Page 23 of Toxic

A rush of heat ran through my body.

"If I had approached you then and asked for a dance, would you have agreed?"

"I would. And I was furious that Sean interrupted it!"

Wow.

A short pause.

"Do you have time this afternoon?" I heard my voice, surprising even myself. Was I that desperate for him?

Soren blinked, and an even deeper blush crept up his cheeks. His heart seemed to speed up in seconds, pounding like crazy. He let out a breath.

"Yeah. My dorm’s Delta 4, room 143. You can come at 6:00 pm."

"Okay."

Silence fell between us (except for his racing heartbeat).

We didn’t talk for the rest of the lecture, and then in the cafeteria, I sat with Archer, and Gabe. I didn’t even remember if Soren was there either. Every nerve in my body was tense. I didn’t know what to expect from this evening, but I was definitely ready for whatever! It was officially ON!

***

For the rest of the day, I was in a strange state of excitement,barely paying attention to the lectures.

When it was 5 pm, I flew home to take a thorough shower and change my clothes.

The moment I entered the room, I noticed Archer sitting at his desk, and he raised his eyes to me. For a second, I felt as if he could read my mind.

The guy continued to be a serious puzzle to me—his reserved demeanor and secretive aura were intriguing. But one thing about him wasn’t a mystery: his dating habits were quite famous on campus. Omegas and betas gossiped about his strange viewpoints, which were quite traditional and rather controversial, especially among younger people.

For example, he used to greet his boyfriends like it was in older days, by putting his hand on their neck, which was considered offensive by many modern omegas. He also insisted on paying on first dates, opening doors, and being the whole strong ‘provider and protector’ figure.

Alvin and Gabe were always rolling their eyes whenever he expressed his views, but honestly, I didn’t judge him. I had this ‘live and let live’ rule and was focused on my own shit—plenty enough of it to not burden myself with other people’s matters.

"You look like you won the lottery," he muttered. "And I know the feeling."

I eyed him. "I’m not sure if it’s like that. But Soren agreed."

Wow, I said it out loud!

Archer's face remained unmoved. "Good for you, if that’s what you want."

I raised my eyebrows. "You’re not gonna scold me? You’re against paying for sex."

He only shrugged. "I am, but I’m not in the business of telling people what to do. I live my life as I see fit. Some people hate my traditional approach to it, but since you leave me alone, I won’t lecture you either."

"Thanks, I appreciate it. But wait… what did you say about feeling like you won the lottery?"

He smirked subtly. "I kinda did, today."

"What do you mean?"

"I inherited my beta uncle's fortune and his mansion. He was the head researcher at Malden Pharmaceuticals for years, he died a few days ago. By the way, that place is about twenty miles from where your parents live."

My mouth gaped. "Oh, wow! Seriously?"

"Yeah, I'm basically set up for life. My uncle was a millionaire, and I was his sole heir. One of my cousins also got some money because of his medical condition, but not a lot, so I pretty much inherited the entire fortune."

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