Orange

Twenty

'Clem!' My text notifications woke me up late that night. With Orion fast asleep behind me, I set down my brightness so that it surely wouldn't bother him. My phone set to silent, I read the message. 'I tried to see you, but you weren't at work... You alright?'

'Yeah. Boss wanted me to take a week off.'

'Damn. So when can I see you?'

My heart skipped a bit. My hands trembled as I took a deep breath, choosing my next words as best as I could.

'Maybe sometime later. Got a lot of stuff to sort out.'

'Oh. Okay. I'm always here for you if you need me.'

'Thanks.'

'It's not that one guy, is it?'

'No, no, Orion's fine.'

'Good. I don't know what I'd do if you were seeing him behind my back... I'd probably do something drastic.'

I frowned.

'What are you talking about?'

A few minutes passed before a big block of text halted my breath in its tracks.

'You're my little Clem. My sweet little baby-doll. I'm crazy about you. And I know you feel the same way. So, if anything ever happened to hurt our little dynamic that we've got going on... Babe, I'd go to prison for the rest of my life.'

I paused. I looked back at Orion. His deep breathing was surely sign enough that he was fast asleep.

'So you forgive me?'

'Of course I do. I never could stay mad at you for long. Especially when you always know how to make me feel so fucking good...' Before I could type a response, he sent another message. 'I've been dreaming of our little forgiveness session, and to be honest, it's the most fun I've had in a while. Let me know whenever Orion leaves next so that I can rock that tight little pussy of yours.'

Suddenly, behind the screen and laying down next to Orion, I felt brave. I squeezed my eyes shut as my fingers glided across the touchscreen, hitting send before I could delete any of it.

'So, you're not doing those sorts of things with Eartha, then?'

'Eartha's my soulmate. But you're my bodymate.'

"What the fuck does that even mean?" I whispered under my breath before typing my next message.

'What do you even do with Eartha, then? Does she know the truth about us?'

'Eartha doesn't need to know... She's far too innocent and shy for what I want. Only you know the way I like it, Clem.'

I felt my heart pulling in his direction. I bit my lip. Suddenly, the room became unbearably hot, and I could hardly breathe without feeling like I was going to pass out. Somehow, I felt dirty, having this conversation with Blaise over text while sleeping next to Orion. Wait, why am I even upset? It's not like Orion and I are together... I looked down at the last message Blaise had sent, reading it over and over again. Finally, once I gained my confidence back, I replied.

'I don't know how to feel about us.'

A minute passed. Then another. Then three. Four. Five...