𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐀𝐃𝐄 ~ | 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘓𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘤

XXVI

Chapter Twenty-Six:

~ Plot twist!! Yey? ~

I smiled, slipping my phone back into my pocket. Aurora grinned at me, leaning on the table a bit more, her head resting on her fists.

"Sooooo... who ya texting?" She wiggled her eyebrows.

"No one." I smiled.

Charles had texted me only ten minutes ago, and now I was supposed to go over to his house in one hour and meet his dog.

HE HAD A DOG?

Just when I thought there were no benefits of being stuck in this stupid arrangement with Charles, he went and revealed he had a bloody puppy!

Then again, there was a lot I didn't know about him, and probably never would. And probably would never want to. 

Definitely.

The thought that he had a soft side, a puppy cuddling side. A side that wasn't so cold and uncaring... it was unsettling. Not that I was saying I found the fact he had a dog and probably a soft spot for animals attractive.

Absolutely not.

I'd sooner admit I was in love with a 105 year old dragon who lived at the bottom of the ocean than think that. 

Pish posh. 

Fiddlesticks.

But now all I could imagine was him and his little puppy, all cuddled up on the couch or playing. The image was... oddly heartwarming. And definitely not something I wanted to think about right now.

"Why are you blushing?" Thea leaned forward, her expression a mix of curiosity and suspicion.

"Because she's talking to her boyfriend." Rory giggled, nudging me with her elbow. "Come on, Lila. You can tell us."

"Oh no, don't act like everything in forgiven!" Thea shushed her. "She didn't tell us about this major event in her life." Thea playfully pushed Rory away from me. "And she didn't tell us first."

"Guys!" I smiled, rolling my eyes. "I told you. We wanted to keep it a secret, just until we figured out what we were."

"So, what are you?" Thea asked, raising her eyebrow slightly at us.

"We're just... together." I shrugged, glancing at Thea and Rory before looking back down at my coffee. I wasn't quite sure what else to say. "We didn't have time to figure it out because of the photo."

"Ah, the photo." Rory sighed wistfully and then grinned at me. "I still can't believe you let him kiss you like that."

"Well, I didn't have much of a choice, did I?" I snorted, taking a sip of my coffee.

"Why? Were his eyes too pretty? Did his lips threaten you if you didn't let him?" Rory leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper.

Thea smirked. "Oh, but she didn't have a choice!"

"He's the one who kissed me!" I defended myself. Rory paused, eyeing me. I gulped.

"Why did you kiss right there? I mean, I'm sure there were other, less public places you could've chosen." Thea continued, her eyes glinting with mischief.

"Yes, exactly. What she is saying is that we need a full account of everything that was said, done, thought, and felt before, during, and after the kiss. A full report, if you will." Rory took a sip of her coffee, her expression unreadable.