chapter twenty-two

I wasn’t surprised when Orpheus asked me out. However, I found it surprising when he asked me for a paint and wine date. Apparently, there was a class at the campus to help fund the art department, and since we were both, in a way, artists, he thought it would be a great idea. I could never say no to a good time, even more so when someone else was treating me, regardless of how much money I now owned.

Instead of picking me up, I proposed meeting at the campus, and he readily accepted, almost as if he could read my discomfort with the idea of him coming to my house.

With the sun sinking below the horizon around seven in the evening, the campus took on a mystical and ethereal atmosphere. The air was filled with a mix of exhaustion and excitement as I strolled past groups of college students, taking full advantage of the longer weekend provided by our school spirit events. I observed students signing up for various games and a tent brimming with delicious, complimentary food. Team spirit wasn’t my thing, so I conveniently skipped the whole affair. This made it easy for me to make my way to the art building, which was situated on the other side of campus. A loud snort escaped me as I witnessed a student rushing towards the dorms, carrying containers overflowing with the distributed food, resembling a squirrel securing its stash for the upcoming winter.

The sound of my heels clicking on the pavement echoed as I got further and further away from the crowds. I opted for a pretty summer dress I bought at Target, so it didn’t matter much to me if I ruined it from paint or wine spills. Even though I would rather ride his dick, I could entertain myself with an evening of learning more about him.

To be honest, I was really excited about this date. It had been ages since anyone asked me out on a date. It had been a far longer time since I accepted. Being wanted, being taken out to fancy dinners, and most importantly, wanting those affections in return was refreshing and very much needed. Since I was accustomed to people being drawn to me solely for my appearance, it was a pleasant change to meet someone who took the time to discover the person I truly was.

My thoughts started to drift to Hadrian. He was someone who already knew me to my core. The way he knew my deepest, darkest secrets was strangely captivating. I didn’t have to pretend with Hadrian, and we didn’t have to go through the whole song and dance of him learning who I was. He did it all on his own, and in a way, he was the safe option. Scaring away Orpheus wouldn’t hurt me, but it would be disappointing. I never had to worry about that with Hadrian.

I wondered how Hadrian would react to the fact that I accepted to go on this date with someone other than him. Would he hunt down Orpheus like he hunted me? No, certainly not like me. It would be much more malicious. But would I want him to hunt down Orpheus? Maybe we could make it a game to see how we could break someone together…

I felt my stomach heat with desire, and I was tempted to text him right then and there to see if he’d be up for the game. But as much as I would like us to ruin someone together, I also wanted to learn more about Orpheus. He was just as mysterious as Hadrian and just as delicious. While with Hadrian, I wouldn’t have to worry about hiding anything because he already knew my secrets. With Orpheus, I could paint the person I wanted to be. I could show him things I wanted him to know and find comfort in knowing I could hide the things I wanted to keep secret.

I knew that sounded stupid, but it was normalcy that a small part of me craved. The way we could start building a relationship off of information that we voluntarily gave up. But it was more than that. I didn’t care if he found out the whole truth later on. I just wanted to see what I could get away with. Did I want to play behind a mask? Maybe I should be the person I think he would love. Or would he see through my lies? That sounded just as enticing as Hadrian and I hunting him together. Perhaps this would be how I hunted him… honey-trapping him to a false sense of security while I took piece by piece from him until there was nothing left. At least until the timer ran out and Hadrian found him.

“There you are.” The silky tones of Orpheus’s voice called out to me. I turned to look at him, and he was dressed in a sleek black T-shirt paired with dark blue jeans. On his shoulder rested a chocolate brown messenger bag with buckles on the side. When he smiled, his eyes sparkled, enhancing his already irresistible charm.

“I hope you weren’t waiting too long for me.”