Page 73 of Toxic

"'Whatever! I know what you shouldn't do, that's for sure! Be on the rapist's team!"

Alvin narrowed his eyes, then made a loud huff.

There was a brief pause as he hesitated.

"Listen… you’re only seeing Soren’s side, Don is the fucking embodiment of evil for you, and that is simply unfair! He’s a good guy, generous and helpful! And he’s really into Soren, which just clouded his judgment."

I closed my eyes as something clicked in my head. Why was Alvin so upset, so angry? He was always a pretty relaxed guy, chill most of the time.

"Did Don reject you because you offered him something similar to what Sean offered Archer—an open relationship? This whole rant of yours is a little too intense, too personal."

Silence fell.

Alvin clenched his jaw and muttered, "It’s none of your business what my dealings with Don are. You don’t know shit," he grumbled and turned away, heading toward the door.

As it slammed shut behind him, I turned toward Archer, who glanced at me too.

"Just to be clear, I don’t judge anybody," he said. "The Kingdom of Promises started because those guys were in financial trouble and desperate for money. Alvin used that."

Sighing, I sat on my bed. "I agree, it was shady. And… just saying, I personally think Sean wouldn’t be the best match for you. You could do better—he can be a bitch underneath his cheerful exterior."

Archer spread his hands. "Well, anyway, I couldn’t be in an open relationship. I’m just too possessive to share someone I love. But everyone should do whatever they want. I know you like Soren, and that’s fine with me. To each their own."

I winced and muttered, "You know, I might not be as traditional as you are, but… I’m also pretty possessive. And just so you know, Soren doesn’t do that anymore. Since we met, he hasn’t even seen May or Ed."

"Are you two… dating?"

"We’re not dating."

Archer shrugged. "If you say so."

"We’re not," I grumbled.

He stared at me for a while. "Don’t fool yourself, Skye. Face reality. You’re dating him. It’s just him… who’s not dating you."

What was there to add? I didn't answer, I just took a shower. Standing under the freezing cold water, I thought again about the Titanic. Archer was right. I was fooling myself.

And clearly cruising for a bruising.

***

Soren was in his favorite spot, smoking a cigarette when I approached the college building. He looked pretty laid-back, leaning against the wall, with his hair braided into a fishtail that started just over his forehead and trailed down to the middle of his back. His fingernails were painted navy-blue, with silver swirls enameled across them. He had more earrings than usual, some long and twisting like silver snakes. He looked like a tempting work of art, which definitely wasn’t helping my current situation.

I walked up to him and, on an impulse, lit a cigarette too, trying to keep my chaotic thoughts at bay. We smoked in silence for a while, and just being near Soren had a calming, soothing effect on me. I stared at the rain, the gray smoke, and Soren’s gray eyes peeking through it, fixed on my face.

He had a thin, black line of eyeliner around his eyes.

"You’re beautiful as always," I mumbled, brushing my hand against one of his long earrings.

He didn’t answer; his eyes stayed fixed on my face as he continued to blow smoke in my direction.

Feeling this strange need, I leaned in a bit and whispered, still staring at him, "You know, your eyes always reflect the stormy sky."

Soren blinked—he seemed a little dazed by my comment for a moment. Some thought flickered across his face, and hewhispered back, almost obliviously, "My eyes… would wish to always reflect the sunny Skye."

Wait, was that ‘Skye’ with an 'e'? It was impossible to tell from the way he said it.

Then he blinked again, snapping out of it, and cleared his throat, quickly redirecting his gaze toward the college building. The strange moment passed, and Soren just furrowed his brows, taking a deeper drag.

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