บททั้งหมดของ The Ice King's Wild Obsession: บทที่ 41 - บทที่ 50

~~SORAYA~~"Soraya?"I look up.Julian is watching me from across the table with his pen paused over his notebook. Our laptops are open between us, and a highlighted printout sits untouched near my elbow.We've been in this library study room for almost an hour discussing our project."Sorry. What did you say?""I asked what you think about the second point," he says carefully. "It's the third time I've asked."Heat creeps up my neck. "I'm focusing. I swear.""Okay.""I am.""Okay."I pull the printout toward me and force my eyes onto the page. We're supposed to be going through the points in detail, like we said we would.This is a good project. It matters. I will not let thoughts of Cade ruin it.So what if he hasn't come to apologize? So what if some small, stupid part of me thought he might show up outside my door, or text me, or do anything at all?I don

I immediately drop my gaze to the table before Cade can see the rest of my expression. I keep working without looking back at him. Let him see how little I care. Because I don't. I don't care that he's here with Lilian. He could make out with every girl in this room for all I care. "Soraya?" I look up to find Julian standing on the other side of the table, his hands tucked into his jacket pockets. He looks pleasantly surprised to see me. "I thought you weren't coming." "So did I," I admit. "But Cupcake is sponsoring the event, and Vicky needed some help." "Well, I'm glad you made it." He smiles. "Having fun?" "I've learned that people are even more excited about paying for dates than they were last year." He laughs, and I hold out a bidding paddle. "Want one?" "No, thanks. I'm just here to watch the madness." "You should take one anyway." I wave it at him. "You never know. Someone you like might end up onstage." He takes the paddle, turning it over in his hand before looki

~~SORAYA~~I'm finishing the last few registrations when Brenna's voice booms over the speakers."Welcome, everyone, to the Xi Delta Pi Sorority Annual Charity Date Auction!"The crowd is a lot bigger than when I arrived. People are packed in front of the stage. The mood has turned almost festive.Brenna looks completely at ease with a microphone in her hand and hundreds of people watching her. She thanks the sponsors, explains what the fundraiser is for, and tosses out jokes that make the whole field laugh.I've never liked her. But I have to admit she knows how to command a crowd.She explains how it works. Every girl or boy who has volunteered to be auctioned has chosen whether the highest bidder gets a kiss or a date.“Remember, every cent generated from this fun auction will be going straight to the children's home, so be generous." She winks. “We'll start with the men. Girls, get your paddles ready."I catch myself smiling at some of the excited faces around me.Last year, I tho

Cade walks through the crowd, everyone moving out of his way as he approaches the stage."One thousand dollars?" a girl near the front exclaims. "That's crazy!""That's the highest bid tonight."No shit.I'm still staring at Cade, trying to understand what the hell he's doing. Why would he want to spend a thousand dollars on a date with me after basically telling me days ago that I didn't mean anything to him?Beside me, Brenna looks like she's about to explode."A thousand dollars?" she repeats into the microphone. "Cade, are you serious? Nobody has bid that much all evening.""Then maybe nobody found anyone worth that much for a date."He looks directly at me as he says it, and my stomach does a stupid flutter before I grit my teeth.Oh, no. He's not going to pull that shit on me.The crowd erupts into cheers and whistles. A few students have their phones out, and I can already imagine the kind of things people will be saying by tomorrow.I spot Julian among the students. He's lower

~~SORAYA~~My heart begins a furious rhythm at the weight of his words.“You haven’t slept with anyone else.”It isn’t a question. It’s me trying to make sense of what he just told me.I want him to be lying. He has to be lying. Cade Carter is a fuckboy who doesn't hesitate when a pretty girl looks at him twice. And there are always pretty girls throwing themselves at him.Why would he turn any of them down because of me?But the way he’s watching me right now, his gaze steady and unguarded and almost bracing for whatever I throw at him, makes it harder to believe it's a lie.He's being serious, which only confuses me even more.“You said we were nothing,” I remind him.“I know,” he says, his voice low. “I’m sorry. I couldn't have said anything more stupid because that wasn't true. I didn’t mean a single word of it.”The apology lands softer this time. I can already feel the cracked walls around my resolve begin to crumble, and I don't know whether to fight it anymore.“You told me to