“I did. She’s heartbroken. Probably blames you for angling in on her man, which we all know is the opposite of what happened, but she’s not thinking clearly. Women never do.”
A stinging in the back of my nose tells me tears are on their way and I clench my jaw hard enough for my teeth to protest. Like hell I’m going to cry in front of this boy.
“Would you like to be together, Lilac?” His voice is a teasing singsong. “Wanna be my girlfriend?”
I can’t answer. My throat locks. My pulse races faster than when I run the twelve hundred metre track.
“Because you know, I like to think of you that way, too.” My eyes jerk back to meet his, pupils expanding with confusion. “But that’s not gonna change this.” He taps the phone. “We made a deal, and it’s not over until it’s over. You can’t exit the game just because you got a boyfriend.”
“And you think I want to be with you when you make me—”
His hand grasps my shoulder, snapping my sentence in two. “I’m not making you do anything. That’s the number one rule, remember?”
I stare at the app, my ears buzzing furiously.
My voice emerges in a tortured whisper. “I can’t put naked videos on the internet.”
“Luckily, that’s not what the requests are for.” He stops and chuckles, shaking his head. “Well, some of them might be because I’m not the only one who’s found your little side hustle. But the requests my friends and I put through there aren’t like that. You can pick one of them and stay completely clothed.” Zach drops his mouth to whisper directly into my ear. “I don’t want anyone else seeing what’s mine.”
A smidgeon of relief creeps into my brain.
“Besides, you want me despite every task I’ve set you so far. I hardly think that’s changed. Or did you only sleep with me to get out of our agreement?”
His eyes sharpen and I swallow, glancing away at the floor just to gain the tiniest fraction of composure. “No,” I answer truthfully. “That wasn’t part of it.”
“Well, then.” He pushes away from me, taking a step back. “We’re both on the same page. You know…”
I bite my lip, not wanting to fall into his trap. But my desperation shoulders my caution aside. “What?”
“If you want to get out of the remaining tasks…”
I hold my breath, telling my stupid self not to hope and hoping, anyway.
“You can always tell me who you gave your phone to.” He folds his arms, making his biceps pop. “If we didn’t have secrets between us, I’d be more amenable to trusting you. And trust is the easiest way to buy yourself out of the game.”
He pauses for a minute.
“Theonlyway.”
I dig a smile out of my deepest pocket and paste it on my mouth. “Guess I’d better get to work on these requests, then. Do I have a time limit?”
If he’s upset or surprised, it doesn’t show. Zach turns towards his next class. “Take all the time you need,” he says with a generous wave of his hand. “As long as you get it done by the end of the week.”
* * *
ZACH
Halfway through second period and I think about calling the whole thing off. Trent will grumble, but ultimately won’t care. Yesterday felt like a battle of wills where the only person fighting was me.
As delicious as it is to watch Lilac twist herself into knots to fulfil our requests, it’s not a solid grounding for our future. And I want a future.
It’s no longer enough to be the first; the first to penetrate her, claim her, make her come while her eyes roll back in her head and her voice cracks on a muffled scream.
I want to be her only.
The thought of someone else taking her, teasing those same sounds from her lips, makes my head cloud with a ferocious anger.
She’s mine. Only mine. Forever mine.
