are, so of course I'm curious. I'm the only one they can brag to about their cool boyfriend, so I've had to hear all sorts of things."

The heat rushing to my face made me forget all about the cold breeze. "P-Please tell me they haven't...!"

"I don't know. I've heard sooo many things." She giggled. "Okay, okay. I'll stop the teasing." {They were right. He's even cuter when he's embarrassed}. "What I really want to know is, how are you handling it? Is going out with the three of them not hard?"

"It's..." I sighed. There was really no point in hiding things, was there? If I knew the girls, and I was confident I did to a decent extent, they had told Alice even the raunchiest details. "It's hard, yes, but it's also amazing." I knew I had a goofy smile on my face, but I couldn't stop it. "They're amazing. I wouldn't be where I am now if it wasn't for them. I... Sorry, I just don't know what to say."

"Just gush a little, Oliver!" Alice laughed and gave me another playful push. "You let me bore you with car talk for almost 40 minutes and you think I'll be upset to hear you talk about how great my friends are?"

I chuckled. "Mila's just a ball of sunshine, isn't she? She's so kind and upbeat that most of the time it's hard for me to match her energy. I love her for it, though. Makes me think there's no point in dwelling on the negatives.

"Grace is smart, clever and fun-loving. I always feel like I grow a little smarter just talking to her. She's eloquent and precise with her words, but she's also the first to say yes to any idea if it sounds like a good time to her.

"Then there's Sarah, who always challenges me to be better every day. She's encouraging and super supportive, so when I think that I'm not doing as well as I could, I imagine her being disappointed in me and just take that extra step. It's what's pushed me to be able to do things I never thought I'd do, like being a waiter at a coffee shop. I would've never dared to even try before!" It was then that I noticed Alice was staring at me with wide eyes, blinking. "W-What?"

"I... It's... Wow." She chuckled. "Sorry, it's just... You described them perfectly. You guys have been going out for... what, a couple months? Almost three? And you already know them this well. Though I suppose you four HAVE been spending a lot of time together since then."

I smiled wryly. "Not as much as I'd like. The biggest issue for me is time. I want to be with them all the time, but there's school, work... And even when I can be with them, we have to work out if we'll all hang out together or if I go on a date with just one of them. I really worry that I'm being unfair in some ways. Like, I went on two dates in a row with Grace a couple of weeks ago, but I was busy this week and I owe Sarah a date now. And then sometimes I..." I swallowed nervously, trying to think my next words carefully, but they were coming out faster than I could consider if saying this at all was a good idea. "Sometimes I... pay attention to one of them a little more than the others without realizing it, and I worry I might upset them."

"Oh, I don't think you have to worry about that," Alice assured me, grinning. "From what they say, you're just too much for just one girl to handle."

I hid my face in my hand, and touching it confirmed it was as hot as I thought. "Whyyy? Why do they have to say these things?"

"A part of it is that we've always shared everything," Alice said. "The other is that they just want to brag and gush. They're crazy about you, you know? It's a little scary, even."

"Scary?"

Alice smiled wryly. "When they told me they were dating you at the same time, my biggest worry was that they'd fight amongst themselves over you. That they'd grow jealous of each other and that this bond they have would shatter over a guy." Before I could even begin to worry about it, though, Alice continued. "Turns out I was worried in vain. These girls aren't jealous in the slightest." She sighed and muttered, "Quite the opposite, actually."

Do I ask? Should I? Is it a good idea? I repeated these questions at least five times in the span of five seconds before I decided to do it.

"S-Speaking of. Should we address the elephant in the room?"

Alice pursed her lips. She looked down at the ground and then towards the city. "I'd like to, but..." She side-glanced at me a couple of times. "This is so complicated. The girls want me to... They want us to date. I wasn't even sure I wanted a relationship at all, but now... Oliver, If it was just up to me, I wouldn't mind giving it a shot."

My heart skipped a beat. "Seriously?"

Alice nodded. "How about you?"

"Before tonight, I wasn't sure. But now? I..." I swallowed. "I'd like to try, too."

Alice smiled wryly. "But what about Noelle?"

Oh.

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Chapter 205: Admitting it.

"I know Mila, Grace and Sarah," Alice continued. "They know me just as well. I practically trust them more than I trust myself. If you... If we tried to have something together, and it worked between us, I'm confident I wouldn't feel jealous of them, strange as it is to even say it. But what about Noelle, Oliver? You're not blind. You know she's into you, and you like her too, right?"

"... They really filled you in on everything, huh?"

"They wanted to make sure I understood everything."

"... I'm going to sound like the biggest asshole on the planet," I said, groaning.

"Try it. I already know someone with that title, and his spot is pretty secure."

I sighed. "How Mila, Grace, Sarah and I ended up in this relationship is something I'll probably never understand. Regardless, I... I love them, I really do. I'm trying and will continue to try my damnedest to make them as happy as I can." My mouth was drying and my head felt light. "But while they're the ones... encouraging this open relationship, I can't lie and say I don't want it either." I rubbed the bridge of my nose and tried not to look at Alice. If I did, the words would escape me. I needed to focus. "It shouldn't be a surprise, really. I'm already the guy who asked three girls out at the same time, so I guess it'd be hard to believe if I said I was against this at first. The last thing I want is to ruin what we have. However..." I furrowed my brow, bit my lip and took a hand to my chest, grabbing my coat tightly. My heart was pounding hard, to the point it nearly hurt. "I want it, Alice." I looked straight into her eyes. She was listening closely, keeping any and all judgment off her face, at least until I finished talking. "I want Mila, Grace and Sarah. I want Noelle. I want you."

That broke her straight face. Her eyes widened just as her cheeks reddened even more.

"I know it sounds fucking insane," I said, holding my head. "I wouldn't be saying this if the girls hadn't pushed me to this point, to admit it, but it's the truth. And what's more, I know we could make it work." My voice was beginning to rise as I grew more excited and more convinced of my own words. Say it with confidence or no one will believe you. "I could make you all the happiest people in the world! I could promise it! You're amazing, Alice. You're gorgeous, smart, and far more hardworking and passionate than I ever thought. If given the chance, I'd be twice as insane if I didn't try to convince you to go out with me, too."

It was when I was done that I realized how... agitated I'd gotten. Probably would've never gotten those words out if not for that, but I wasn't sure saying all that was even a good thing.

Alice kept silent. She pursed her lips and looked into town again, into the thousand small dots of light that decorated the view. She was contemplating my words, I could tell. I felt my headache threatening to come back as I felt like I was close to reading Alice's mind. Yet her thoughts remained her own, and I was thankful for it. Setting aside why it happened or how helpful it was at times, reading people's minds bothered me.

She remained quiet for a little longer, for an approximate total of two full minutes. Then, as she fingered with her hands, and without looking at me, she asked. "Do you really think I'm all that?"

The high of my excitement, courage and confidence still didn't completely leave me, so I answered firmly. "I do. I've always admired your work ethic and commitment, but I always thought you were keeping people away. Now I've seen a glimpse of the real you, and I want to see more."

Alice looked down at the ground and kept fidgeting with her hands. Then she turned and stepped up to me. Then... she came closer, enough that her chest nearly touched mine, enough that her face was so close I could hear her breathe.

Alice closed her eyes, leaned in and kissed me.

It was soft, tender and inexperienced, and it almost made my chest burst with a plethora of mixed emotions. She then held my arms and pushed a little deeper, pressing her lips harder against mine. I trusted her body language and took a gamble.

I held her closer, wrapping my arms around her. I took the lead, putting a hand on the back of her neck and kissing her back. Alice's body didn't even tense up. Instead she relaxed and let me lead her.

I gently tried to probe her lip with my tongue, and Alice let me in. She tightened her grip on my jacket and took in a deep breath before we started truly making out.

My brain was in overdrive. There were too many things at once. The taste of Alice's lips, the movements of her tongue, her body pressed against mine, the fact that we were kissing at all, and the thought that she wasn't Mila, Grace or Sarah. All of that and more just... lit a bonfire in me.

I unconsciously deepened the kiss, tasted more of her mouth, held her closer as if afraid she'd be gone the moment I let go. I didn't want this to end, and Alice's response was to reciprocate as best she could. She let out soft, sexy moans. She let go of my arms to wrap hers around my neck.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes. I pulled back only when I noticed Alice needed to breathe. She gasped, still holding me close, and once she was ready she dove right back in.

Our lips met a second time, and it was the confirmation I needed to know that it wasn't going to be over soon. Thank the stars watching over us.

It was my turn to half-sit on the railing, trying to find a position that was just a bit more comfortable for us. Alice couldn't have cared less. She kept kissing me and letting me lead.

"Mmmph. Mmm. Haaah... Hmph..." Her voice, her breathing, her moans... It was all so fucking sexy.

For the next 30 minutes, we made out like it'd be the last time we ever would. And though not quite, it wasn't THAT far off.

************

Chapter 206: Restriction.

Even when we stopped kissing, it was clear that neither of us had had enough. We were still hugging, and Alice was resting her head on my shoulder. At one point she'd taken my hand in hers, interlocking fingers, and she had yet to let go. Not that I wanted her to.

"I... I didn't mean to go that far," Alice said, gasping. "It was... I didn't know a kiss could be that good."

"I take it you're not mad at me, then?" I asked sheepishly.

"Idiot," she answered, still with the biggest grin on her face. She licked her lips, stared at me and suddenly burrowed her face on my chest. "I... I want to kiss more."

"We can," I told her. I wanted more, too. Yet Alice shook her head.

"No more. Not until you... until we both clear things up with Noelle."

I tensed up for a moment, but as I thought about it, the more it made sense to me.

"I shouldn't have started the kiss," she continued. "I only meant to show you I was serious. I should have pulled away when you deepened it, but... I couldn't resist." She bit her lip. "Whether or not you start something with Noelle, I'd rather we not go any further until we've talked to her properly. She's my friend, a good friend. I don't want to hurt her by secretly dating the guy she likes."

I nodded. "That's probably the right thing to do. I... wasn't thinking straight, either." For that short moment, I forgot about Noelle. All I could think of was Alice, the girl right in front of me. But she was right. We shouldn't have done this. That said... "But does this mean you...?"

"I'm willing to give it a fair shot." She said, squeezing my hand. "I'm starting to really get what the girls said. There's something special about you, Oliver, something that's not normal. Maybe that's what makes not-normal relationships work with you." She smiled. "I can't exactly say I'm making a blind bet. You come with great recommendations, after all. And it's always easier to trust someone who's upfront with what they want than those who hide behind lies and manipulation."

I chuckled. "What makes you so sure I'm not lying?"

"I have it on good authority that you're the world's worst liar, and I have five sources."

Wait... "Five?"

"Mila, Grace, Sarah, Isabelle... and your mom." She laughed. "We had a little chat once when I was at your house, and she was telling me some of the ways you and Isabelle are polar opposites. Apparently Isabelle is a good liar when she wants to be, but you've never been able to tell a straight lie to her."

"I'd like to make a correction to that," I told her. "Isabelle has never been able to get a lie past me. She can hide things, but not lie. I can tell."

"Is it that twin bond?"

"Maybe?"

"And you haven't told your mom you're dating three girls, right?"

"To this day I don't know how I'm getting away with it..."

"Maybe she knows already."

"She doesn't...!" I swallowed. "It's... possible."

We laughed together. The tension that was there between us at the beginning of the night was completely gone now. Things had finally clicked, and I could say with full confidence that I was seriously into Alice.

"Okay." Alice sighed. "I think it's best if we leave it here for now, Oliver. I'd love to keep talking, but the longer I see you, the more I want to... make out again," she said shyly.

I smiled wryly. "Same here."

Letting go of her was harder than I thought it would be. We got in her car and began making our way down the mountain.

"11:40..." Alice said, noticing the time on the radio. "If I tell the girls I made it home, I just know I'm gonna get a video call." She sighed. "If so, I'll tell them what we did, and where we stand right now."

"Okay. If they call me first, I'll tell them." It was the right thing to do, after all.

We mostly kept quiet the rest of the way. We'd talked about the things that mattered already, and if we brought something else up we ran the risk of wanting to stay together a bit longer. Honestly, I WANTED to stay with her for longer.

We made it to my house, or at least a block away from it. Again, just to make sure Isabelle didn't see the car and started asking questions. Alice and I said our goodbyes, promising that we'd talk again at school on Monday.

Back home, I found mom in the living room watching a show with Cake. She asked me why I was home so early, since I told her I'd be back much later. I had to tell her the meet was canceled and that Alice and I just talked for a couple of hours.

"Is Isabelle in her room?" I asked her.

"Yes. She's been there all day and I haven't heard a peep from her, which is odd."

I almost wanted to check up on her to see how her video was coming along, but I didn't want to get interrogated, nor distract her.

"I'm going to bed. Goodnight, mom."

"Goodnight, dear."

Cake jumped off the couch and began following me up the stairs. At moments like those I could almost believe she understood human speech, but still wouldn't bet on it. She followed me into my room and jumped on my desk, watching me as I fell face first into my bed.

"Hgggrrmmgg..." I groaned coherently into my pillow.

The mental exhaustion hit me all at once. I didn't even feel it by the end there, but now the piled up stress made my head feel heavy.

Cake took the opportunity to jump on my back.

"Get off..." I told her lazily.

She meowed in response and started nibbling my hair. I didn't have the strength to stop her. Maybe it was more than just stress. The times when I heard her thoughts had made me feel dizzy and even hurt me a bit. Maybe it was part of why I felt so exhausted? I wasn't sure.

Yet when I tried to fall asleep, I couldn't. I kept recalling those conversations... And that kiss. The memories were vivid. The taste of her lips, the smell of her hair, the warmth of her hand on mine, they were all engraved in my brain. I wanted to see her again. And the strangest thing of all? I had the biggest urge to see Mila, Grace and Sarah.

************

Chapter 207: Intermission - Alice's thoughts.

Alice smoothly drove her car into the big garage and parked it next to her dad's slick gray 911 Turbo S. Her mind had a million things to think about, and yet she still had the same, automatic thought she had every time she saw that car: It was a bit of a waste.

It was a great car, with outstanding performance and some of the best acceleration in its class. It was a car made to hit the track, but her dad didn't do that. Her dad was fascinated by high performance sports cars, by the technology behind them and their beautiful looks, but he only drove it casually. It was the difference between him and his children. Alice and Alex loved cars for similar reasons, but they just needed to see how they performed at their best. Another big difference was that Alice and her brother were more into JDMs, while their dad was much more into European cars.

She didn't exit her car after turning off the engine. She sat there, absentmindedly looking at the roof. Without realizing it, she took a couple of fingers to her lips.

She still felt it. Her lips, her heart, her entire body still felt a lingering sensation of what that kiss had tasted like. It was... addicting. She wanted it again, and for longer. She wanted more. She wanted his hands all over her, on her waist, on her back, on her breasts and her butt!

Alice slumped on her seat as if she was melting and shivered. "God, that was..."

Much better than the car meet would've been. Those were fun, and she did like seeing new cars and talking to people about how they built them, but there were always the ones bragging about how much money they'd put into them, the ones that lied about their car's specs, the ones who acted like they knew about cars but put useless mods on theirs to make them LOOK like racing cars. Car meets were fun, but they were also full of caveats. Being alone with Oliver had been much better.

"I want to see him again," she said to herself, tracing her finger along the steering wheel. "Maybe we could drive somewhere out of town? The lake is only six hours from here..."

Six hours driving her car while talking with Oliver about all sorts of things. Getting to the lake and enjoying the view with him, making out even more. Maybe rent a cabin for a night and...

She sighed. That all sounded like the best idea to her, but it would probably be boring for him. "Something else, then. Something not related to cars. What does he like? Games, but I know nothing about games. Music, then, but what?"

She told him they shouldn't go beyond what they did tonight until they cleared things up with Noelle, yet here she was already thinking of a second date.

"It was a date, right?" Did it matter? It was amazing.

Oliver was so easy to talk to, which was a shock. Alice knew he was changing, it was clear to see from afar, yet to have him in front of her, alone... He was almost a different person. Or maybe it was more fitting to say this was his real self, without the chains of fear and anxiety holding him down.

And that moment, when he bluntly told her he wanted to have Mila, Grace, Sarah, and even Noelle and her all at the same time... It was something that would've sounded wrong, selfish and even egotistical from anyone else, but from him? It sounded... interesting and exciting, a proclamation of an impossible dream. Alice wanted to see it happen.

Why? What made him different? He was cute, but more than just cute. He was hot, but more than just hot. He was... Alluring was the closest word she could find. It described him not just in looks, but his general aura.

Actually, all that set off some of Alice's alarms. She'd been stupid enough to believe sweet words before, and she'd been hurt. She shouldn't be believing Oliver's words, either, right? But trusting Oliver was easier because her friends already did, and they were pretty good judges of character. And if that wasn't enough, there was this... strange feeling she had by the end of the night.

The girls had told her about it. It was like a connection with him, something that bordered on the supernatural. When he said he was confident he could make them all happy, it was no platitude. He meant it, and Alice knew it.

"Sharing a boyfriend. Can I do it?" she asked herself.

She'd known since the start that her friends were already dating Oliver, so the idea wasn't that shocking. And he was, after all, too much for any one woman to handle. That kiss served as empirical proof.

What truly worried Alice was Noelle. She had no knowledge of any of this. She was, for lack of a better term, an outsider in this whole situation. She was just a girl who really liked a guy. A guy who, to the public, was single.

She couldn't imagine her agreeing to this. Alice was already close friends with his girlfriends and was aware of the situation before she even started liking the guy. Why would Noelle say yes to sharing the guy she liked with her and three other girls she barely knew?

Biggest problem was, Alice wanted her to agree.

She looked at her phone. She'd been sitting in her car for 15 minutes already. She had to call the girls or risk their wrath. Alice chuckled. At least her thoughts were in better order after all this thinking.

She sent a text to their group chat and went back to her bedroom.

Weird to think she was excited to tell them she had kissed their boyfriend.

************

Chapter 208: The first walk.

When getting something you want is difficult, it's always easier to give yourself excuses to not get or do it.

"It's too expensive."

"It'd be troublesome."

"It's too far."

"It's not realistic."

"I don't really need it."

When the means are there, people usually go for it without a second thought, but when something is difficult, we tell ourselves that it's better to just let it be, and maybe most of the time it is. The real problem is when you finally admit to yourself that you truly want it.

"It's expensive, so I better start saving money."

"It'd be troublesome, but I'll find a way to make it work."

"It's far, so I better get myself ready for the trip."

"Why is it not realistic? What can I do to make it happen?"

"I don't need it, but I want it anyway."

Putting in the work to get something you want is always harder than telling yourself it's better to not have it. So if there's something you want from the bottom of your heart, could you work for it?

That was exactly the situation I found myself in, and you know very well what I'm talking about. However, my deep thoughts were interrupted by a cat jumping and landing squarely on my stomach as I rested on my bed that afternoon. If not for how light Cake was (and the fact my abs are a lot harder than they used to be) that would've startled me more.

"What do you want?" I asked her.

She meowed back in that high pitched tone of hers.

"You already ate."

She meowed.

"Want to play?"

She meowed and jumped off, walking to the door and looking back at me.

"It's only at times like these that I think reading your mind wouldn't be that bad..." I sighed and stood up to follow Cake.

She walked with quick steps and her tail high up. She led me down the stairs, looking back every other moment to make sure I was following. Eventually, she stopped at the front door, meowing at me again.

"What?" I didn't get it. I looked through the peephole just to see if there was someone outside and she was telling me, but no, there was no one. Then it hit me. "Do you... want to go outside?"

Cake began to rub herself on my legs, looking at the door and meowing even louder.

"I guess the house is getting smaller for you." Cake was growing quickly. She was still young, and though she still had even more growing to do, she was no longer a tiny kitten. That, and she had energy. She ran and played a lot with her toys, so with her getting bigger, the space around the house was probably not enough.

Then I remembered that along the things Noelle and Alice bought for her was a harness and a leash. I suppose we could try it.

"Want to go for a walk?"

Cake followed me as I went to find the harness and leash. It took a bit to put the harness on her as I had no idea how the thing worked, but once I figured it out, it was easy.

Cake looked somewhat uncomfortable with it, though. She tried to look at it and scratched herself with her back paws, but I decided to chalk it up to it being so unfamiliar. We'd see if she grew used to it.

I put the leash on her and led Cake around the house as a sort of test run. She was surprisingly cooperative. I expected her to be against it. After all, you don't normally think of cats getting walks, do you? But I've read it's good for them if they're the sort to have high energy.

I walked Cake to the living room, where mom was sitting on the couch, quietly reading a book.

"Mom, I'll try taking Cake out for a walk."

She looked up from her book with a raised eyebrow. "Oh? What brought this on?"

"I think she wants it."

"Mmm. Take the carrier with you in case she gets into trouble or gets tired. She's still young."

"Ah. Yeah, good idea." The carrier wasn't that big, and it almost looked like a normal bag, so I could easily carry it on my shoulder by the straps.

I threw some snacks in, a towel, some plastic bags to pick up her poop and a couple of her toys, just in case. I opened the front door and let Cake decide if we were really going out or not.

She took her time stepping outside, but when she did, she seemed excited. I closed the door and we were on our way.

"Actually, where should we even go?"

Not too far, since it was our first time going for a walk. There was a park about six blocks away, so maybe there?

We stuck to the sidewalk, and though I put us on track to go to the park, I let Cake take the lead and we went at her pace, which was honestly fairly fast. She looked around, curious about everything, but always walked forward without stopping for much other than to smell things on the way. I don't know if that behavior is normal or not.

It was an uneventful walk to the park, but I had to consider that a good thing. For our first time, Cake had behaved extremely well. The weirdest thing was when she saw some birds and jumped on the jungle gym to try and catch them.

That said, she seemed kinda tired, or maybe overwhelmed, so when I opened her carrier she immediately went inside. You know, sometimes I think we got lucky and got a really well-behaved cat, all things considered.

I was about to just head back, but then I had a thought. A few blocks away from the park was a small music store. With Cake in the carrier, taking a look shouldn't be an issue, right?

I walked there with the carrier hanging from my shoulder and the cat inside laying there and looking out. I had no way to confirm it, but I thought she was enjoying this, too.

We made it to the music store, but when we did, I felt stupid. It was a Sunday! Of course the store was closed! I wanted to ask if they had something I needed, or might need. I wanted to compare prices and see if they had it here for cheaper than online. But the store was closed. Bummer. Maybe it was a sign I shouldn't get it after all?

"O-Oliver?"

I snapped my head to look at my left, completely taken by surprise by that voice.

Noelle was there, with a bag in her hand. She looked at me with wide eyes, and I was sure I was mirroring that expression.

************

Chapter 209: Chance meeting.

"N-Noelle? What are you doing here?" I asked her.

"I came to buy something." She gestured back to the store right beside the one I'd come to check. It was a hobby store. The kind that sells tabletop games and the like. She dug into her bag and pulled out what she bought. They were...

"Card booster packs?" I asked.

Noelle's eyes shone. "You know these?"

I asked her if I could see one of the packs, just to confirm something. "Yeah. Isabelle and I used to play with these when we were kids. I don't think we ever understood the rules, though." I handed her the pack back and looked at the store she came out of. "Why come all the way here to buy these? You live far from here, don't you?"

"W-Well..." She blushed and giggled nervously, scratching her cheek. "I heard this was the only store that still had booster packs for the new expansion of the game, so..."

I chuckled. "I see. I can relate, then."

Noelle seemed a bit relieved. Then she noticed the carrier in my shoulder. She beamed as she moved close and looked at Cake inside.

"What's this? Why are you with her like this?"

"We went out for a walk, but she already had enough." I wanted to believe Cake's meow meant she was agreeing with what I said.

"Did she take to it well?" Noelle asked.

"Surprisingly, yes."

Cake smelled and tried to lick Noelle's finger through the mesh. As I watched that, I began to think.

It was a coincidence, but Noelle was here. There were things I needed to talk to her about. Important things that I'd rather not push back. But... how could I even start to bring it up? I couldn't do it out of nowhere.

...

"H-Hey, Noelle?"

"Hm?"

"Are you busy right now?"

"Eh?"

{Busy? He's asking if I'm busy? C-Could it be he wants to... invite me somewhere!? Oh my God! Oh my God! Yes!}

Her thoughts, and the excitement in them, hit me like a surprise truck. My heart almost stopped, and though I definitely felt flattered, I got hit by a bigger sense of guilt.

"N-No, I'm not busy!" she answered eagerly, more than she intended, apparently. She blushed, cleared her throat and held her bag tightly to avoid fidgeting. "I was just going to go back home now. I d-don't have any other plans."

God, I don't want to have this conversation!

"W-Want to come to my place and play some games?" I offered through the knot in my throat.

{YES!}

"I-I'd love to, yes." She nodded. "Thank you."

Her smile could melt anyone's heart, and the thoughts I was hearing only made it worse.

Noelle... really did like me. And I had to tell her I was seeing other girls. That affection would turn to pain, and I'd be the one to cause it. She'd want nothing to do with me after that. I would lose any shot I had with her, and worst of all, I'd lose a friend.

***

We walked back to my house. When we got there, I set Cake loose and she immediately went to cuddle with mom, who was still reading.

Mom chuckled. "What? Was the outside too scary? Or maybe it was too exciting." She looked up as I was walking in with Noelle next to me. "Oh, Noelle. What a surprise." Mom smiled genially.

"Hello, ma'am. Sorry for intruding."

"We happened to meet and I invited her over," I told her. "Is that okay?"

"Of course. You know you're always welcome here, dear, so you're not intruding."

"Thank you very much!"

"Is Isabelle still working in her room?" I asked mom.

"I think so. She hasn't come down yet."

"... Is she still not done? I think she pulled an all-nighter yesterday."

"For that editing job she got?" Noelle asked.

"Yeah."

Noelle and I went to check up on her. After knocking and not getting an answer, I decided to just open the door. My sister was fast asleep on her bed, sprawled there like she'd passed out the moment her head hit the pillow.

"She did pull an all-nighter..." I muttered.

"We better not wake her up, then."

"Don't worry. Once she's asleep, nothing short of shaking her can wake her up. Cake had to scratch her once."

Noelle snickered.

We went to my room, and let me tell you how thankful I am to my dear mother for getting me into the habit of keeping it clean. Can you imagine how embarrassing it would've been if I'd suddenly invited Noelle over and my room was a mess?

She sat down at the edge of my bed while I set everything up so we could play something. I had no idea how to bring the important topic out, and doing it all of a sudden felt plain wrong. Maybe some time talking would give me a good segue or something? I wanted to believe that.

{His room... I'm alone with him in his room! B-But we're just going to play some games. Nothing more. And besides... Yeah. Remember, Noelle. He's probably already seeing someone. Likely more than one person, too...} I could literally feel her mood go down. {Yeah. I lost my chance long ago. I think... I'm happy that we can at least be friends.}

It was like my heart was getting squeezed. But if she already had a suspicion, did it make telling her a bit easier? I wasn't sure. I was still afraid.

Was it noticeable? Was I acting strange? If I was, Noelle didn't seem to notice.

We started playing, and that helped me relax somewhat. Or should I say it distracted me. We played for about two hours. We played, laughed, talked about videos we'd seen, other games we'd played, and even about how we'd done in our midterms.

We played until Noelle finally had to leave. I went with her to wait for a cab, a pressure in my chest the whole time. I waved as she left.

When I went back to my room, I threw a pillow at the wall with all the strength I had. I bit my lip so hard I could've drawn blood. My body was so tense I almost felt numb.

I couldn't tell her.

I was too scared, and I didn't tell her anything.

"Dammit...!"

I'm such a fucking coward.

************

Chapter 210: Intermission - Working for it (Part 1).

It was only supposed to be a 30 minute nap at best, but Isabelle didn't hear her alarm and ended up sleeping for almost two hours straight. When was the last time she pulled an all-nighter? She didn't even do it to study, but this time she HAD to finish the video on time. She did, thankfully. It was sent, so she only had to wait for a response.

When her eyes opened and she began to regain consciousness, the first thing that her ears caught was the sound of laughter. Two people, in Oliver's room, the other was a girl. Who?

"What!? That move has invincibility!?" the girl asked, baffled.

"Yep."

"That's cheap!"

"It is." Oliver laughed.

Was that... Noelle? It was, wasn't it? What was she doing here? Isabelle checked her phone again, but she had no messages from Noelle, and she was sure they had no plans to meet that Sunday.

Isabelle's first instinct was to get up from her bed and go say hi, but she stopped herself before she even got her head off the pillow.

"So you play card games, too?" Oliver asked.

"Only a little bit. I have two younger cousins who are super into it, so I have a deck to play with them. They're really the only people I play against, but building a deck is in itself fun."

"Isn't it pretty expensive?"

Ugh. Oliver was always so worried about money. Okay, Isabelle couldn't blame him since they didn't have all that much to spend, but his frugal nature bordered on being cheap.

"There are some stupidly expensive cards," Noelle said, laughing. "Like 200 for a piece of painted cardboard. But I just play with what I get in the booster packs. I've gotten lucky a few times and gotten some really good cards, though. My cousins were super jealous."

Isabelle smiled. Oliver and her used to play cards when they were kids, but it would be better to say they collected them, as they never learned the rules.

There was this one time they both bought one booster pack each. There was a card Isabelle really wanted and she prayed she got it. According to the store owner, it was on the rare side, so she should lower her expectations. Do you know what happened? Oliver got it. Isabelle was green with envy.

The store owner was even more shocked, and he offered to buy it from Oliver for like $40. Can you believe that? To kids, $40 is a fucking fortune. And do you know what her idiot brother did?

He gave the card to her.

Isabelle's smile went away. She got up from her bed and went to her desk. She opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a small box. Her own card collection was there, untouched for years but kept in sleeves because the store owner said it kept them in good condition. She searched for the card. It was still there. A blonde girl in an odd, blue and pink witch hat with a magic circle in the background.

Isabelle pursed her lips and sat on the floor of her bedroom, staring at the card. Hearing Noelle talk about it made her remember she had it.

She stayed in her room, hearing Oliver and Noelle's lively chatter. She didn't want to interrupt, she wanted to give them time alone. Besides, she didn't feel much like seeing anybody at the moment. Her chest felt heavy, her lip quivered and her eyes got watery.

She heard Noelle leaving and Oliver going with her to wait for a cab. Good to know her brother was a gentleman. But then she heard Oliver return. His steps were heavy. He closed the door to his room and, almost immediately after, Isabelle heard a soft thud, like someone had thrown a pillow against a wall. Then a grunt.

"Dammit...!" Oliver muttered. Isabelle's heart froze.

Did something happen? Did they fight? They were having such a good time just now! Or maybe it wasn't a fight? Isabelle couldn't even think of anything that could make them argue, so maybe it was unrelated.

No, wait.

There was one thing.

Isabelle rubbed her eyes and went from her room to Oliver's. She knocked on his door and called to him.

"I'm busy, Isabelle," he said. His voice sounded... off, depressed.

"No, you're not. I'm coming in."

She opened the door and found him sitting at the edge of his bed, back slouched and with his elbows resting on his knees. His expression could've made anyone think he was pissed, and in a way they'd be right. Oliver was furious at himself, Isabelle knew. He rarely got visibly angry at others, but when he was frustrated with himself he'd get like that.

"What happened?" Isabelle asked, closing the door behind her. "Did you fight with Noelle?"

"So you were awake?" He asked, but it sounded like he didn't care about the answer.

"I... Yes. You guys were playing here when I woke up."

Oliver nodded and said nothing else.

"Come on. What happened?"

"Nothing," he said. "Nothing happened," he grunted. He was so visibly upset he couldn't even hide it.

"Then why are you like this?"

"..." Oliver shook his head. "It's not important."

"..." Isabelle felt her eyes water. "Th-There was a time," she started, her voice close to cracking, "when we used to tell each other everything. I fucked that up, I know. It's my own fault. So I know you won't believe me when I say this, but I want to go back to that, Oliver. I want my brother back. What do I have to do to make it up to you?"

Her body felt numb and heavy with guilt. She'd cut the bridge herself, and now she was asking him to let her fix things? He would tell her to go away, that he still hadn't forgiven her. He might act like there was a semblance of normalcy between them, but it was clear. Her brother held his grudges, if silently, but she was speaking from the bottom of her heart.

Isabelle wanted her brother back. The one who treated her well, the one who always played with her, the one who told her his secrets, the one she could tell her secrets to... The one who cared for her more than anyone else.

Why the fuck did she ever think she preferred strangers over him?

Right. Because he would always be there. But she was wrong. And if she wanted her brother back, she would have to start working for it. And at this point, Isabelle was willing to do anything.