Project X [18+] [Fanfiction]

Chapter XVI: The Parlor

 
    "You are nervous." I observed thoughtfully, sitting on the edge of the bed. My legs were crossed at the ankles and I was seated comfortably; my eyes following Shifter as he walked from one side of the room to the other, slipping into his clothes for the evening. He had just finished pulling up a pair of khaki dress slacks, and was in the process of securing the belt while he looked up at me. I let my eyes first pass briefly over his shirtless chest, and then turned my attention towards his face. "There is no need to be worried."

 
  "I'm not worried, exactly." he remarked back, and walked over to his closet. He pushed aside countless shirts before he found a fitting one; a handsome black button-up that would show off his physique while still making him look nice and inviting. He turned to me with the shirt hanging open, and started to button it while he continued. "I'm just a little... concerned. I haven't spoken much to either of them before, and I know they're important to you. I just want to make sure I make a good impression."

 
  "If they hate you, it will not influence my decision." I assured him, and folded my arms slowly across my chest. I was dressed in the attire of a normal girl having a normal day; my black jeans and a tight fitting, deep red T-shirt that gripped my figure. My hair was comfortably pulled back and cascading down the back of my head; helped kept in place by a simple metal hairband I had secured near the back of my head. "I am capable of maintaining a relationship and friendships individually, even if the two groups dislike each other."

 
  "Well, yeah, but no reason to put
that strain on you if I don't need to." Shifter smiled a little, and snatched up his bottle of cologne that sat on the nightstand. After slapping a bit of it against his neck and onto his cheeks he stepped backwards, showing me the full scope of his outfit. "Well? Do I look okay?"

 
  I responded by stepping up, and moving over to him with a careful grace. My hands drifted to the top of his button-up shirt, and without warning I let one of my fists tighten; the claws popping free of my skin. Shifter stood completely still as I drew my claws forward, hooked one of the sharp edges against his topmost button, and sent it flying away with a quick twitch of my wrist. It left his shirt open a little at the front, and I moved my fingers up to caress the bare spot on his chest it revealed. It was only an extra inch of the top of his chest exposed, but it made the difference between stuffy and concerned and casual and sexy.

 
  "Now you do." I observed simply, and moved my way to the door. "Jubilation and Megan will be meeting us there." I spoke, referring to Jubilee and Pixie respectively. I believe that between the four of us, I was the only one that was genuinely unconcerned by the meeting. Each of them would be thrown into an awkward social situation, each of them would be under scrutiny and judgement.

 
  While I was confident that each of them would come to accept and embrace the other half of my social circle, I could understand their concerns. I simply did not share them, and that in turn gave me a level of comfort I was typically unaccustomed to in these moments. I would be going to dinner with my friends and my boyfriend, and I was not worried about it in the least.

  No part of that sentence sounded "right" to me, and yet it was.

 
  I linked my hand to Shifter's and walked with him through the mansion, our palms pressed together and our fingers interlocked. With our relationship public there was no reason to hide anymore, and we could now watch the reactions of the various people we lived in such close quarters to. Like the comments on my initial Facebook post, the majority of them were positive, though there were a few people of both genders that looked at one or both of us with some level of jealousy. I had not realized that I was so sought after by the men, and similarly, I do not believe that Shifter realized how many of the girls appreciated him. Not that it mattered on either count; we had been paired up together by the headmistress because of our natural chemistry together. We were, in her opinion, the best match for the other. And it had been proving to be true with each passing day.