SKYE.4

Walking into my room wasn't exactly the best experience. Archer was out, probably jogging on the treadmill at the gym because of the heavy rain. But Alvin was there, staring at me like he wanted to murder me on the spot.

I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should start a conversation, but honestly, no scenario where we talked could end well. Alvin would most likely side with Don, especially since he didn't know the full story of what happened between Soren and Don—and I couldn't tell him what was going on. That wasn't my secret to share.

Unfortunately, it turned out that Don had already relayed the whole thing to Alvin.

"I got Don to spill why you went off the rails yesterday, ‘cause I couldn't make sense of your crazy outburst," Alvin stated.

So, Don broke his promise to Soren too. If I remembered correctly, keeping it quiet was the reason Soren didn't go to the police. But I didn't say a word. I just headed straight for the shower and shut the door behind me.

However, if I thought Alvin would drop it, I was dead wrong. As soon as I finished my shower and stepped out, he was still sitting there, staring daggers at me.

"Skye. Try looking at it from Don's perspective, not just Soren's."

My blood pressure spiked immediately. "Can you just stop talking? I'm not authorized to discuss this shit with anyone."

"I don't give a damn. The guy paid him big bucks for three months and got nothing but scraps. Oh, what a privilege, what a great honor, to sit at Soren's cafeteria table and have a smoke with him between classes. Are you surprised Don snapped? When you walk into a room densely filled with heat pheromones, it's hard to keep it together."

"Oh yeah, sooo hard, so that makes it totally okay to rape someone who says ‘no', right?!" I hissed, my face twisting into a bitter, sarcastic grin. "Because this idiot went into a rut, there was just no stopping him? His brain shut off? Stop bullshitting, Alvin!"

"Have you ever been in a rut? Do you know what it feels like? You think you'll die if you don't put it there—"

"Yes, Alvin, as a matter of fact, I've been in a rut, with all my boyfriends except the first one from high school. And I never forced any of them. What Don did was rape, plain and simple. Don't even try to justify it. Don should be in jail for that. It's got a name: ‘heat rape'."

"Soren orgasmed, it wasn't brutal, Skye!"

"Soren would have an orgasm if he fucked himself on the leg of a chair, for fuck's sake! That's how heat works, Alvin! Are you stupid? They orgasm whether they want to or not, just from the stimulation of their prostates, their mental state doesn't affect it. There are cases of omegas getting gangbanged in the heat, and they still orgasm, you idiot! Soren said no, he begged Don not to do it. How much further do I have to explain it?"

Alvin averted his eyes for a second, then took a deeper breath.

"Listen. I'm not saying that what Don did was okay. But Soren didn't have to take his money, and he did, which kept Don's hopes up. You've seen how Soren acts. When he's in the mood, he goes to Don, flirts with him, dances with him, shares a smoke, lets him get close. Whenever Soren needs something, suddenly, it's no problem for him to hang all over Don The Disgusting Rapist. Think about that before you jump to a conclusion."

I pulled on a clean T-shirt and grabbed a rain jacket from the closet, hanging up Soren's jacket on a chair to dry. Alvin watched me with clenched teeth. Then I slowly turned to face him.

"You know what? You've convinced me. Soren danced with him and smoked a cigarette with him. So he should just shut up and not complain about getting raped. Well done, Alvin. Bravo. You win in the logic department today."

How could he make excuses for a rapist? The next month and a half of living with Alvin in the same room felt like a nightmare waiting to happen. I felt trapped, like I was suffocating, desperate for a breath of fresh air.

"You really are blind, can't you see how Soren is acting? Soren didn't make a big deal about it. You're more pissed off than he is!"

"Do you think that making a fuss about it on campus would do him any good? Don is liked here and Soren is not. People wouldn't take Soren's side, and I have proof of that: You! You know what happened, and you still side with the rapist because you just… like him more! It's always like that, the truth doesn't matter, bros matter!"

There was a twitch in Alvin's jaw muscle.

The door swung open and Archer walked in, his face changing to strangely amused as he noticed us in the stare-down.

"You both still alive? Thought you'd kill each other by now," he said, clearly enjoying himself.

Alvin ignored him, still glaring at me.

"I wish I never told you about the Kingdom of Promises, Skye. You fucked it up for us," he growled.

"Me? I fucked this up?!"

"Alvin, the Kingdom of Promises was fucked up from the start," Archer muttered, not knowing what he was getting into.

Alvin nearly jumped, turning toward him, like a loaded cannon, ready to shoot.

"I really don't appreciate your fucking judgmental input, you sanctimonious fascist prick! Sex work shaming is super backward!"

It was obvious he just needed to take it out on someone, even an innocent bystander, because he just… could not win with me, and it was killing him, I guess.

But Archer only chuckled and raised his hands in a jokingly defensive gesture. "Shaming? Wow, jumping to conclusions much? Side note, you should really use a dictionary before you throw those insults at me, Alvin."

"I know exactly what I'm talking about!"

I was kinda glad Alvin was unleashing his frustration on poor Archer instead of me, so I could just… watch.

"I heard from Sean that you gave him a piece of your mind when he asked if you'd be up for an open relationship."

Alvin glanced at me, almost like he wanted me to side with him, the fucker. Not in a fucking million years!

"You think it was Archer who didn't want Sean? Think again. Sean kicked his conservative ass the minute he heard how negative he was about having a healthy sex life."

"What are you babbling about, idiot? You're all over the place," I grumbled, rolling my eyes. "Don't fucking care!"

But Archer just crossed his arms over his chest.

"Get your facts straight, Alvin. Sean asked me if I'd be okay with him being my boyfriend while he was doing escorting. Sorry, but I'm allowed to prefer exclusivity in a relationship."

"Everybody is entitled to their preferences!" I snarled, finding it very gratifying to alienate Alvin in this argument; I was majorly pissed at him.

His eyes, as he glared at me, were like flying bullets.

"Well, you clearly don't mind dating sex workers. Soren is one, even if with ‘limited services'. Or should I tell Soren you're on the same team as this conservative wingnut?"

"'Whatever! I know what you shouldn't do, that's for sure! Be on the rapist's team!"

Alvin narrowed his eyes, then made a loud huff.

There was a brief pause as he hesitated.

"Listen… you're only seeing Soren's side, Don is the fucking embodiment of evil for you, and that is simply unfair! He's a good guy, generous and helpful! And he's really into Soren, which just clouded his judgment."

I closed my eyes as something clicked in my head. Why was Alvin so upset, so angry? He was always a pretty relaxed guy, chill most of the time.

"Did Don reject you because you offered him something similar to what Sean offered Archer—an open relationship? This whole rant of yours is a little too intense, too personal."

Silence fell.

Alvin clenched his jaw and muttered, "It's none of your business what my dealings with Don are. You don't know shit," he grumbled and turned away, heading toward the door.

As it slammed shut behind him, I turned toward Archer, who glanced at me too.

"Just to be clear, I don't judge anybody," he said. "The Kingdom of Promises started because those guys were in financial trouble and desperate for money. Alvin used that."

Sighing, I sat on my bed. "I agree, it was shady. And… just saying, I personally think Sean wouldn't be the best match for you. You could do better—he can be a bitch underneath his cheerful exterior."

Archer spread his hands. "Well, anyway, I couldn't be in an open relationship. I'm just too possessive to share someone I love. But everyone should do whatever they want. I know you like Soren, and that's fine with me. To each their own."

I winced and muttered, "You know, I might not be as traditional as you are, but… I'm also pretty possessive. And just so you know, Soren doesn't do that anymore. Since we met, he hasn't even seen May or Ed."

"Are you two… dating?"

"We're not dating."

Archer shrugged. "If you say so."

"We're not," I grumbled.

He stared at me for a while. "Don't fool yourself, Skye. Face reality. You're dating him. It's just him… who's not dating you."

What was there to add? I didn't answer, I just took a shower. Standing under the freezing cold water, I thought again about the Titanic. Archer was right. I was fooling myself.

And clearly cruising for a bruising.