Page 63 of The Catalyst

I grab the coin and throw it for the vase, but I miss this time and curse under my breath.

He moves behind me before whispering in my ear, “Better luck next time.” His voice races a chill through my entire body.

At this point, he’s just teasing me. He has to know that he pulls these reactions from me and how to do it. He’s doing all of this on purpose.

“At least you’re not rubbing in my face that I lost,” I mutter as I turn to him, but he just stares down at me with that blank look in his eyes.

“You didn’t lose. You just didn’t win your prize. Those are two completely different things.” Then, he walks over to the vase to retrieve the coin.

He’s more mature than I gave him credit for.

* * *

Ollie pushedthe sofas together because with his size, there was no other place we could lay down unless we did so on the full-sized shag rug. There’s not enough cushion there though. This is a much more comfortable option. This way we’re close without being on top of each other and can still talk.

I thought he wanted us to get privacy for sex, but that wasn’t his intention with this at all. In some strange way, this feels a bit like a date, the two of us just taking the time to get to know each other.

“Are you really a psychopath?” I ask, not so sure if I really believe that anymore. He has psychotic tendencies, sure, but being a psychopath is determined by a list of factors. There are twenty different qualifications for a psychopath.

Superficial charm

A mean streak

Pathological lying

A lack of accountability

A need for power, control, and dominance

Sadism

Thrill-seeking behavior due to boredom

A skewed code of ethics

No fear of consequences

A detached and cold demeanor

Childhood behavior issues

Short, broken relationships

Exploitation of others

Calculated decision-making

No conscience

Strange thought process

Poor attention span

Violent tendencies

Hostile by nature

Gaslighting

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