I am torn.

On one side, I am happily committed to Jayden and happy to be by his side.

On the other hand, there is the boy who achieved something no one thought was possible, just to be with me. That was a phenomenal, humongous achievement in itself. I could never have seen that coming, not in a million years.

But if Skylar managed to accomplish this, it can only mean one thing.

He is really invested in us being in a relationship, whatever that could mean for us. I just know that Skylar wouldn't have been able to achieve this unless his mother did not apply some serious pressure on her mate, and that could only come to pass if he was dead serious about me.

It's just... Here is the thing. When Skylar announced that he would no longer seek any other prospect after his father denied me, I believed him. It's not as if he was grandstanding. He wasn't just saying that, I felt every word he enunciated to be true.

I know Skylar is a fuckboy. That is not in question here. Even before he decided to make me his prospect, I heard about his adventures back in Texas from Seth and was even witness to him having sex inside the locker room two months ago.

He behaved so far as expected for a boy who is not only rich and handsome but deadly charming. He has a way of looking at you, and you instantly fall for his spell. It's like a snake before the attack, by the time you realize it's too late you are already under its deadly 'tightening hug'.

But the problem for me is that he is not doing this to get into my pants.

I would've been able to tell if he was after sex, but he isn't. Not when we were in bed together in my room in Boulder. He doesn't strike me as a boy who is doing something on a dare or anything like that. I think we are way past that, I know for a fact that his feelings for me are genuine. I know it in my heart.

Who the hell buys flowers for a guy you cannot even be in a relationship with?

Come on! Why did he have to go and be so sweet to me, even when he had absolutely nothing to gain from it? Yes, he was shooting his mouth about Shawn earlier that day, but that was not enough justification for him to spend half an hour inside the transportation van to go to town, buy me a bouquet of beautiful red roses, and return in time for lunch.

Does any of these sound like it's coming from a boy who cannot prospect me?

Here is the tea, ladies and gentlemen, men are dogs. The only reason why they would buy someone flowers is to either apologize for something or do some sort of courtship. Married men can do that on special occasions and stuff like that, but no man is going to buy flowers for a person he can never have.

Do you see my predicament?

He is not behaving like a hormonal teenager who wants me to blow him or something. There are far easier targets for him in this academy if he was after a quick release. Hell, there was a Gamma girl throwing herself on him just this 'Harvest Ball'. One quick word with her and the two of them would be in bed together by the end of the night.

But again, he did nothing with her or anybody else. He seems smitten by me. As in if he cannot have me, then he didn't want anybody else. Him. Skylar 'fuckboy' Stronghold. The same guy who had sex with two different girls in these two months we have been here - though he doesn't brag about bed activities with his friends, I know he and Victoria had been intimate. I've heard the whispers. It's a boarding school, nothing can get past these gossipy students.

I do not care or judge him for what he did with them. At that point, they thought they would be prospected to each other. I understand how these things go. But the point I must emphasize is that he was done with everybody else. For me.

For a boy who he could not have.

I am not saying that Skylar is incapable of keeping it in his pants or being faithful to his partner, not at all. I am just baffled that he would close himself off from other possibilities for me, who up until then, was unreachable to him. It is difficult for me to reconcile these two things and how much Skylar has changed over the course of such a short amount of time.

It's like he has been spellbound or something...

As if suddenly he realized we were mates, but only he got the Memo, not me. Also, there are no more mates. There haven't been for forty years and I don't think it is going to take two white boys to break the spell. It should be something more challenging like Seth and Jayden, though I am not so sure there would be such a challenge. I mean, not like it was for Headmaster Lockwood and his mate back in the 1980's.

I am just lost, to be honest with you. I don't know what to do and I certainly don't want to break Jayden's heart in the process. He went above and beyond for us to be together and that is not lost on me. Not at all.

It's Tuesday morning. Last night, Skylar and I talked for a while before dinner. He apologized for coming on too strong and for dragging his brother into the mix. But he wasn't being a bad twin, he genuinely would like Jayden to prospect Seth and has been vocal about it from the beginning. It's not like he is pimping his brother in order for him to be with me.

It was nice to have this time to catch up and clear the air, not that I was mad at him. It would be strange if he didn't fight for me after all that effort it took for his father to approve of me.

Seth and I were waiting in line for food while he was responding to a text from his mom.

"Is everything alright with your parents?" I asked him, curiously. Skylar turned his head to him as I asked him that, troubled.

"It is. She is just asking if she should invite your mom and you for Thanksgiving." He replied and I gasped in shock.

"Please tell her that we appreciate the thought, but we already have a Thanksgiving tradition to go to my grandparents' house every year. It was very nice of her to think about us though, please convey my appreciation." I responded politely. It was a nice idea, but my mother is not traveling to Texas for Thanksgiving. That would be a non-starter with her.

"I tried to tell her that you chose Jayden, but she does not think you'll be able to resist my brother's charm." Seth spoke with an innocent undertone, and I laughed at that statement.

"I didn't know Skylar was versed in hypnosis. I need to watch out for him from now on." I joked.

"I'll tell her to save the invitation for Christmas." He declared, ready to text his mother.

"NO!" I shouted at him, worriedly. Seth was startled at my loud voice in his ears.

"Please, tell her thanks for the thought. When my mother gets some time off from her work, maybe we can put something in the books. But for now, the only parents who should be inviting me for a dinner party are Jayden's." I declared, pointing the finger at the boy next in line for breakfast.

"They already asked me to bring you to Georgia, I am just waiting for the right time to take you. Probably the weekend before Thanksgiving." Jayden told me, sounding excited at the prospect.

"It would be my pleasure." I smiled at him before I started serving myself some breakfast.

Later on, we sat down in our respective sections to eat. At the Alpha section...

"Dude, I cannot believe your mom said she thinks Jake won't be able to resist you! Did she forget you're not his mate?" Kyle teased him, laughing it off.

"First of all, no one knows if he is my mate or not. Second, my mom loves me. She is acting like a mom and being encouraging. I had told my parents back in Texas that Jake was being prospected by another boy, so she knows what is going on." Skylar explained, glaring at Kyle for laughing at his mother's words.

"That would make it even harder for your dad to approve of him. How in the world did you pull that off?" Kyle was baffled, staring at him mystified.

"I cried, dude. A lot. I would never have been able to forgive my father for blocking me from being with the love of my life." He declared, confidently. Somehow, the fact that he is admitting this in public only makes me like him more. *swoon*

"Where do you get your confidence, dude? How the hell can you say he is the love of your life after one weekend together? Are you mentally ill?" Jayden challenged him, pissed off at that statement.

"Love can be considered a chemical imbalance of the brain, so sure. I'm mentally ill. If loving Jake is wrong, I don't wanna be right." He melted, looking at my table - I was with my back turned to him, so none of them were in my peripheral view.

Jayden was furious at his roommate for insisting on this story that he is in love with me.

Well... I don't particularly think it's just a story. But whatever... O.o

"Wow. You got it bad." Kyle was perplexed at Skylar.

"I do. I am not sure what happened to me, but one weekend was all it took. What can I say, when you know, you know." He affirmed, not a shadow of doubt in his voice. Much to Jayden's discomfort.

As the classes went by, Skylar would always find a moment to make a comment about me or romantically talk to me. He looked like a lovesick puppy, but that was so freaking adorable. *swoon*

In between our meals, he gave me a box of chocolates - expensive, of course - that had my mouth watering. Outside of that, he kept complimenting me every chance he had. It's not like Jayden is not sweet to me, he is. I am just a sucker for romantic stuff.

It's just these little things that when put together only add up to an incredible guy.

On Wednesday, when he walked by my table at the Omega section - it's on the way towards the Alpha's - he blew me a kiss. He is not afraid to speak his mind or do stuff in front of an audience. He is so unapologetically himself that it is daunting to see.

Later that night...

TEXT MESSAGE FROM SKYLAR:

'Is it weird if I tell you I never slept as well as when your head was on my chest and I could smell you all night?'

TEXT MESSAGE TO SKYLAR:

'No. it isn't weird. That was great for me too. There is something about your scent that calms me.'

Oh Goddess! What kind of trouble did I get myself into?

Why is Skylar driving me insane?

On Thursday, I was welcomed to the cafeteria with a new cover for my cell phone because my current one had broken. I only commented in passing the other day, but somehow Skylar managed to get a new one for me. Even though none of us usually go into town during the week. Not that it is forbidden, but between classes and meals, who has the time?

"How did you even manage to go out and buy me a new cover for my cell phone?" I gasped in shock.

"Oh, I didn't. Let me just say I have my ways." He replied with a boastful grin that was simply enchanting.

"Did you ask your personal assistant to fetch that for you?" Kyle asked him, teasingly.

"He lives in Texas, moron!" He glared at him. Yeah, even I knew that.

"Wow. He is really invested, isn't he?" Seth commented as we started to eat.

"He is. And it's freaking me out how he even knew what color I wanted for my cell phone cover." I admitted, properly mind-blown at how detail-oriented he actually is.

It's just these little things, small gestures, that are really getting to me. Oh Skylar, I see what you're doing. Game on! *melts into a puddle*

https://youtu.be/xGPeNN9S0Fg

A|N: OK, then.

The battle for Jake's heart heats up.

But maybe nothing is as cut and dry as we think it is. Who knows?

All I know is... we're going back to Boulder.

I love how this song could be a declaration of love from Skylar to Jacob. It's so adorable.

Next is "T.G.I.F."

Do you want to read the next 5 chapters now?

My PATREON account is ready for you. You can either subscribe or just buy the collection with chapters of this book. Your choice. I promise you are not going to believe the stuff I have in store for you.

https://www.patreon.com/LeonardoMontero

Join me on Patreon and read first what everybody else will only find out later, including juicy stuff you'll only read there. *blush*

Love,

Léo.