*WARNING: MATURE CONTENT*
Ch. 5
AMBER
"Congrats on graduating, Amber."
I blink, completely startled. "I didn't get you-"
"You didn't have to," Charlie says. "I wanted to get you these."
Slowly, I take the bouquet of flowers from him. I laugh softly and hug them to my chest. He kisses my forehead, and our graduation caps knock against each other. I choke out another, louder laugh.
"Now, how would your family feel if I stole you away for an hour to get some celebratory pancakes?" Charlie wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me closer, tilting my graduation cap back. He kisses my forehead again, then my nose, and then my mouth.
My throat is burning, and it's hard to find words. "I-I think they'll be alright."
Charlie grins. "Fantastic," he says, pressing another kiss to my lips.
That night was my first-time having sex. It was my fault we'd waited so long. I was the virgin. It's not that I hadn't wanted to, but what always stopped me was the fear that it wouldn't mean the same to him as I knew it would mean to me. A few before Charlie had tried, but something always held me back with them. But Charlie and I had been together for over a year now. So that night, I finally said yes.
I'd never been held or touched in such a way before. It was surreal, becoming that much closer with him. Hearing him say my name like that...it felt good. Charlie made me feel that way. None of my other relationships had ever lasted so long, and yet he still treated me like he was trying to win me over. He made me feel loved. I felt wanted. Needed in a way that I'd never been needed before.
Those few weeks after graduation, I truly think we became one in the same. I couldn't see myself with anyone else. I'd never loved anyone as much as I loved Charlie, and I didn't want to love anyone else.
One summer night, we're in his room discussing our final plans for college. I'm rummaging through the mini fridge in his room, Charlie leaning on the wall behind me as I talk. I admit to him that I'm still debating between two schools. My childhood best friend, Cole, and I always dreamed of going to the same college. It was something that helped keep us close as we grew up, knowing we had the same thoughts for the future. We both wanted to be business majors, and we'd done so many internships and programs throughout high school to prepare.
That was also the first night I saw Charlie truly angry. The conversation stops abruptly as he spins me around and pulls me against him, his lips on mine in seconds. He backs me away from the mini fridge and towards his bed. My legs hit the post, and I fall back on it with a gasp.
He spreads my legs open and crawls between them, kneeling over me. His lips find mine again, and his tongue darts into my mouth. One arm slides underneath me, pulling me up to meet him. Our bodies are pressed against each other tightly now, and he runs his tongue along my teeth and against my own tongue, grinding his hips hard against me. Pulling away for a split second, he pulls my shirt over my head. His lips move down to my neck, kissing and sucking and licking.
"Charlie," I moan, finally coming to my senses. "What are you doing? W-wait, Charlie!" I push hard on his chest, and he leans back.
He's staring at me with an expression I've never seen before. "What?"
"I-I have work tomorrow." My voice is trembling. I'm not sure if it's excitement. He’s never jumped on me so suddenly before. "I don't want...I don't want any marks. Please. Can we just-"
"No marks?" He leans fully back and grips my legs tightly in his hands, spreading them out further. "Alright. How about if they're where no one but me can see?" He kissed my thigh. "That's alright, isn't it?"
He's upset. Upset with me, for some reason. I can tell. It seems like everyone always ends up getting upset with me eventually. But he's still holding me...still touching me. So, I stop talking.
Charlie slides my shorts and underwear down, kissing up and up my thigh. My blood is roaring at his touch, my body ready and anticipating his moves. He hikes my leg up, and I gasp as he slides a finger inside. He leans down, kissing my collarbone as I dig my fingernails into his back.
"Amber." His voice seems so, so far away. "Don't run away from me."
"W-What?" I'm gasping for air.
"The thought of you leaving, being out of my reach for even a second." With each word, he kisses down and down my neck to my stomach. He slips another finger in, and I throw my hands over my mouth to cover the moan. The slow, dizzying motions from his fingers inside me have my mind going blank. "I won't allow it, ever. Alright, Amber? So, stay with me. Say you'll go to college with me and continue to be with me."
He slides his fingers out. Sweat is beading up on my skin. Charlie reaches over to the drawer by his bed and pulls out a condom. My mouth goes dry.
Placing the condom between his teeth, he stares down at me. "Say alright, Amber."
"Al...alright."
Slipping his pants down, he lines up with my entrance and thrusts himself inside. My back arches off the bed as I cry out, pleasure exploding through me. He rocks his hips hard, and I grip the sheets underneath us. Charlie grabs my waist, pulling me closer to him in one big swoop until he's all the way in. My voice goes up a complete octave, and I can feel myself going weak. Hooking my legs around his waist, he angles his body, hitting that spot hidden inside me that he knows all too well. My breathing hitches. He groans my name over and over as I reach up and cling to him, crossing my ankles. I'm losing myself. This feels...it feels so different. I feel like I've got no control, like I'm being swept along.
I've felt like that for a while now. Charlie has always been leagues ahead of me. Top of the class, the son of a lawyer and a doctor, all-state in soccer and basketball, good looks, and a charming personality. He's running forward on a path with endless possibilities. He has been his entire life.
But now, his hand is wrapped around mine, pulling me along with him. And I don't want to be left behind. I don't want him to stop seeing me as his and keep moving forward. I'm nothing if I not with him. So, I pick up my feet and run behind him, just never quite catching up to him. Raking my nails along his back, I let out a scream as he reaches release, and my entire body, my entire soul, shakes.
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniRY0l9Pu8
***
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUs5q7cEuMs
I push the door open to my dorm room, shuffling inside. Placing the grocery bags down, I begin putting things away. With each thump of an item of food being placed in the fridge, I shove Charlie down deeper into my mind. He always comes up when I have my guard down, bringing nothing but ugliness with his memory.
"Ooh, did you get the eggs for Saturday?" Pey appears behind me and looks into the fridge.
"Girl, of course I got them." I shut the fridge door and plaster on a grin. "I'm so ready for Mor to make omelets."
She laughs, stepping back and sitting down on her bed. She's wearing a black see-through lace top that exposes her stomach with dark red high waisted pants. Her short black hair is tucked behind her ear on her right side, uncovering her hazel eyes and revealing beautiful silver earrings. She definitely fits the "Club Night" theme for the party, in my opinion.
Crossing one leg over the other, she asks, "Did you decide on a top for the party?"
I turn and stare at her, and she laughs. "Guess not," she says. "Mor texted a minute ago. Apparently, V is having a mental breakdown over what to do with her hair for the party tonight."
I throw my closet doors open. "I feel like we have this discussion with her every weekend." I pull the two tops out and study them again. "If you want, you can go ahead and head over to their room. I'll meet you over there in a sec."
"Alright, that works," Pey says, standing. "I'll see you."
The door shuts behind her, and I suck in a breath as I stare at the two tops. Lately, I've been getting fidgety whenever we went to parties. I feel like I'm always looking over my shoulder. Knowing that, at any moment, he could-
"Hello, Amber."
This time when I turn, he's standing over by the door. Lucky for him, or I would've swung at him. "You know, I'm getting real sick of you doing that!"
"I wanted to see how you were doing." He's looking around the room again. I wonder why he always does that every time he showed up.
I roll my eyes. "Well, next time leave a note." Then, I blink. "Wait, why aren't you wearing the clothes I got you?"
"I did not like them."
"I did not like them," I repeat, mocking his emotionless tone. "You're funny, you know that? If you wanna play human for the night, you've got to change out of those ridiculous clothes. Where did you even get that stuff?" I set the two tops down on my bed and lean against it, saying, "Speaking of tonight, what exactly is the plan here?"
He moves towards me, stopping a few feet away. The gold flecks in his eyes seem to swirl and twist in the pools of the blue. "I will talk face to face with the human men here. I cannot sense who would be a good option for you, so I will use the time down here to get acquainted. Perhaps I simply need to be closer to you and them."
I nod. "So, people will be able to see you like I do?"
"Yes."
"Alright, I'll give it to you, Mac." I shrug my shoulders. "Sounds decent enough."
A pause. "Mac?"
"Your real name is too long and has way too many unnecessary syllables. I want to have a nice, long talk with whoever the hell named you Machidiel. But Mac? That I can remember, so that's your nickname."
"Nick...name." He says it slowly, like the word is poisonous. He repeats it again, quieter, like he's talking to himself. Then, he looks me in the eyes for the first time since we spoke mind to mind in that dressing room. It always feels like a competition, looking into his eyes. Like if I drop my guard for even a second, I'll be pulled in.
So, I stare back, refusing to back down. My bedroom fades away, and without giving it another thought, I push myself off the bed and step closer to him. He doesn't so much as blink. I wish I could tell what he's thinking. I thought this stupid bond went two ways. So, why is he looking at me with that expressionless look? What goes through his head when he looks at me?
I don't know why I want to know so bad. I gave up on caring what other people think of me a long time ago. And yet, I feel drawn to him. My hand is reaching out for him before I can stop myself.
And then, I'm using that bond. What are you thinking about?
He doesn't respond. Instead, he looks down at my hand. I freeze. Then, his gaze shifts to behind me. My hand instantly drops back down to my side. Well, that was embarrassing.
Maybe it didn't reach him. I like that option a lot more than he heard it and just ignored it. Sighing, I turn and follow his eyes. "Oh, do you like the white shirt?" I ask.
He blinks at it. Then, he looks down at his own shirt. "I believe...I like this."
"You like green?"
He continues staring down at his shirt. Then, like I hadn't said a word, he says, "You may call me Mac."
And with that, he disappears right before my eyes.
"Whoa, hey!" I yell, then sigh in exasperation. Honestly, I don't know what's wrong with me. It's like I can't think straight around him. It's hard to remember that he not...human. I mean, he looks and sounds so human. But if you look at him hard enough, or really listen to him talk, you can tell something was off.
Or, I guess, if you watch him disappear into thin air.
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJY3nt8Oeyi
TO BE CONTINUED...
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqS6lq3636
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkqNhCNqdGF
Little pronunciation tip: Machidiel is pronounced Mack-key-dee-el. So, for Mac, say it like you say mac and cheese.
-Zuffy <3
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq6MVgaIQVu
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9MLcJhc363
