Page 82 of Toxic

"Maybe you should go talk to him. Opportunities like this don’t come around often," he said, his tone razor-sharp.

"I don’t feel like it," I mumbled, focusing on my plate.

Soren's face twisted with bitterness, as if he wanted to say something more. I sensed what it could be; the situation with the student somehow proved his point about alphas always finding the sweet-smelling omegas sooner or later. The fleeting nature of the alpha-beta relationship was obvious to him… The proof—sitting at the other table, sending me shy looks.

But just then, Sean walked up to us.

"Hey guys, you heading to the party at Yota 2 today?" he asked, plopping down in a chair and effectively diverting our attention from the young student.

For the rest of the conversation, Soren seemed off, clearly unhappy. Something was bothering him; he had something on the tip of his tongue, but for now, he chose not to say it. The clock was ticking.

***

When I showed up to get Soren that day, I was speechless the moment I walked in. He was dressed in a black mesh shirt with thin silver stripes, his eyes lined with thick eyeliner, and his lips pink with glossy lipstick. There was delicate silver glitter on his face. His tight leggings left no doubt about the perfect shape of his round ass.

"You really want me to walk around all night with a boner?" I muttered with a smirk.

Usually, he’d chuckle at comments like that, but this time, there was just an awkward silence.

As we headed to the party, Soren had his head slightly bowed, and I could feel this weird tension building up inside him too.

The Yota 2 building was packed with students, music blaring, everyone dancing. It was loud, with voices from the crowd mixing with karaoke performances from the next room, and colorful lights flashing everywhere.

Soren and I walked over to a group with Sean, Tim, and Mark. Soren chatted with them for a bit, while I just looked around aimlessly, not interested in their conversation. In the corner, I spotted my cousin Gabriel, but as usual, he hung around alone, kinda staring at the dancers with that typical gloomy look of his.

Then, at the end of the room, I noticed Archer dancing with some guy—no surprise, a redheaded omega. From what I’d gathered, he’d been going out more in the evenings lately, so maybe he’d started seeing someone? But he wasn’t the type to share, and I didn’t want to ask because that might lead to… him asking about my situation! And I wasn’t ready to give him any answers.

Unfortunately, I also spotted Alvin and Don dancing together, pretty close, and that soured my mood a bit. At one point, Don’s eyes met mine, and the look he gave me made it clear we were never going to be friends. Duh. Alvin glanced at me too, and in his eyes, I saw a hint of… pity?

I just shrugged it off. College was almost over, and these people would be out of my life in two days anyway.

I headed to the bar, where they had a variety of beverages—no alcohol, of course, since it was on campus—but I poured some energy drinks for us.

Soren took the cup from my hand, but was busy talking to Tim about his career plans. I stood there, sneaking glances at him—his beautiful face, the perfect line of his neck, long and elegant—a neck I’d felt under my lips so many times. His body was godlike, at least to me. But I didn’t just want his body—I wanted more, so much more. And I knew these were the last moments—my sole chance to tell him how I felt.

"Soren, wanna dance with me?" I finally managed to choke out, my throat tight.

His gray eyes swept across my face, then he nodded slowly and set his drink aside.

I took his hand and led him to the dance floor. I wasn’t thrilled about being so close to Don and Alvin, but I decided to tune them out, like background noise.

We started dancing to some music, swaying loosely while holding hands. Soren seemed a bit distant, not looking at me, his eyes scanning the crowd of students around us as luminescent lights played across his face.

I was mesmerized by the way those colors sparkled on his skin, his glittering lips, the magical shimmer—as if Soren were some kind of otherworldly creature. Impossible to tame? Maybe there was still a chance if I just dared. I had to. I had to finally take the leap!

The music suddenly changed, and I blinked in surprise as the familiar notes of Elvis Presley’s timeless song "I Can’t Help Falling in Love" filled the room. Was it a signal from Fate?

Soren blinked too and looked straight at my face.

In a desperate move, I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him closer, taking in his scent, that delicate fragrance of dahlias and mint, now completely free of any vanilla.

The music flowed, the lyrics full of confessions and promises, and I couldn’t take my eyes off Soren. To my surprise, he was looking at me too, his black pupils dilated—was he about to say something? Was he gathering his thoughts too?

"I can’t help falling in love," my lips mouthed along with the words of the song as they played.

We were so close, our breaths mingling. I couldn’t hold back anymore—I wanted him, not just physically, but… in my life. Finally, I was ready to ask him to be my boyfriend, prepared to say it! His eyes were locked on mine, and then, in a sudden impulse, I leaned in, and my lips met his for the first time—not counting that brief brush during the photo shoot. There was a split second when Soren allowed it, but it didn’t last long, barely a kiss at all, just a gentle touch of our lips. Then… I felt his hands pressing against my chest! He pushed me away firmly, turned around, and walked out of the room in quick strides.

For a moment, I was so stunned that I just stared after him. Shortly afterward, I glanced to the side and noticed Don watching me, and even Archer was peering at me. Why did everyone have to witness this, dammit?

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