Wait! 

Wait, abeg. Before you proceed, I have very urgent information.

Good, now that I have gotten your attention, before you proceed, if you were unaware, my last updates before this one were DOUBLE UPDATES - I am saying this afresh because I know that a number of you were unaware that I updated the day after. So, if you read only the first chapter of the double updates, there is a second one you may have missed. 

Please o. If you proceed to read the following chapters and you missed the last chapter, you may hate yourself.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Oh, and if you're below 18, please leave this place😂❤️

Oh and I had to divide this chapter into two because of the length, it's paining me sha, but anyhow😭

We may proceed...😌❤️

~DABI~

"God forbid."

I was staring at one of my biggest existing nightmares in the face.

And many times, I kept repeated the same words over in my head, assuring myself that once again, maybe, just maybe, I was seeing things again. 

But nah...

It all felt too real to not be. He looked too real to just be a figment of my imagination. And truth be told, right from the very moment that I had ran down here and set my eyes on him, all I wanted was for the ground to open up and swallow me.

Just anything to get me out of this.

Because I couldn't do it on my own.

No seriously. I had tried. I had tried to run, but my legs were frozen on a spot. So, being tormented by the visuals of the very boy I had been praying to God to keep avoiding since my last altercation with him.

So, I stood there, stuck on on my feet with heels latched on like glue to the tiled grounds of the Living room, and with a dangerously pounding heart, hands that trembled to the core with insane panic and fear, and and the weight of a thousand burdens pressing down against my head and choking the life out of me, I watched him thrive in the midst of all the chaos.

"Sleep well everyone... Especially you, Dabeluchi Orji."

Those were  the very last words that Sean Ayomide had said to me.

And, since that night at Nana's house, I had sworn that I was going to make every damn effort to avoid that boy as though he were a plague.

I even avoided talking about him too.

So, you can imagine the kind of electric shock that zapped into and through me the very moment that I ran downstairs, only to see him there, live and in the flesh, in the midst of champagne spewing classmates.

Worse still, every time I imagined running into Sean, I imagined jamming into a revenge-seething, dark thinking, cold blooded reptile...

Not the brightly grinning manic psychopath that stood before me and Marc, with arms outspread and inviting for a welcoming hug.

"Brah, Long time no see."

Sean's words to Marcus sounded like an innocent call to an old, long lost friend.

And, that was what petrified me the most.

The dark skinned boy couldn't have been more welcoming, standing there with arms remaining outstretched and waiting for an embrace, while me and Marc remained on our spot, not even daring to take a further step close.

For all I knew, he could have been holding a knife.

Or a gun.

So many things about him looked suspicious.

Even down to the way that he came 'dressed' for this party.

While everyone else here came ready to prove a point with their dressing and looks, Sean Ayomide preferred to show everyone that he couldn't bring himself to give a fuck by coming with a regular looking black T-shirt and grey and white checkered pyjama trousers.

I had almost forgotten how deranged the boy always seemed to be.

And to top it all, there was absolutely no reason why he could have been standing there with such a bright grin on his dark face, and expecting a hug from his estranged best friend who not only betrayed him, but now also had his arms wrapped around the body of the very reason of his betrayal —me.

"SEAN, JJ, WHATEVER THE FUCK YOUR OTHER NAMES ARE, AND THAT MAN CHICK—"

I jolted, jump scared at the growling and raucous voice that resounded and reverberated through the four walls of the room like an unmerciful rumble of thunder.  

Horrid, I watched as Aaron Godson stormed into the place with a fire of fury burning in his demeanor and a trigger zapping like red lightening in his eyes. And oh boy, the fucking influence he had on this entire party. Because as he threw himself into the champagne spewing crowd like a bomb blast, the entire room was silent.

And I mean, pin drop graveyard silence.

Casper, his bud, was fast.

The boy was like fucking lightening.

The way he zapped himself with light speed to stop Aaron from getting to them was absolutely shocking. The blonde haired kid literally appeared out of nowhere, and slammed himself into Aaron, trying to wrestle him away with a rather aggressive embrace-like hold.

"—IF YOUR PLAN IS TO SPOIL THE FUN OF THIS PARTY, YOU CAN AS WELL GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" 

I was shocked at how fast it took Aaron to become a wild animal.

I could have sworn just how many minutes ago, he was just laughing and jeering with the Sports guys, and a few minutes prior to that, he was intensely in love mode, making the fuck out with Chika Chioma. 

Now here he was, having his best friend try to hold him down, as he charged with fire towards the menacing classmates that disrupted the peace of the party by spewing and wetting other classmates with Alcohol. 

The very same Alcohol that Marc had told me two times now was banned from here.

I swallowed, over and over, as I watched Aaron Godson so, so angry.

Again, it seemed I had forgotten this side of him. Seeing him all soft and love-dovey with Chika one too many times had actually made me forget that he was the same Aaron Godson whom I had witnessed months ago, whipping and lashing the shit out of a delinquent junior student with an tungsten-iron mouthed belt, like a demon possessed soul.

The very same Aaron who walked around school swinging around that weapon of destruction he called a belt and treating the fuck up of right about every junior boy out there who thought they were tough. 

Getting reminded of all of that and witnessing such anger from him yet again made me very uncomfortable.

Incredulously uncomfortable.

My startle reflexes were triggered and my anxiety was suddenly all over the place. Marc's hands around me became firmer, yet more protective. He picked up on these things fast.

Quickly, Aaron was able to silence the entire room and I hadn't even realized it until the silence around us had grown around us into a near deafening tone that there was no more music even playing.

Someone had unplugged the speakers.

It was the second time tonight.

Everyone was standing in attention, the most uncomfortable air flowing around us, in the heat of Aaron's scolding on Sean, JJ, and the rest of the menacing Class F girls and boys around there. But Sean Ayomide's reaction to all of this absolutely blew me off the roof.

He had a smile in his eyes.

Yeah, you read correctly.

Aaron Godson was fuming and Sean Ayomide had a smile, lingering there in his eyes, watching the other kid like he was a fascinating sight.

Like he was something he would have loved to trigger more and watch his reaction in anticipation.

There was almost a manic glint in it, that deranged satisfaction and anticipation a troubled little child would have glowing in his eyes when he detached the head off a grasshopper and watched it wriggle and struggle aimlessly all over the ground without its head. 

He watched Aaron like Aaron was a headless, wriggling bug.

I felt creeped out. 

So fucking creeped out.

"Marc," I called his name, because it was the only name that seemed to give me some stability in times like this when irrational paranoia gripped me tight. Again, he was sensitive when it came to me, and I was grateful, and also relieved, when he readjusted his hold on me, reminding and assuring me that he was there to protect me.

Always.

What we were doing was risky. Holding each other and being all cuddled up in front of the person who hated us much more than even our classmates.

However, much to our luck, Sean's attention had long moved and shifted to Aaron, who looked like he was ready to tear anyone apart who dared to even touch another champagne bottle.

I stood there, with Marcus firmly stationed right by side, holding me protectively by the second. And, in anxiety, I watched between a seething Aaron, a mediating Casper, and a well unbothered Sean, doing like the rest of the on-watching crowd of classmates — holding my heart in my hands.

"Godson," 

I stopped breathing momentarily when I heard Sean's voice a second time.

He had the brightest light in his eyes when he called Aaron's last name, that same manic anticipation lingered all over it and his voice came off in a calm, controlled, seemingly calculative tone. 

It was so calm it scattered my peace of mind.

For the first time, that smile that seemed to be holding itself back all along started to lift the corner of his lip until it presented itself as a smirk so sly and cunning, a testing smile. Almost like he was using Aaron as his little psychotic experiment.

"You seem a bit upset," He said to Aaron Godson.

Clearly, he was testing him. That smug smile and calm tone of his voice made it super clear.

Sean Ayomide was simply just trying to trigger Aaron the more.

And, he was damning whatever may have been the consequences while at it.

Personally, I couldn't bring myself to understand why. 

Did he just enjoy this? Did he enjoy watching people fume and explode, just for the fun of it? Or was it watching being helpless and vulnerable and out of control that satisfied Sean? Was that why he was here? To watch me and Marc suffer and crumble at his feet? To watch us lose our minds? Was that it? He just wanted to see how much control he had over people?

Needless to say, it was working.

Aaron Godson stood there, staring at Sean who watched back calmly, with chest heaving as he seethed in his silent, growing anger. The only thing in his way was Casper, and even while he tried to act the pacifier, Sean wouldn't stop smiling, urging Aaron to do his worst if he wanted to.

I couldn't stop myself from thinking that this was new. I stand corrected, but I didn't think that before this very moment, Aaron and Sean had had an interaction before. Or at least, a solid one. The two boys seemed to be in different worlds, in different ranks of the Social Hierarchy too. This seemed to be the very first time that they had actually officially crossed paths.

And it had to be in this way. 

However, Casper Bassey was quick.

Very quick.

He stepped up ahead of Aaron and stood in front of him, having the raging boy slightly tower an inch or two in height, behind him. 

With a serious, no-nonsense face, Casper looked at Sean directly. 

"Stop it." He pointed an accusing finger at the darker, smug looking kid, as he warned.

Everything in Casper's body language and seriousness made it clear that he was not playing around. He seemed to be the only rational one here, the one that was not being overtaken by many emotions, and just bluntly calling all the nonsense off. 

"I know what you're trying to do," He said straightly to Sean, sounding apt and certain, hardly fazed by sentiments. "Stop it. This is neither the right time nor the right place. I have enough respect for you to politely ask that you to behave yourself. You will have a good time, everyone else will have a good time too, and at the end of the day, we all go home happy. Deal?"

"Deal," Sean surprisingly answered, shrugging it off with ease.

"Thank you.—" 

"—Now, you see, that's how you talk to your classmates, Aaron Godson." 

Sean threw everyone off guard again when he cut Casper off to call out Aaron, unexpectedly.

"You should learn the art of tactfulness from your guy," He continued, directly referring to Aaron who was still standing behind Casper. "Instead of coming here to run your mouth like someone who doesn't think before they speak."

Eh?

Confusion thoroughly assaulted me.

Sean, of all fucking people on the planet, was the one lecturing other people on how to speak to people tactfully?

Sean Ayomide? The king of unfiltered words? Was this a joke?

"Don't be unfortunate," He started off addressing Aaron. "I presume you must have a measurable level of mental retardation considering how bold enough you were to come down here screaming and howling at your own mates like that. Are you a wolf?" He cocked his head to the side as though he was expecting Aaron to answer the question.

When no answer came, Sean continued.

"Or, have you just gotten too confident with the thought that you are some King of the Jungle  that you can just storm in here, shut down the entire place at your will, and have everyone do as you say," He continued, scoffing mockingly, "Is that it? You pride yourself by your baseless rank in the hierarchy of relevance in CH and raise your shoulders. Is that why you also cherry pick who you associate with and who you don't?"

What the fuck was going on?

I looked up to Marc who had an equally confused look clouding his face. It made no sense at all. Why was Sean attacking Aaron so much? Where was all of these coming from? 

Something in me felt it strongly that there was no strong deep basis to all of this. All Sean was doing before us, was simply showcasing just how far he could go, how low he could stoop, how severe he could be, if he intended to bring anyone down.

Anyone he wished to.

I believed strongly that Sean was showing this, specifically, to me and Marcus Acha.

Unfortunately, Aaron who had no business with our business, had to be the unlucky bait. 

Meanwhile, he didn't seem to be taking all of this lightly. Aaron, I mean. He stood there and soaked in all of this, burning visibly like a fire breathing dragon, and the only thing keeping him from showing much more of a reaction was Casper.

The more levelheaded kid was silently speaking words I couldn't hear, but his gestures and body language showed he was trying to pacify, and in some way, guard or fight.

It was clear he was ready for anything, even if it meant diving head first in between a fist fight with Aaron Godson and Sean Ayomide. Something he seemed to be desperately trying to avoid. 

"You're a prefect," He told Aaron quietly, eyes glaring the taller boy's raising shoulders down while guardedly following his every movement with his careful eyes. "Control yourself.—"

"—Nah, fuck this, Sean Ayomide! You must be out of your fucking mind to think I am going to stand here and watch you chat shit to me!"

Aaron snapped right out of Casper's hold and charged towards Sean in a fit of fury and bloody anger.

Casper was silently speaking words I couldn't hear to him, but his gestures seemed to show he was trying to calm the air and his best friend.

Marcus Acha jumped out of my hands.

This man fucking flew!

"Marc, what are you—"

My words died there in my throat as I watched my boyfriend dive head first into an incoming uppercut that was meant for Sean Ayomide.

"Marc!" I shrieked.

But it was all to no avail, really. It all happened before I could even blink. Aaron, in fit of uncontrollable rage charged towards Sean Ayomide with the aggression and force of a bulldozer, and Marc, running, practically zapping himself with the speed of light into the scene, in a desperate bid to defend and protect. 

To defend and protect Sean.

God.

My breath hitched.

Completely.

Marc was fast as lightning and strong like a force unnatural, the way he bolted himself there and swerved, hooking Sean by the elbow and diving along with him out of the way. Right before Aaron's fist could 'properly' connect.

Properly.

Because it did connect.

However, it was ever so slight. Marcus, somehow, was able to dodge the most of that potentially jaw cracking uppercut, just having barely Aaron's knuckles hitting subtly under his chin. Subtle enough to barely have Marc react from the impact.

If he felt it, he was rather too busy trying to salvage for his best friend to focus on the insignificant little pain.

"Sorry, abeg," He stood in front of Sean, pleading with Aaron on his behalf, while simultaneously blocking him from being at reach.

My heart was in my throat, the air in the room was thick as a rock. Granted, even Aaron had to pause completely, as he took in what was happening right now, just as everyone else was doing.

"He didn't mean any of that," Marc continued saying, panic was dilating his pupils as if the world was about to end. "I swear, he didn't mean it. He's just going through a lot right now, and it's because of me. I understand you're upset. Anyone would be. But, bro, if you want to hit someone, hit me."

This broke me.

Listen,

It broke me.

And I wasn't even sure what scattered me more: the way that Marc literally just jumped into a barrelling fist without thinking twice, or the way that he looked at Aaron with fear lingering dangerously in his eyes on top of another person's wahala, or maybe...

The way that Sean Ayomide just stood there, watching both Marc and Aaron, as though the both of them couldn't have looked more stupid.

His face showed any emotion that was not Empathy. I started to wonder if he was even human. A real human being would see it through Marc, that he genuinely cared about him.

Even down to taking a risk.

Sacrifice.

But Sean, nah, he looked far from caring. There was no emotion on his face, not of happiness and not of anger. He looked at Marc's back, as he hovered over him to protect him, and with one look at his eyes, I could see that all that was there was vagueness.

That was it, vagueness.

Sean Ayomide could not even will himself to care.

Was...

Was that even normal?

"I'll take him outside," Marc said, assuring Aaron and everyone else that he would take Sean away for everywhere to be calm enough to resume the liveliness that was previously in it. "Let's go, Sean.—"

"Abeg." Sean flung Marc's hand away
from him with a brief laugh.

Now, that was the thing, he laughed.

Such a fucking weird response. 

And, he didn't sound the least bit aloof about it. He didn't seem to be trying to be mean or cold or anything like that. Sean dismissed Marc so unbotheredly, like how one would hiss or roll their eyes after witnessing a cringe cheesy scene from a romance movie. So casually. So unfazed.

His non-compliance to Marc's remorse actually scared the life out of me.

Absolutely terrified me.

And truth be told, I found it hard wrapping my head around what was going on in Sean Ayomide's mind.

That, terrified me the more.

"Maybe you should leave."

That was Aaron to Sean.

Easily, Sean blessed the taller boy with a warm, untriggered smile. Answered him with a calm shrug.

"You should have just punched the lights out of me while you had the chance, brah."

With those last words, Sean quipped Aaron Godson a brief smile.

Brief.

Immediately he turned around, all the smile in his eyes were gone, all the vagueness in his emotions were cracked open, all the emotions I thought I couldn't see came glaring throughout him, spewing out all auras of toxicity and darkness off him, and that vileness I thought I had seen flash in his eyes for a second when he came and 'fronted' smiles and grins with me and Marc started to show in it's full force.

Sean stormed out of the room, bloody vexed.

And as me and Marc watched, one thing was clear to the both of us —  Sean most definitely had an agenda coming here.

An agenda against Dacha.

The boy wasn't done for the night, he was just beginning.

***

Once again, Dabeluchi Aurora Orji did what she knew how to do best.

Running.

Everything that had happened back there was too much for me. Way too much. And I couldn't even bare to stand there any longer with all the drama and intensity, so before Marc could even get to me, I ran away.

The Sisters seemed to be having the time of their life, however. Just before disappearing through the fleet of stairs upstairs, I saw Chika, Soma, and Ebere cat walking their way into a sofa gathering with Aaron, Casper, Giwa Falade and some of the girls from her alpha female clique, Prissy and Hassana, all of them chatting so freely and laughing with one another.

I had barely taken a moment to appreciate how cool they all looked together, compared to the rest of the party. With the Sisters and their chic lit girl aura, blending in perfectly with the air of elegance and pride that hovered around Giwa and her clique and the free spirited Aaron and Casper, who seemed to carry the rest of the gathering along.

Sigh. They looked like the 'Cool Kids'.

At least, they were having fun.

Sadly, I was pretty certain that they thought the same thing about me too.

"Sorry."

I muttered a quick apology with a voice I was certain was barely heard  as soon as my temporary absent mindedness caused me to bump into some incoming classmates on the stairway.

Awkwardly, I stepped around Ivandor Fejaun and Nova Igwe whom I had accidentally collided with, ignoring Nova's apology and the cheeky smile that came with it, and from there, I quietly walked away from them, heading up the stairs, with speeded deliberate steps.

One last glance at my Sisters having the time of their life with other classmates, and I was gone into the broad, void hallways ahead, looking for the next spot to go into my hiding.

And that was how I ended up spending the almost the entire night in one of the guest bathrooms in the Acha Residence.

Marc would never find me here, but nonetheless, I couldn't stop being so disappointed with myself.

I came here to this party with such full confidence, and right from the very moment, I saw Kelechi Uwa in a yellow dress, my state of mind had been in consistent fluctuations. I wouldn't even have blamed the Sisters if they left me with Marc, assured that I was being as confident and happy as ever.

As I should be.

But damn...

This Confidence thing was not easy.

One minute, you're alright and ready to take on the world and the next minute, you're cowering in fear and anxiety, having to rinse and repeat the process over and over again.

I guess I was stuck here in this bathroom for the rest of the night.

It felt like forever since I had been here, but I didn't bother. It was roughly an hour and a half since what happened back there with Sean Ayomide, and if I could manage to stay in here, trapped in the four walls of this gold and white tiled bathroom for bit longer, I'd miss the entire night completely.

Good plan.

After all, the smell of Aloe Vera and Vanilla Air freshener was more soothing than the stench of tension that choked me back there.

Sigh. I sat there, on the clean tiled floors, rested my back against the tiles walls behind me, and hugged my knees to my chest, waiting patiently for tonight to just end.

If only that kind of luck was destined for me.

"Argh!"

The bathroom door swung open with a loud bang, jolting my body and electrifying me into a near stroke.

"Aurora."

Oh, fuck no.

Marc stood there at the door of the bathroom, staring down at me with the most heart breaking look of concern etched into his face.

He had changed up a bit, it was obvious. His jacket was gone now, and  he was now completely cloud in white, from the long sleeved turtleneck that showed off the contours of the fine biceps of his arms and the definition of his body, built and firm, down to the trousers and white shoes that still looked like he just received it from an order online.

{A/N:  Um, guys, I believe I never showed you what Acha looked like for the night. I explained his look, bit never showed the visuals. Sooooo....}

I sat there on the ground, just watching him back in silence.

"Your clothes still so white—"

"—What are you doing here, Aurora?"

Oh, sigh. I pressed my knees further into my chest, kneading my barely existent breasts in.

"Come." Marc outstretched a hand.

I shook my head, no.

"Please," He insisted.

I shook my head, no.

"Come on," He stood persistent, "Or stand up from the toilet floor at least, it's unsanitary, babe."

I stared at him, saying nothing for a few seconds.

Then, quietly, I got up from the floor.

"Give me your hand," He asked again, outstretched it towards me a second time.

Hesitantly, I took one step towards him, then another.

"Hm?" He urged me on to come closer and reach his outstretched hand.

I swallowed thickly, before taking yet another step towards him.

"Please, don't make me go back outside. I don't want to—"

Barely.

My hand barely touched his outstretched hand and before I knew what was going on, Marcus just grabbed my hand in full and dragged me into him, pulling me into a desperate, heart wrenching embrace.

My Marcus hugged me.

I was practically swallowed in his embrace, his arms wrapped around me completely, holding me so tightly and nearly squeezing the life out of me, hugging me like his life depended on it.

And fuck it, I needed this.

I needed a hug.

"Stop running away from me, please," He spoke in our hold, whispering softly against me as he held me in that tight hug.

I was hugging him right back, holding him and loving the sensation of having all my worries dissipate with a simple hug.

"I'm sorry," I said in soft whispers.

"Don't be," He responded soothingly, "Just promise. Promise me you won't run away from me again. No matter what happens tonight, Aurora."

I swallowed, it was a hard promise to make.

"I won't." I said to him.

"Promise, babe," He insisted, holding me more dearly now.

I can't promise that...

"Promise," He begged.

Fine...

"I... I promise."

I hated to false promise, but he sounded really distressed. I loved Marc too much to put him through this frustration, but truthfully, I couldn't trust myself.

At this point, running was a reflex action.

After my promise, we stayed silent in our embrace.

Until I broke the silence.

"What you did back there for Sean..." I spoke quietly, "It was a bit dangerous."

"It was reflex," He responded quietly too, sighing in my arms. "I don't know what's wrong with me, sometimes I act before I think.—"

"No," I cut him off softly. "I'm not calling you out for it. What you did was good, babe. It was sweet and it was brave. You're a good person, Marcus Acha."

He laughed softly against me. Safe to say, he was flattered.

"Sean will come around," I said to Marc.

He seemed to hesitate in speech, it seemed to be that he didn't believe me, yet his tone showed gratefulness for my concern. 

"Thanks," He answered.

I wished by all means everything would be fine with the both of them.

Anything for my Clyde to be happy.

"I'm proud," I told him nonetheless. "My boyfriend is the bravest man in the world. That's a flex for me, you know."

I felt him blush against my neck, he swayed me subtly in our embrace.

"Well, I can't count how many times I've felt proud of you tonight, Aurora," He said to me.

I laughed. "You don't have to compliment back to fulfil all righteousness."

"Nah, I'm dead serious," He said to me with sincerity. "The way you stood up for Soma, our dance too. And babe, the most of tonight, you've walked with your head held high... Like a Queen. That makes me happy."

"But, I've also gotten jealous, backed down a couple of times, and even ran away," I countered, laughing it off. "This Queen is not queening, babe."

Marc disagreed easily, tsking and shaking his head against my neck, while laughing softly.

"Well, this queen..." He said to me, pecking me lightly against the nape of my neck. "... Is my Queen."

Flattered by such sweet words, I giggled like a little creep.

I giggled so hard that Marc had to tear himself away from me, visibly surprised by how hard I was blushing and giggling in front of him.

He laughed too, seemingly finding it all so contagious, looking at me like I was an adorable little white fluffy puppy he was petting.

I loved it when he just looked at me and said nothing. There were so many things I could see in his eyes everytime he did: Love, admiration, adoration. All these good positive emotions, just for me.

I mean, why me?

His hands trailed down my face, as he sunk in the magnitude of the beauty he saw in me, like I was gold and diamonds, and that slow, trailing, teasing thumb rested against my lips.

And so did his lingering, beautiful eyes.

"I want to kiss you right now," He said to me, his voice dropping down an octave deeper as he proclaimed his mind.

I tilted my head to the side, following his gaze seductively.

"Since when did you start asking for permission?" I asked him right back.

He laughed, a wicked seductive laugh that tingled every fancy inside of me.

But he didn't kiss me. With a soft lip bite, he watched me still, raising those lingering eyes from my lips and tracing it upward, back to my eyes, both of us marking each other down in eye contact.

He still didn't kiss me.

But there was a sly smile on his face, lifting a side of his lips in a playful smirk. He didn't kiss me, he was still admiring. He was still taking all of me in, adoring me in his own way.

"What are you thinking?" I asked him.

He laughed under his breath and shook his head at me, indicating that he was not ready to tell me.

"Nah, if I told you, you'd be freaked out," He said to me, his tone a bit hoarser, even if there was some laughter in it. A deep sexy rumble.

And this was about the second or third time that Marc had said something like this to me.

"Aurora, you don't know how bad I want you right now," He said to me.

I teased him with a smile. "Likewise."

"Oh?" He raised a brow at me.

His expression was as though he was asking if I was sure I knew what he meant by what he said.

I looked back at him, assuring him I was more than ever certain.

"Or, maybe I don't," I feigned Innocence, blinked at him twice with puppy dog eyes. "Maybe, you should show me, Clyde. Hm?"

Marc chuckled, his eyes drunk with pure lust as he swore in whispers.  "What a tease."

Before I knew it, I was on the sink top.

A second, I swear it, Marc picked me up like I weighed a grain of sand and dropped me onto the sink, hands firmly gripped around my waist.

"I giggled again, liking the weird feeling of being thrown around a bit, and it caused him to laugh a bit too, the both of us feeling a tad bit silly with all of this happening.

"Okay na, Christian Chukwuma Gray," I teased the shit out of him.

He laughed his whole heart out, and so did I. Damn it, I would have fallen off the sink if he wasn't holding me so firmly, if he wasn't so damn strong.

God, having this guy as my guy was such a massive flex.

"My boyfriend is the strongest man in the world," I bubbled up on the sink, feeling his arms and clapping and jumping like a little child. "My boyfriend is the strongest man in the wor—"

He cut me off, claiming my lips in a kiss that sent me into an eternal high.

My back hit softly against the mirror behind me, having the sudden pressure, but I grabbed onto his face, and kissed him right back, feeling the sweetness of his lips and the skillful movement of his tongue, soaking all of me into this intimacy between us and losing myself in its euphoria.

He parted away from me seconds after he started. Shocking how he could easily transcend me into another world in a three seconds kiss.

Almost had me asking how many people he had kissed before to get him such an experience.

Should I ask him?

"Well, that's one way to shut you the hell up, ba?" He said with a laugh.

I didn't even realize that I was already breathing so hard, the intensity of everything had my heart beating one thousand beats per second. I was taking in deep, ragged breaths, in and out, as I looked at him, mock me.

"You're too proud." I accused him.

Marc laughed again, so loud and so freely. Again, I laughed too.

Man, this could be the entire highlight of this party for me. I needed not to even step out of here again, I could just stay in here, in this toilet forever, with my Clyde.

"I'll need you to make another promise, Aurora," He said to me.

Oh, Chim.

"Anything," I answered half-heartedly.

"Use your words," He said to me, and he was serious again. Seemingly. Running his hands through my hair, slowly and steadily, as he looked at me. "If I do anything that makes you uncomfortable, please stop me."

My heart was bubbling with anticipation, that side of me inside the pit of my stomach, hitting with a deep, tingling sensation.

What was that weird feeling?

"Promise, babe," He insisted.

"I can't feel uncomfortable with you, Clyde," I countered softly, meaning it.

Marcus resumed kissing me.

And this time, with an easy hand softly around my neck, he pulled me to himself and kissed me with more intensity, more passion, more hunger, than the last. Thoroughly. Almost greedily. Like a man who hadn't eaten for days, he made sure that no part of my lips were left un-kissed. He was thorough. And I shuddered in his arms, shaking from the passion that was shared between the both of us.

"Ugh! Marc!" I gasped when his lips travelled down my neck, finding his favourite spot on my neck and continuing doing wonders.

When he kissed me around my neck, I felt like I was dying. But fuck it, in a good way. He knew what he was doing, how to please me, how to feel both passion and pleasure at the same time. Passion and Pleasure, fuck it, it could make you run mad on the spot.

He found his second favorite spot at the other side of my neck, driving me into utter insanity, and having me let out sounds that I didn't even fucking know I could make.

My heart was beating so hard, I was shocked it hadn't burst into flames. The feeling of kissing someone you loved with all your heart, having them send you into dimensions you didn't even know existed, practically taking you into another world and leaving your soul there. He kissed me everywhere around my neck, and I mean, everywhere, taking his time to live those love marks all around me — my favorite reminders of him.

When his hands left my waist to tug against my shirt, I nodded, letting him. He was asking permission, as he promised.

I nodded again. "Do it."

He took it off at one go.

And with such ease.

I would have been shocked by such swiftness, but that was not what took me off guard the most.

I was in front of Marcus Acha with just my shorts and a bra...

And I didn't feel the slightest bit uncomfortable.

He took in a moment to take me in again. Even if I don't know what he was taking in, because I had two agbalumos on my chest, and could not stand outside and call those flimsy things 'boobs'.

But, Marc actually took his time, took a moment, to adore with his eyes, as if I was too much for him. Everything about me, perfect or flawed, was so beautiful in his eyes.

"Wow," I heard him say.

"Just shut up and keep kissing me," I playfully sassed, throwing my hands over his neck.

"I like it when you're bossy," He laughed, pulling me in closer to continue from where we had left off.

His kisses were trailing further down and down and down, and fuck, I didn't know this felt this good. His tongue was a masterpiece and I was practically shaking in his arms, loving every second, every moment of this bliss he was sending me into.

"More," I demanded.

His hands were quick in finding it's way around me, unclipping my bra at one flick.

"Are you sure, Auro—"

"—Yes."

Paradise.

Everything on from there was a transcendence to an eternal paradise, as Marc did wonders on every part of me. With hands wrapped around the firmness of his body, feeling the hardness of his body, I sunk into the ecstacy that his tongue gave me, blessing all those very sensitive areas that I had never been kissed in before.

"Fuck," I whispered, shaking, in ways that all the strength in me could not control. "More..."

It was his turn to tease right now.

He didn't give me more as I wanted, he worked at his pace, his way, he gave me pleasure the way he wanted to, and I was left wickedly to crave him more, to shamelessly beg in vain, to the point of a near frustration.

Yet every second felt like I needed to savour it forever. A feeling so good, physically and emotionally, making me want to take what I could right now, what he agreed to give me, made me want to sink in more into it,  savour it, almost greedily.

"Marc, please..."

My voice was small in the large space around us; my vision, moving in and out of focus, having the lights of the room flash it's fine hues around me in a beautiful mess of gold. The smell of Lavender choking me satisfyingly each time I gasped deeply, everytime he reached lower and lower and lower.

And lower.

I felt like I was floating in the air, weightless and without any mass, as his strong hands effortlessly kept me steady, balanced enough for him to make me feel like the most precious girl in the world. And everytime my eyes steadied focus on the Vanity Mirror opposite us — even if for a few nanoseconds— I saw ethereality in our union.

Our silhouettes looked so beautiful from that mirror.

Goodness! Marc looked like the most
ethereal being, as he took his time with every inch, every curve, every flaw, in my body, blessing me over and over with his kisses and electrifying touches.

He looked so damn attractive. From his hair in a bun to the muscles that bulged from his arms as he got to work; Marcus Acha looked so ridiculously gorgeous when he pleasured a girl senseless.

And I, surprisingly, didn't look half as bad.

Surprisingly.

Or maybe it was because I was with him.

No surprise it had become, I tended to look a bit more beautiful when I was with Marcus Acha.

Together, in this gold smoky atmosphere, scenting of Aloe Vera and sweet smelling Lavender, that reflection of us, our bodies together, in that Vanity Mirror looked like a work of Art.

His tongue on my skin was a work of Art.

Growing more confidence, I let my hands travel downwards of him, my mind and body and spirit in the mood to explore.

I wanted to explore Marc.

Thoroughly.

So, I reached down, starting from the  defined set of abs that felt like heaven on my palms as I trailed down them through the underneath of his shirt.

Boldly, I started to progress downwards.

And downwards.

And further downwards.

"Aurora."

Marc's voice was hoarser and deeper when he called my name, his breathing hagged.

"Yes?"

I could feel him. Down there. I could feel that part of him, bold and undeterred, it's imprint on his trousers was 'outstanding' compared to my tiny hands that softly teased.  Still, those small hands had its fingers dancing softly on the fabric of his trousers — the only obstruction my hands had.

And, now it was my turn again to be the tease.

"A-Aurora," His voice was rougher, more hoarse, "Do you know what you are doing, Love?"

"No," I answered with an innocent voice, fingers trailing teasingly against the zip line, watching him in torture and smiling to myself.

Good.

Proceeding thereon, I unzipped him.

"I don't know what I'm doing," I said, never leaving eye contact with the struggling, possibly dying boy, "But, I'm doing it either ways and that's the fun part, right?—"

BANG!

The bathroom door came swinging open.

"JESUS CHRIST!"

I, practically braless, jumped down the sink like a preying mantis.

"Aurora!" Marc shouted, catching my fall immediately, and being the only reason I did not come slamming onto the ground in shock of the classmates that just walked in on us and our semi-naked selves.

My boyfriend was not exactly free from the shame either. Quaterway, his white trousers were down and sprouting the bold evidence of his teenage angst and hormones beneath his dark boxers.

Truth be told, I was even more surprised he was more concerned about breaking my fall than salvaging his shame.

Because tf, Giwa Falade and Ivandor Fejaun just walked in on us, and together, stood at the door of the bathroom, absolutely mortified.

It was safe to say that the wanted to faint.

But faint? Oh, please. Dabeluchi Orji and Marcus Acha wanted to fucking, just, die.

"Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God, Ivan, just get the towels, let's get out of here!" Giwa was freaking out, turning her face away from the scene and covering her eyes immediately.

Ivandor, rather, became a 'blind ninja'.

With eyes shut tight and close, he started to swipe around in the air and make his way towards me and Marcus, the only thing that came out of his mouth in repeat mode was 'Towel. Towel. Towel.'

I closed my eyes too, embarrassed and willing, praying to just, please, disappear.

Marc held up his trousers and since I was not willing to move from my spot, he was forced to stay frozen next to me, to ensure he was holding me up from falling off his arms and hitting the ground.

Unfortunately, meanwhile, he was also trying to reach out one of the towels to Ivandor who was covering his eyes with one hand and trying to navigate his way with the other, swiping everywhere across the air to get to Marcus; it was a fucking mess to behold.

"Ivandor, the towel is in front of you, just walk straight and grab it, yeah?.... Yes, just straight. Keep walking straight, yes—No, no, no, no, you're moving towards the toilet bowl. I said just walk straight and—

GBROOM, GBAGAM!

—Did you just trip over the litter bucket, Fejaun? Okay, okay, from there now, turn to your right, and walk straight. Straight o! Jesus, where is this boy going? Walk straight! STRAIGHT! You'll go and hit another thing now!"

God have mercy.

It was a fucking mess.

The four of us were just inside the bathroom, playing a game of blind mice, and it was not even funny.

I stayed there, refusing to move, and Marc was transfixed and trying to help out. I couldn't be more embarrassed right now.

"Let's go!" Ivandor grabbed Giwa along with him as they zapped themselves right out of the bathroom, with that their little towel that didn't allow us rest.

Leaving me and Marc in the most awkward atmosphere ever.

His trousers were still not intact.

And I still barely had my bra on.

I looked at him.

He looked at me.

We looked at each other.

And then, we burst out laughing.

"What the fuck was that?!" I exclaimed, guffawing and  falling into Marc who was quaking with uncontrollable laughter himself.

"Babe, I literally feel like varnishing into thin air right now. My skin is crawling from embarrassment!" Marcus was laughing and cringing all at once, and I cackled like a dying chicken, our ring of laughter filling the emptiness of the toilet and resounding, reverberating all about the space that we both occupied alone.

We laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and didn't stop laughing.

Couldn't stop laughing.

Soon, Marc and I were breathless from laughter, resting our backs against the wall of the bathroom, chests heaving, smiles lingering on our faces. I had my shirt pressed against my chest in a bid to cover up and Marc had carelessly just pulled his zipper back up, and as we stood there by each other like total idiot, little giggles escaped our lips.

"Were we actually about to have sex in your guestroom bathroom?" I asked Marc, incredulously.

"I'm kinda relieved we didn't," Marc easily just responded.

Ouch.

I backed up. "Excuse me?"

Marc instantly realized what he had said, or at least, suddenly jumped like he realized he may have miscommunicated.

"No, no, no, babe, don't get me wrong," He said immediately, hands waving to clear the misconception. "Come on, babe. Making my girl lose her virginity in a toilet is pretty low for a big boy like me."

I choked.

I choked on absolutely nothing.

And afterward, I bit my tongue, holding myself from asking him how he was able to know that about me.

"And besides," He continued talking. "I've been really stressed tonight, babe..." There was a quietness in his tone, one that was contagious enough to silence me too. "I don't want to feel like I went that far with you just to relieve some stress," He paused to look at me, a soft sweet smile lighting his pretty boy face up. "You're better than that, Aurora."

I smiled, heart fluttering.
"Thank you."

"But, Christ, you're one beautiful girl," He swore into the air, shaking his head in absolute wonder. He wasn't even looking at me, just staring into space, lost in his awe, as he lamented.

I smiled, looked up at him by my side as he said the most wholesome things to me.

He turned to look at me too, our eyes locking in contact as he smiled back.

"But, hey, I can't call myself a man I'd I ain't got some self control, ba?" He said with an easy shrug.

"I laughed softly, bubbling with he sweetest, softest emotions.

Marc quipped me yet another smile, looked down at me again by his side and his eyes filled again with adoration.

"I love you, Aurora,"

The sincerity in his voice, it overwhelmed me. I decided to tell him back how exactly I felt too.

"Clyde, I —"

*INCOMING TEXT MESSAGE*

I jumped, cut off in mid sentence and startled by my iPhone's sudden message notification tone.

"One second," I said to Marc.

I checked the incoming message.

And, nearly had a stroke when I saw who it was.

"Fuck." I stared into my phone in utter belief, rereading each number of that unsaved but very familiar number that texted me, and as the reality dawned on me, as I came to the confirmation that it was who I thought it was, my jaw dropped.

Marc noticed me.

Obviously.

With curious subconsciousness, he tried to look into my phone.

Well, God forbid.

I was quick.

Too quick.

I slapped my phone down onto my laps, whipping it away from his sight in sudden panic and in turn, throwing Marc into immeasurable stupefaction.

He backed up, a subtle look of confusion, etched into his face.

Clearly, he and anyone else who had a fucking brain would be able to decipher this — I was hiding something from him.

Determined, I continued hiding my phone away from him. 

Marc, he...

He actually laughed.

I mean, it was a laugh that showed that he either found this awkward or ridiculous, or possibly, both. But, he was far from being seriously suspicious of me doing anything negative, he just chuckled at me, confused.

His brown eyes filled with amusement. "What the hell, babe?"

"Go," I told him.

He looked at me, puzzled.

"Go, Marc," I repeated, insisting. "I have to text the Sisters, I'll meet up with you downstairs, I promise."

I hoped he wouldn't pick up on my lie.

Because the Sisters had nothing to do with this.

"Okay, babe," He easily answered, his countenance void of any worrying suspicion against me. I mean, he wasn't dumb, he did pick up that something seemed off somewhere, but he looked like he was ready to give me some space if I needed it.

After all, Marc completely felt like he had no reason to be skeptical about me.

"Thanks," I said to him, and he blessed me with a kiss to the cheek, right before leaving the bathroom.

Leaving me and my pounding heart alone. 

With a sigh, I rested my back against the wall and breathed out, anything to make me keep my calm and once again, gather the courage to look at my phone again to see if it was actually real, if he had really responded to my earlier message — something I was definite was going to be aired.

Me.

It's Dabeluchi. Can I see you?

<<Sent two hours ago.

090 *** *** **

Backyard Pool. I'm waiting for you. Don't come with him.

<<Sent 2 minutes ago.

So, who is our Aurora going to see behind Marc's back? Humour me.🌝

Oh, and you're not prepared for the other half of this chapter sha. See you in the morning! {Or tonight, depends}❤️✨