The Two Alphas of Rosewood Creek [MxM]

Chapter 19

What could possibly go wrong?

The answer: a lot. A lot could go wrong. Nate kept coming to my house, continuously parking there every week for the past month until my parents delightfully began expecting him there on a daily basis. What made it even worse was James, who always showed up in tow with Nate, making a dreadfully adorable routine of knocking on my door every day, his angelic charm rendering Beth and Tina defenseless against inviting him in. Nate, sly as he was, would stand just behind James and pout his lips until their combined charm granted them entry. Like a wolf in sexy sheep's clothing, Beth and Tina let the pair in every single time (not to mention Beth having a full sandwich tray magically prepared for any amount of guests at any time of the day).

None of this was going my way. No explanation to my parents could get them to kick those two charming assholes back out into the cold of late October. I became irate every time I brought the conversation up, and was only gaslit further when Nate would playfully jab me in the stomach before running his hand over my cheek (always taking a second to cup it in his hand and half-glance into my eyes--even licking his lips slightly if Beth and Tina weren't looking). It became a game for Nate, to explain every day how I was just smitten by him, and I couldn't keep my hands off him.

But I wasn't! I mean, I did appreciate the warm car rides to school and the fact that Ryder had actually started to leave me alone (which I suppose Nate had some hand in). And this whole dime-shift image Nate was trying to change over to--some kind of reformed playboy who would say "no pressure" while still eyeing me hungrily from across the room. It was slightly nice--confusing even. Feeling mixed, I couldn't help but fantasize every now and then what he might do to me if I let him, but I wasn't letting my guard down, not even now. There were still times he would try and steal a kiss from me--even in front of my parents!

I didn't let his charm overwhelm me. There was little he could do to realistically convince me he wouldn't pull the rug out from under me if I, perhaps, just kissed him back one day. I'd be lying if I said I didn't at least entertain the idea: maybe turn my head through one of his brazen pecks to the cheek, and suddenly our lips would be touching--or leaning into his firm arms just a little past the warmth of his embrace to feel the swelling warmth of something else. But no, he could tempt me with nothing. Sure, I could fantasize, but I wasn't giving in to anyone anymore.

As for Theo, we hadn't made much progress either. I tried to explain myself after our heated bathroom stall session, but he just left my messages on read for days before responding with an 'ok'.

A fucking 'ok'? That's it?!

Theo skipped class that week. I heard that he went on a rampage, fighting anyone who even glanced in his direction. I thought for sure he would get expelled if not suspended, but he just returned the following week, same as always. His anger seemed to have cooled, and he was back to his quiet, rigid demeanor. He resumed talking to me in school. The idea of Nate giving me rides didn't come off as a threat to him. But there was nothing more to us. And I couldn't figure out what this all meant at the end of the day. It was fucking frustrating, to say the least.

Besides the coded text messages to meet up with him in school, there was barely meaningful communication between us (our meetups usually consisted of brief, awkward hellos followed by 5-10 minutes of ravenous making out). But even with that, I always felt so led on--edged‒-wanting something more than his touch. I was starting to feel like an escort, only meeting up whenever he wanted. I knew what he was doing too, leaving hickeys in obvious places, forcing me to wear hoodies and bandaids to cover up his mischievous deeds. It was a message to Nate who pretended to ignore the bruises on my neck as I got into the truck each day. It was a dangerous game we all played, blurring the lines continually making it murkier as we refused to meaningfully resolve anything.