Lachlan

"Stop kicking me, you dick," I mumbled. I heard an annoyed groan coming from beside me as I felt my arm being pushed off of the person beside me. I managed to open my eyes into thin slits, watching a mass of gray hair and tanned skin disappear from the bed.

I groaned, reaching my arm out into the open air. "Come back to bed, babe," I said weakly.

I felt something soft land on my head, obstructing the little vision I had. "Didn't you say you wanted to leave early today?" I lifted the soft material from my face, realizing it was a pair of sweats. I looked up at Kali, hoping she could tell I was hopelessly confused. "You're kidding, right?"

"What do you mean?" My voice was hoarse and my throat was super dry. I could feel the dehydration set in as I was hit with a massive headache. "Fucking hell, what time is it?"

"It's already noon. You told me last night you wanted to be home by this time. Also, there's a water bottle and pills on the nightstand. Mitch knows you pretty well it seems." I watched as she gathered her belongings, throwing her clothes in her duffle bag. She looked upset, but I couldn't recall anything from the night before so I couldn't figure out what I'd done.

I popped a couple of pills and chugged the water, attempting to recollect anything from the night before. "I think I blacked out."

She chuckled, slipping on a pair of Sidemen track pants I had let her borrow. That's when it had hit me she was naked when she emerged from the bed. We hadn't had sex, had we? "I told you not to eat that brownie after drinking so much. You cross faded in the wrong order, but no, why would my mentee ever listen to me?" She pulled on a tank top and wrapped her hair in a messy bun. She plopped down in the empty spot next to me and gave me a quick kiss.

"Is it not insanely awkward for you to call me mentee after you just got out of bed with me? Might I add, you were completely naked?" I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close to me so that we were face to face.

She shrugged, playing with the long pieces of my hair. "It's not my fault I like to indulge in your little student/teacher kinks."

I smiled, pulling her onto my chest. "Fuck you, Kal. I don't have any weird kinks."

"Oh yea? Your friend down here seems to disagree."

"For fuck's sake! I just woke up, let me be." I felt her laugh against my chest. "But seriously, anything crazy happen last night?"

She readjusted herself so that she was comfortably lying on my chest yet holding me at the same time. "Well, you got hella confident on the dance floor. I really wanted to know who you thought you were." I could feel her smiling. "From our first date, I would have never guessed you knew how to dance."

I smiled. Unbeknownst to her, I had taken some private lessons from her friend, Brandon, all last week. I told him to keep it to himself, and it seems like he did. I definitely needed to properly thank him the next time we hung out.

"You also decided that you really wanted to go for a swim at four in the morning," she said laughing. "Do you know how difficult it was for little ass me to get big ass you out of your fancy clothes and then out of the pool? Extremely so, especially when you keep yelling that mermaids can't be taken out of the ocean. You're fuckin ridiculous when you're drunk."

I kissed her head, playing with some loose strands. "I think I sound charming."

"Oh of course. You know when you're the most charming?" I shook my head, hoping she could feel the movement since she wasn't looking in my direction. "When I have to get you into the shower since I couldn't stand the idea of sleeping next to the smell of chlorine."

I felt myself freeze. "We showered together?" How could I not remember that?

"Yes, we did, and before you start hating yourself for not remembering, no, nothing happened. We didn't have sex last night." I felt my body relax, relieved at her statement.

"Thank God. I don't think I could forgive myself for forgetting that. I'm already pissed I missed seeing you all soapy."

"A few things: One," she said, lifting up her hand as she counted off her points. "The shower wasn't what you think. It wasn't sexy or a tease. We literally just bathed together so I could make sure you didn't hurt yourself. And two, if we had sex, there's no way you could forget."

I chuckled, pushing her hand away from my face. "Someone sounds a bit cocky."

"I prefer the term confident in my abilities,'' she said, turning her head to look at me.

I bit my lip. Her eyes filled with lust as she spoke. "I can't wait to test them out."

She cocked her head, her hand travelling down my chest and to my waist. "Why do you think we planned to leave so early?"

"Can I come inside yet?" I heard Kali call from my living room.

"Just a few more minutes! I want this to be perfect, ok?" I called back, dimming the lights in the room as I lit the vanilla scented candles around the room and looked for the perfect playlist to gently play in the background. I settled for a really soft R&B instrumental playlist I found on Spotify, hoping it would set the perfect mood for the two of us. I had stopped and picked up some flower petals while Kali was asleep in the car ride here and sprinkled them around the room, creating a trail to the bed. This is about as romantic as I can make the scene in such short notice, so I hoped Kali liked it. Lastly, I slipped into some black Calvin Klein boxer briefs, ones that I knew she liked me in, and placed a robe over them.

I did one more once over of the room and felt content with the atmosphere of the room. I took a deep breath and opened the door, expecting to find Kali by the door but instead saw her in the kitchen, playing on her phone while eating Nutella spread on Ritz crackers. I cleared my throat with a wide smirk on my face as I saw a guilty expression come across hers.

She chewed quickly and swallowed. "You were taking too long and I got hungry."

I walked over to her, grabbing her hands and placing a gentle kiss on her lips. "Why am I not even mildly surprised?" I slowly guided her towards my room, my heart pounding with anticipation. I watched as she looked around, a smile spreading across her face.

And then she laughed. "What is all this?"

My face dropped. "What do you mean? I was trying to make it romantic for you."

She chuckled and shook her head. "You didn't need to do all this. I just want to be with you, you know that?"

I bit my lip, my face turning a little more serious. "Then what's stopping you?" I ask, closing the distance between us and pressing my mouth against hers. She deepened the kiss, pushing me down onto the bed as she straddled me. I felt her undo the tie on my robe as I slipped off her tank top. "Is this really happening?"

"Shut up, Lachlan," she said with a sexy laugh. She slid off her track pants, leaving us both in our underwear. I picked her up and pulled her up towards the center of my bed, our hands wandering over each other's bodies. I felt my heart quicken and my blood pulse throughout my body.

Then she stopped kissing me back. "Is everything ok, love?"

She shook her head, her eyebrows furrowed. "Something doesn't seem right. This is just not how I expected this to happen. It doesn't feel organic, you know?"

I bit my lip, quickly realizing we were definitely having sex. My body felt cold and exposed, but I still pulled her in close to me to make her feel a little more comfortable. "We can wait, Kal. I don't want to rush you."

"It's not that. I'm ready, believe me. I just want it to be real and random, not some planned ordeal. I feel like that deviates from how we've done things up until this point. I like the surprise, I think."

I nodded, seeing her point and agreeing, but still a bit disappointed that I would not be experiencing her. "I get it, Kal. How about we just cuddle and binge watch some shows?"

I saw her face light up. "HIMYM?" she exclaimed excitedly.

I smiled, loving the childlike expression that appeared across her features. "HIMYM."

"Wait, so what's the story of the pineapple?" I asked as we finished our fifth consecutive episode. "They never tell us the story of the pineapple."

Kali laughed, as she always does, when I ask questions about the show. "Well I guess you have to keep watching and see."

"It's not fair that you already know what happens and I don't," I said with a pout, crossing my arms across my chest.

Kali looked up from her position on my lap and gave me a playful smile. "Aww sweetie," she said in a sickeningly sweet voice as she pinched my cheek. "Who said life was fair?"

"Fuck you!" I said, laughing as I pushed her and watched her roll off the couch.

"Ouch! That hurt, asshole!" She stood up and almost punched my arm but I caught her fist mid-swing and pinned it to her side.

"That's why you should have been nice!" I said, using my other hand to tickle her in her sides. She shrieked, a mixture of a laugh and scream of panic escaping her mouth.

"Lachlan! Stop it, please!" she yelled, her voice becoming redder and redder. She tried to push my hand away but I grabbed it with my spare hand, bringing both arms above her head as I clasped them both with my left and straddled her, my legs pinning her down as well. "No, Lachlan. Let's talk about this, ok? I'll explain the pineapple thing!"

I felt a smile cross my face as the panic settled on hers. I shook my head and gently placed my hand on her stomach. "It's too late for that now." I began to tickle her again and she shrieked even louder, her legs kicking under me. I began to laugh along with her, mine sounding a lot less frantic than hers. The words she was yelling were inaudible.

"Please!" I finally heard her clearly say.

I stopped tickling her for a moment. "I'm listening."

"You're so mean to me," she said breathlessly, her face slowly beginning to lose it's color.

I bit my lip, my hand travelling from her stomach to her cheek. "Do you really think so?"

I watched as her eyes drifted from mine to my lips. She unconsciously licked her lips, making my heart rate quicken just a bit. "I don't know," she breathed.

We just stared at each other for a few seconds, waiting for one of us to make a move before I realized I was the one in control of the situation. I brought my mouth to hers, never releasing her arms from above her head. The kiss quickly turned more intense as I let my hand play with the hem of her shirt until her heard her mumble a 'yes' against my lips, allowing me to pull it up, releasing her hands so that I could pull it above her head. She did the same to me, pulling off the thin white t-shirt I had been wearing.

"My God, you're so beautiful." I whispered, pulling her onto my lap so that her legs were on either side of me. I kissed her roughly, my desire for her becoming impossible to ignore. I fiddled with the clasp of her bra, waiting for her signal that it was ok for me to remove it. Instead of sending me a sign, she reached back with one hand and unclasped it and slid it off in one swift motion. I pulled away from the kiss for a moment, taking in the vision before me. Every inch of this girl was truly incredible.

I grabbed her by the back of her thighs, lifting her up into the air. I felt her arms wrap around my neck and pull me into another kiss. I carried her into my bedroom and threw her onto the bed, pulling her pants and underwear off at once. She propped herself up on her elbows with her eyebrow cocked, scanning the length of my body and stopping at the strained bulge beneath my sweats. I grasped beneath my underwear, pulling everything down together. Kali and I just looked at each other, both of us fully aware of what was about to happen and equally as eager to start.

"Lachlan," I heard her say softly before me. I nodded slowly, my eyes tracing every inch of her exposed body. "Don't make me wait."

We laid together for what seemed like an eternity in a comfortable silence. I gently played with her hair, humming a song I couldn't quite name.

"Stop staring at me," she said whilst facing the opposite direction as she laid on my chest.

"How did you even know I was looking at you?"

"Because I know you and your creepy tendencies," she mumbled. I could hear the smile on her face.

"I'd prefer the term endearing," I say quietly, closing my eyes and resting my head against the pillow behind me.

"Sure, sure," she said dismissively. I felt her shift and I watched her curvy body lift from the bed and head towards the bathroom. "I'm gonna take a shower really quick. I'll be out in a few."

I nodded even though I knew she couldn't see see me and just closed my eyes, thinking about the intimate moment Kali and I had just shared. I know I wasn't fully in love with her just yet, but this is definitely the closest to feeling it I had even come before. I felt my body slowly drift off to sleep before it was interrupted by a message tone. It didn't sound like mine, so it had to be Kali's. I closed my eyes again, ignoring it and attempting to fall asleep again. I was once again interrupted by a message tone, this time two messages coming in back to back. I sighed, reluctantly getting up to put the phone on silent so that I could get some proper sleep. That was, of course, until I saw his name show up on the screen.

REESE: Sorry for getting back to you so late. Yes that movie does look good. I'm down to watch it. And also this is for Tuesday right? With dinner after?

REESE: I have to head back to Gainesville on Friday so there is some wiggle room just in case we have to readjust

REESE: I wouldn't want to interrupt any plans you have con el blanquito

I felt my hands ball into fists as I placed her phone back where I had found it. I quickly threw on some sweats and a t-shirt and sat silently on my bed, wringing my hands together as my mind began to wander. Kali is going on a date with her ex-boyfriend after she had agreed to go on a date with me. She knows how I feel and continues to disregard and downplay my feelings. Maybe what Alex said had some weight to it. Was I letting myself be toyed around with? Was I becoming a back up option now that Reese was back in the picture? I'm nobody's bitch, and maybe Kali needed to be reminded of that.

I felt my jaw clench as I began to rock back and forth. I know I'm reverting back to my old ways, but I couldn't help it. I stared at the door, waiting for Kali to get out of the bathroom. I tried to relax as I heard the shower turn off. I slid my hands into my pockets and relaxed my jaw, not wanting to make the change in my demeanor obvious.

Moments later, she emerged from the bathroom, her hair damp and a towel hung loosely around her chest. She gave me a smile, walking towards me and placing a kiss on my lips that I couldn't bring myself to return. I guess she hadn't noticed the change in my mood, so I tried to smile back.

She walked over to her duffle bag, dropping the towel from her body as she pulled on a sports bra over her head. I looked away, unable to watch her because of how disgusted I felt. Instead, I continued to look towards the bathroom door. I cleared my throat before speaking, already knowing this conversation wouldn't end well. "So, I was thinking," I paused, giving her a moment to cover up a bit so that I could look back at her. At this point she had managed to slide on a pair of leggings as well. "For our first proper date, I was thinking Tuesday would be perfect."

She looked at me with her eyebrows furrowed. "This Tuesday?" I nodded. "Doesn't that seem kind of sudden?"

I shook my head, giving her a knowing smirk. "I don't think so. Plus, the sooner we have our first proper date, the sooner we can have other ones to follow."

She gave me a sad smile. "Lachlan, that's really sweet, but I actually already have plans that night." She pulled an oversized, long sleeve shirt over her head and adjusted it until she was comfortable.

"Oh, that's fine. Do you mind if I ask with whom?" Her smile fell and she froze. She opened her mouth to speak but I cut her off before she could. "Oh, duh. Don't you have a date with your fuckin ex-boyfriend? How silly of me. How could I forgot?" I paused again, looking at her with disgust in my eyes. "Oh yea, because you never told me."

"Lachlan, it's really not a big deal. It's nothing romantic or anything. We're meeting as friends."

"Just friends like we're just friends, right Kali?"

Her face contorted in confusion. "Why would you say that? You know how I feel about you."

"Do I, Kali? Do I really? You have a really fucked up way of showing it. Have you ever confidently told me how you felt about me? Have you? I really want to know." She stared at me, dumbfounded. I could see the tears forming in my her eyes. I know I was going too far but my anger wouldn't let me stop talking. "Do you actually even give a fuck about me, or are you just using me like Jerome thought you were?"

"Are you serious right now? Do you know what we just did? You know how special that is to me. You know what that means to me."

"Oh, you mean fucking? That proves nothing. I should know. Do you know how many girls I've fucked that meant nothing to me? More than I can possibly count." I could see the tears visibly falling from her eyes now. Part of me wanted to wipe them away, but I couldn't move my body to do it.

"Why are you being like this?" she cried, wiping the tears from her face. She began walking toward me but I just pulled away. She stopped in her tracks and just nodded. "Fine, but I didn't do anything wrong and I know that. Maybe I could have mentioned the fact that I was meeting up with Reese, but I didn't need to because you're not my fuckin boyfriend, Lachlan. We're not together and I don't owe you that."

I felt my body tense up. "Fuck you, Kali. I know I'm not your boyfriend, but you know I would love to be. I've been waiting for you to be ready for that but maybe I'm not the one that's super fucked up in this relationship. I would have done anything for you, you know that? I'm done being strung along, your pawn in whatever fuckin game your playing. Get over yourself, Kali."

She shook her head, the tears still falling from her eyes. "Fuck this. I don't need this. I'm done. I'm leaving. Feel free to hit me up when you pull your head out of yourself centered ass. I can't promise I'll respond."

I knew I shouldn't have treated Kali so terribly, but I did.

I knew I shouldn't have just let her leave, but I did.

I knew I shouldn't have gone out drinking while I was upset, but I did.

I knew I shouldn't have flirted with all those random girls, but I did.

I knew I shouldn't have danced with Brandon's friend, Zee, so closely, but I did.

I knew I shouldn't have kissed her in the bathroom in the back of the bar, but I did.

I knew I shouldn't have gone back to her apartment that night, but I did.

I knew I shouldn't have done the things I did that night, but I did.

Kali

I'd been awake since ten, thinking about everything that had happened the night prior. Seeing Lachlan in his natural element was definitely an experience. He seemed so confident, so impulsive, so absolutely irresistible. I couldn't keep my eyes off of him, not that it seemed like he wanted me to look away. He was extremely flirtatious and I'm fairly certain that if we weren't at his friends' house, things could have gotten serious last night. I smiled at the thought of him introducing me to all these people who's names I could never remember, or at the the thought of him and Mitch both doing keg stands as Jerome and Jess cheered them on.

I cringed at the thought of Jerome. We didn't have the most pleasant encounter during the party. After Lachlan and Mitch had gotten completely obliterated, he said some things to me that made me uncomfortable. I knew he wasn't that fond of me, but he made it clear that he had no intentions of even trying to trust me, so I distanced myself from him and stayed as close to Lachlan the remainder of the night.

I shook my head, dispersing the uncomfortable feeling that had washed over me. I really had no desire to be in the house any longer. I tried to wake up the sleeping giant that laid beside me. I playfully kicked him, waiting for a reaction but got nothing in response. I tried kicking him a little harder and he stirred a bit. I double kicked him and heard him huff. "Stop kicking me, you dick." I gave up and lifted his arm from my waist and got out of bed. "Come back to bed, babe."

I let out a soft giggle and tossed his sweats onto him. "Didn't you say you wanted to leave early today?" I caught a glimpse of his face. His eyes were glassy from lack of sleep but you could tell he was confused. I tilted my head in annoyance. "You're kidding, right?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice coming out hoarse and raspy. He winced in pain, the hangover looking like it hit him suddenly. "Fucking hell, what time is it?"

I clenched my jaw in frustration but tried to relax, letting out a deep sigh. "It's already noon. You told me last night you wanted to be home by this time. Also, there's a water bottle and pills on the nightstand. Mitch knows you pretty well it seems." I started packing up my clothes, trying to leave as quickly as possible.

"I think I blacked out," he uttered after taking the aspirin.

I laughed as I began to get dressed. "I told you not to eat that brownie after drinking so much. You cross faded in the wrong order, but no, why would my mentee ever listen to me?" I wrapped my hair into a bun and sat beside him, giving him a quick peck.

He gave me a smirk. "Is it not insanely awkward for you call me mentee after you just got out of bed with me? Might I add, you were completely naked?" He asked as he pulled me down next to him so that we were face to face.

I shrugged it off, mindlessly playing with his blond locks. "It's not my fault I like to indulge in your little student/teacher kinks."

"Fuck you, Kal. I don't have any weird kinks," he said as he readjusted us so that my head was laying on his chest.

I looked straight ahead, seeing that he was already a little excited. "Oh yea? Your friend down here seems to disagree."

"For fuck's sake! I just woke up, let me be. But seriously, anything crazy happen last night?"

I wrapped my arms around him, recollecting all the crazy things he had done and tried to word it in a way that wouldn't seem too terrible. "Well, you got hella confident on the dance floor. I really wanted to know who you thought you were. From our first date, I would have never guessed you knew how to dance." I smiled at this, remembering how focused he was as he would spin me and quietly mumble to counts to himself. He wasn't exactly great, but I could tell he was trying extremely hard. As I recalled more of that evening, I laughed remembering this idiot screaming how he wanted to be the Australian Michael Phelps. "You also decided that you really wanted to go for a swim at four in the morning. Do you know how difficult it was for little ass me to get big ass you out of your fancy clothes and then out of the pool? Extremely so, especially when you keep yelling that mermaids can't be taken out of the ocean. You're fuckin ridiculous when you're drunk."

I felt him kiss my head, wondering if he recalls any of the madness that ensued. "I think I sound charming."

"Oh of course. You know when you're the most charming? When I have to get you into the shower since I couldn't stand the idea of sleeping next to the smell of chlorine." This is the one part I wasn't completely truthful about. While I wasn't keen on sleeping with the scent of bleach all night, I was even less keen on sleeping next to the smell of vomit. I knew if I told him he threw up on himself during the party, he'd never want to leave the room. It was lucky that Mitch and I were the only ones who noticed and we were able to get him into the bathroom and undressed. It's a little detail I asked Mitch to not bring up again for the sake of our friend.

"We showered together?" Lachlan asked, ripping me from my thoughts.

I smiled at his concern, knowing where his mind was probably wandering to. "Yes, we did, and before you start hating yourself for not remembering, no, nothing happened. We didn't have sex last night."

"Thank God. I don't think I could forgive myself for forgetting that. I'm already pissed I missed seeing you all soapy."

"A few things: One, the shower wasn't what you think. It wasn't sexy or a tease. We literally just bathed together so I could make sure you didn't hurt yourself. And two, if we had sex, there's no way you could forget."

I heard him laugh behind me as I felt the smile tug at my lips. "Someone sounds a bit cocky."

"I prefer the term confident in my abilities,'' I said, turning so that we were making eye contact.

"I can't wait to test them out," he said as he bit his lip.

I cocked my head in response, letting my hand run along his thin frame. "Why do you think we planned to leave so early?"

His eyes widened in response as he pushed me from my spot on top of him to the bed. He jumped up, opting to skip boxers and instead just sliding on the sweat pants. He quickly packed his bag and pulled out a long sleeve shirt. I couldn't help but laugh at how frantic he was acting until he stopped and looked at me. I froze, biting my lip to hold back another laugh. "What's so funny?"
"I've never seen you move so fast," I giggled, bringing my hand to my mouth.

He smiled and sat back next to me in the bed. "Kali, you know how much you mean to me right?" I blushed, nodding. "I'm just feel honored that you feel comfortable enough with me to move on to this next step. I really would wait forever, but let's be real, I'm a guy. You can't mention the prospect of having sex with someone as beautiful as you and expect me to remain calm." We both laughed as I gave him a playful shove. "Are you sure you're ready? I don't want you to feel any extra pressure just because you know I want to."

"Lachlan, I really do like you, but don't think I would agree to anything I'm not ready for just because you're kind of cute."

He frowned. "I like to think of myself as incredibly dashing, thank you very much."

I rolled my eyes as I lifted myself from the bed. "Fine, you're a solid ok looking dude, but you're not getting anything more out of me. Now hurry up and brush your teeth. I can't kiss you anymore with that morning breathe."

I heard him run up behind me and carry me bridal style into the bathroom, both of us laughing like children. I was falling for this boy, and I was ok with it.

I was still in disbelief that Lachlan and I had sex. It was something I had dreamed about as a fan, and only once or twice since actually meeting him. He was so gentle in the beginning, treating me like a was too fragile to touch. I felt like I was on Cloud 9, the feeling of his fingers and lips dancing along my skin and the euphoria pulsing through my body. It only began to intensify as time went on, progressing from slow and delicate to more rhythmic and passionate. He was perfect through the entire experience, light hearted and natural, just like I had always pictured it. He wasn't scared to laugh when things got awkward, as they always do during your first time with someone, and it made the moment that much more magical.

I was thankful that I was on the pill, because during the heat of the moment, neither of us had even considered protection. Unfortunately that wasn't a conversation we had until after the fact, but we both agreed that we would be more mindful in the future, smiling at the thought of this occurring more often in the future.

We laid together, the majority of my body overlapping his. I felt him playing with my hair, humming the song I had been humming the first night we met, 500 Miles by Sleeping at Last. I smiled, wondering if he had even realized that's the song he was thinking about. The soothing mix made my eyes heavy as I felt myself drift in and out of sleep.

I felt him looking at me, as he always did when we laid together. "Stop staring at me."

"How did you even know I was looking at you?" he asked softly.

"Because I know you and your creepy tendencies," I mumbled through a smile.

"I'd prefer the term endearing."

"Sure, sure," I said as I began to wake up fully. I got up and stretched, heading towards the bathroom. "I'm gonna take a shower really quick. I'll be out in a few." I looked back to see him settled in his bed, clearly fighting sleep himself. I smiled as I shut the door behind me and examined myself in the mirror. I had purple little spots all over my torso and neck, evidence that Lachlan was trying to mark his territory. I smiled and shook my head at the ridiculous notion and turned on the water, testing it out to make sure it was warm enough before entering. I stood under the flowing water for a few minutes, just enjoying the feeling before finally massaging the water through my hair so that I could wash it.

I thought about the beautiful blond boy while I showered. Not in a creepy, sexual way, but just about how happy I've been since meeting him. My mind had drifted to that dark place while I was away, but I hadn't had any negative thoughts the entire day, and I really did have Lachlan to thank for that. He treated me like a royalty, and it made me feel special knowing he really cared for me.

I thought about the adventures we'd have while I lathered the conditioner into my hair, the places we'd go and the people we'd meet. The prospect of him becoming such an integral part of my life truly excited me, and I knew I had to let him know that's how I was feeling. I quickly cleaned my body, suddenly feeling empty without Lachlan beside me. I wanted to crawl back into bed and cuddle him while watching cheesy movies. I wanted to do anything as long as I was beside him.

I rinsed off and dried my hair as much as possible before wrapping the towel around my body. I walked out of the bathroom and immediately felt the tension in the air. I wasn't sure if perhaps his parents called while I was in the bathroom and ruined his mood or not, but his energy was definitely different. I put on a smile and gave him a quick kiss, hoping it could serve as a bit of a distraction, but quickly realized that failed when he didn't return the sign of affection. He did, however, offer a fake smile.

I wanted to comfort him, so I attempted to get dressed quickly. He stared straight ahead at the bathroom door, his mind clearly not with me at the moment. I heard him clear his throat and my eyes shot up to his profile. His eyes were still trained ahead as he began to speak. "So I was thinking," he said in a low voice. He finally locked eyes with me before continuing. "For our first proper date, I was thinking Tuesday would be perfect."

His request seemed oddly timed and out of place. That couldn't possibly be why he's acting so strange. I played along, hoping he would open up about what's on his mind after this conversation was over. "This Tuesday?" He nodded. "Doesn't that seem kind of sudden?"

He shook his head, giving me a more confident smile. "I don't think so. Plus, the sooner we have our first proper date, the sooner we can have other ones to follow."

The thought made my heart flutter, but then it suddenly stopped when I remembered I had already made plans to meet with Reese that evening. I gave him an apologetic smile as I spoke. "Lachlan, that's really sweet, but I actually already have plans that night," I said as I finished getting dressed.

He gave me an understanding nod. "Oh, that's fine. Do you mind if I ask with whom?" I felt my smile fall as my voice got stuck in my throat. I didn't plan on telling Lachlan because I didn't want to hurt him, especially with his past tendencies seeming to resurface, but I suppose there was no use in hiding it anymore. "Oh, duh," he said, before I had the chance to speak. "Don't you have a date with your fuckin ex-boyfriend? How silly of me. How could I forgot?" His eyes were dark, the look they held was sinister. "Oh yea, because you never told me."

"Lachlan, it's really not a big deal. It's nothing romantic or anything. We're meeting as friends," I tried to explain.

"Just friends like we're just friends, right Kali?"

I felt like a ton of bricks had just fallen on me. What was he trying to imply? "Why would you say that? You know how I feel about you."

He scoffed at me. "Do I, Kali? Do I really? You have a really fucked up way of showing it. Have you ever confidently told me how you felt about me? Have you? I really want to know." I looked at him in awe. Who was he right now? Was this the real Lachlan? His face was turning red, his voice changed into something a little more demented. "Do you actually even give a fuck about me, or are you just using me like Jerome thought you were?"

My heart was pounding fast and I could feel the wetness threatening my eyes, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of making me cry. I couldn't give that to the monster he was becoming in front of me. "Are you serious right now? Do you know what we just did? You know how special that is to me. You know what that means to me."

"Oh, you mean fucking? That proves nothing. I should know. Do you know how many girls I've fucked that meant nothing to me? More than I can possibly count."

With his words, I couldn't control my tears anymore. I felt them fall down my cheeks, and I let them. "Why are you being like this?" I had to understand what had turned in him. I tried getting closer to him, and he jerked away. I looked at him, and fully realized he wasn't the person I thought he was. "Fine, but I didn't do anything wrong and I know that. Maybe I could have mentioned the fact that I was meeting up with Reese, but I didn't need to because you're not my fuckin boyfriend, Lachlan. We're not together and I don't owe you that."

I saw him tense up. Maybe that wasn't the best thing to say when he was angry, but man, was it satisfying. If he wanted to play this fucked up little game with me, he would at least get a little bit himself. "Fuck you, Kali. I know I'm not your boyfriend, but you know I would love to be. I've been waiting for you to be ready for that but maybe I'm not the one that's super fucked up in this relationship. I would have done anything for you, you know that? I'm done being strung along, your pawn in whatever fuckin game your playing. Get over yourself, Kali."

I shook my head, ignoring the harsh lies he made himself believe. "Fuck this. I don't need this. I'm done. I'm leaving. Feel free to hit me up when you pull your head out of your self centered ass. I can't promise I'll respond." I packed up my belongings as quickly as possible while he sat on his bed, watching me intently with his jaw clenched. I grabbed my bag and stormed out of his apartment, never looking back to see if he was behind me, though I had doubted it.

As I began walking down the sidewalk of his complex, it finally hit me that he had picked me up from my place when I got back to Orlando, so I was carless. Perfect. I requested an Uber to pick up by the front of his complex, already knowing that all my friends were still out of town.

Well, there is always me, I heard his voice creep into my head. I laughed, knowing he'd be so willing to pick me up and be my savior, but next to Lachlan, Reese was the last person I wanted to see right now. I walked to the curb and waited the six minutes it took for the Uber to get there before being saved from this little round about I'd realized I may never see again. I placed my bags in the car beside me and didn't look back.

I knew I shouldn't have kept my meeting with Reese from Lachlan, but I did.

I knew I shouldn't have left him on such bad terms, but I did.

I knew I shouldn't have smoked so much when I got home, but I did.

I knew I shouldn't have trusted the supply of a random dealer I didn't know, but I did.

I knew I shouldn't have picked up my razor and placed it on my skin, but I did.

I knew I shouldn't have made so many little slices along my arms, but I did.

I knew I shouldn't have enjoyed the pain so much, but I did.

I knew I shouldn't have done the things I did that night, but I did.