CHAPTER 7

[ Mike ]

Noah was nestled closely in my arms, his back pressed against my chest with my arms wrapped around his petite waist. My head was buried in his curly hair, reveling in the scent of his tropical shampoo as he breathed softly, his chest rising and falling with every breath. I had awoken before he did, but instead of waking him up, I just laid there and held him close to me.

When he finally woke, he turned onto his other side so that he could face me. His electric blue eyes looked even brighter with the way the sunlight was hitting them. "Hi," he greeted with a small smile.

"Hi." Reaching over to brush away a curly strand of hair falling into his eyes, I smiled back at him and responded with, "Last night was amazing. I never really expected you to be so skilled with your mouth, but holy shit. It was so fucking hot." Noah continued to stare at me, but he hadn't bothered to say anything else. In fact, of all things he could've possibly done, he turned away from me.

I frowned. "Noah, what's wrong?"

"You're mean," he mumbled, still not turning to face me. "You made me do that stuff."

I scoffed at his lame accusation. "What? No, I didn't."

"You threatened to find someone else if I didn't give you what I wanted." He sat up straight and finally looked at me again. His blue eyes didn't look so friendly anymore. "And then you started to touch me when I told you I didn't want you to."

It probably wasn't the right moment to laugh, but I did anyway. "Dude, you definitely wanted me to touch you. Should I remind you that you were moaning my name the entire time?"

Noah's facial expressed remained dull and serious. It was the first time I had ever seen him look angry. He was also so happy and energetic, but never mad.

And that pissed me off. How dare he accuse me of forcing him to do stuff when he was the one who agreed to doing sexual stuff in the first place! I made it clear from the beginning that I wanted to lose my virginity. He was the one who wanted to wait and all that stupid shit.

"You made a deal," I spat at him. "You're getting mad at me for making you follow through on the deal you made?"

"No." He folded his arms against his chest and scowled at me. "I'm getting mad at you for not respecting my wishes! I agreed to having sex with you, but I didn't want to do it so soon. I wanted to get to know you first, so that I wouldn't feel so dirty like I do right now!"

"I didn't tell you to give me a blow-job!" I shouted at him, becoming infuriated with all of his complaints. "You did it because you wanted to!"

"Because you didn't give me a choice!"

I fell silent, partly because I didn't know how to retaliate, but mostly because he had succeeded in making me feel guilty. I shouldn't have been feeling this way considering that Noah knew what he was getting himself into when I proposed the idea. What made me feel like a complete and utter tool was the look in his eyes. He looked sad, hurt, used, and I didn't like the way those emotions looked on him. Way to go, Mike! You ruined your one and only chance at losing your V-card!

"Look, Noah, I'm—" I was interrupted by the sound of three heavy knocks on his bedroom door followed by a strong voice yelling, "Noah! Why is this door locked?"

The curly-haired boy scrambled out of bed and sprinted to the door in just seconds. He unlocked the door, swung it open, and greeted his father, the over-protective one, with a tight lipped smile. "Hi, Daddy."

His father narrowed his eyes as he scanned the room, especially taking the time to analyze me and my appearance as well as the scattered sheets on the bed. "Why was the door locked?" he asked again, his voice sounding much more stronger and louder this time.

Noah tied his hands behind his back and began to lie on the spot. "Oh, um, well I wanted us to have some privacy to work on our project. No offense, Dad, but you always come in unannounced and—"

"I am your father and I can do whatever the hell I want in my own house," he hissed, causing Noah to take a step backwards. His dark eyes found mine again and I could've sworn he was going to rip me apart. "You know that you're not allowed to lock your door, Noah. What's going on? Who is that boy?"

Noah began to stutter, something that I realized he always did when he was nervous. "Uh, well, l-like I said, he's m-my partner for the ... h-history project." If I was able to pick up on Noah's anxiety, then I'm sure his father could, too. 

"Please tell me you're not gay," he said so suddenly that I was thoroughly surprised by his statement.

Noah's eyes widened at the accusation. "No, Dad, of course not!" He threw his hands in the air in mock surrender. "I'm not gay! Why would you even suggest that!"

His father seemed to calm down at that because his shoulders relaxed and his gaze softened. "I don't know, Noah. I just thought that ... you never tell us about any girls that you like and then this boy comes over and..."

"I like Holly," he blurted out.

His father raised an eyebrow. "You do?"

"Yeah, but..." Noah glanced over his shoulder at me like he was trying to confirm that I was still here, "...she only likes me as a friend, so I don't really want to talk about it much."

"God, Noah, I'm so sorry that I said that. I didn't know." He knelt down to the floor so that he could be eye-level with his son. He placed his hands on his shoulders and gave him a gentle shake. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. Daddy's just been a little on edge, lately. There's too much stuff to take care of and it doesn't help when you're the only thing I think about all day. I get so worried that I ... I was out of place, Noah. I'm sorry."

"It's my fault," Noah admitted, deciding to take the blame even though he didn't have any reason to. "I shouldn't have locked the door."

The older man ran a shaky hand through his short brown hair and pulled his lips into an encouraging smile. "Hey, I made your favorite. Stuffed French toast!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. Why don't you and your friend come down to the kitchen to eat?" He stood to his full height and sent me a reassuring nod, one that didn't look so scary. When Noah agreed, his father turned on his feel and sauntered out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Well, now I knew why Noah was so uptight.

Falling back onto mattress, I erupted into a fit of laughter at the altercation between Noah and his father. It was probably rude to do, but I couldn't stop myself from reacting to how funny their relationship was. "Dude, he treats you like a little kid."

He turned to face me, eyes narrowed. "No, he doesn't."

"Seriously?" I rested my weight on my elbows and attempted to reenact the conversation that had just occurred so he could see my perspective. "Daddy's just been a little on edge. Daddy's just worried about you. Daddy's sorry and daddy's gonna show you how sorry he is by making your favorite breakfast! Stuffed French toast, yay!"

Noah kept his gaze on me, refusing to react aside from occasionally clenching his jaw to show that I was angering him. "He cares about me, like a parent is supposed to. Your parents obviously don't care about you if they never taught you how to be nice."

I laughed at that. "Right, well, at least I don't get in trouble for locking my door. Why the hell was he so worked up over you being gay, anyway? He's gay. What's the big deal?"

"I wouldn't expect you to understand," he muttered under his breath as he turned away from me and directed his attention to plucking my articles of clothing from the floor.

I folded my arms across my chest. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're incapable of comprehending anything that doesn't fit your standards," he barked with a straight face and fiery tongue. I wanted to ask where all this hostility was coming from, but Noah had already tossed my dirty clothes in my face. "Please leave."

I furrowed my brows. "What?"

"I want you to leave," he stated. "Obviously, I can't fulfill your needs and I don't want you to get angry over it, so just leave."

My shoulders dropped as I tried to understand why he was being this way. I had gotten a little out of hand, yes, but I was under the impression that he really liked me and would do anything to keep me interested. "Noah," I pleaded. "I'm sorry about that stuff I said, okay? We can take it slow, like you wanted, but don't—"

"My parents really care for me. They've done so much stuff for me and I'm not going to repay them by going behind their back and doing something I know they'll disapprove of." He stomped over to the door and threw it wide open, indicating that he was serious. "They may not be real to you, but they're real to me and I don't want to break their hearts. Leave."

Even when it was clear that he didn't want me here anymore, I refused to believe it. "Noah, come on, don't be like that."

"Daddy is making stuffed French toast for me," he countered.

Wow, who would've known that he could be such a dick? Deciding not to bother with trying to apologize for my actions, I gathered my belongings and got to my feet. "Fucking goodie two-shoes," I muttered under my breath but certainly loud enough for Noah to bear as I breezed out of his bedroom and headed to my car.

Who cared about him? He was just a little kid who let his parents control him! I wasn't even supposed to get involved with him in the first place, so I don't even know why I tried to make it work because none of this would have ever happened if it wasn't Derek. This was all Derek's fault. Instead of finding someone who would reciprocate my sexual needs, he had to set me up with a boy that he knew wouldn't be of much help as some sick, twisted joke because he was such the asshole that he was!

But everyone was in love with him! For what?! He was a horrible person! He didn't care about anyone besides himself and his stupid boyfriend. He had no remorse when it came to hurting people that he swore were his "best friends". If and when he decided to speak to me again, I was really going to give him a piece of my mind.

I didn't need all this shit.

I needed someone who wanted to be with me.

For some reason, that someone came in the form of a foreign exchange student who got placed with a ridiculously rich family. In the back of my mind, my conscience was telling me that nothing good would come from this decision, but my body was so fueled with anger that I didn't care. I needed to get rid of my virgin problem and then I'd be okay.

When I rang the doorbell to the three story mansion, the boy I had been waiting to see answered the door within minutes. He was dressed casually with just a plain t-shirt and sweatpants and his hair was a tousled mess, like he had just woken up. As soon as we locked eyes, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion and he leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms across his chest. "You know where I live," he mused.

"Yeah, I know where you live." I didn't spend much time on the issue and got straight to the point. "Look, I need your help with something."

Nicolas didn't reply. He only continued to stare at me.

"I'm a virgin and I desperately need to get rid of my virginity."

Nicolas studied me carefully. "Why?"

"Because everyone else lost their virginity years ago!" I replied like it was common sense, which it should've been. Thanks to Noah, Derek, and Maya, I would never get the pleasure of having sex for the first time because they practically took that from me.

"If everyone jumped from a cliff, would you jump, too?"

I was seconds away from retaliating when his words actually sunk in. "What?"

"You should not follow the crowd," he advised. "Be your own person."

It took everything in me to not laugh in his face. "I am my own person. I'm my own person who needs to get laid, like right now. So how about you take off your clothes and fuck me?" Without giving him so much as a warning, my hands grabbed onto the side of his face to crash our lips together. He stumbled backwards out of pure shock, but just as I suspected he would, he relaxed his lips and kissed me back. His arms even grabbed onto my waist to steady himself.

The kiss wasn't special. There weren't any sparks or any hints of chemistry between us, but it came apparent to me that I didn't care. I didn't care about anyone or anything. I could deal with the repercussions later, but right now, the only thing that mattered was losing my virginity.

The kiss grew heated shortly after when Nicolas grabbed onto a fistful of my hair, pulling gently. He spun us around to press me up against the nearest wall and moved his lips to my neck where he started to suck lightly on my flesh. My hands unknowingly wrapped themselves around his neck and I threw my head back against the wall just in time to let a moan escape my lips. As he trailed kisses down my neck and onto my collarbone, his hands slipped under the hem of my t-shirt to caress my stomach.

"Fuck," I hissed when he started to nibble on my ear. Just when his hands dropped to my hips and we were actually starting to go somewhere, Nicolas ended the kiss abruptly and watched me with his turquoise eyes. "Hey, why'd you..."

"Why is this so important to you?" he questioned.

I rolled my eyes. "I already told you."

"I do not believe you." He took a step away from me. "There must be something else."

"There isn't anything else," I insisted as I reached for his shirt to pull him closer, but he side-stepped me to get out of my grasp. "Seriously?"

"Why should I do this?" he continued to ask questions. "I wanted to go to dinner, but you ditched me. You have not given me any incentive to have sex with you."

"My body is incentive enough, don't you think?" I answered with a sloppy smirk, once again trying to grab him, but he moved away. "Why are you being so difficult? You had sex with Calvin after hours of knowing him."

Nicolas cocked his head to the side.

"Never mind, just..." I tried to reach for him, "...fuck me, goddammit!"

Somehow, that amused him because he broke into a grin. "Something is troubling you and I am certain it is not your virginity."

Scoffing, I rolled my eyes. "What are you? My therapist?"

Nicolas placed his hands at his side and gazed back at me with a serious, stern expression. It was clear that he wasn't going to let the subject go unless I gave him something to chew on. "Who hurt you? I won't have sex with you unless I know why you are so angry."

"I'm not angry!" I shouted.

"Then why do you yell?"

Unconsciously balling my hands into fists, I took several challenging steps towards him. Why was everyone trying to test me, today? Why did the universe hate me so much that they made all of this shit happen to me? I didn't deserve it. I didn't do anything to anyone! All I wanted to do was curl into a ball and cry my eyes out, but I was physically incapable of doing so.

Before I could find the courage to get violent, Nicolas stepped towards and placed his hands on the dips of my shoulders. "It is okay to be upset, Mike. You cannot expect to be strong all the time. Sometimes, you must cry. It is okay." He turned my head so that I could look into his beautiful eyes that looked so trustworthy, like I could tell them anything in the world and they would keep it to themselves.

I tasted the salty tear on my tongue before I was aware that I had been crying. With a myriad of emotions flooding my mind and fueling my tears, I collapsed into Nicolas' arms and buried my face into his chest, sobbing profusely until I couldn't hear my wails anymore. "Derek," I whimpered. "He stopped talking to me and ... I just don't know what's wrong with me! He's supposed to be my best friend and he's supposed to tell me he loves me and he's supposed to care about me, but he doesn't, and that makes me..." I couldn't find the words to finish, so I just continued to cry.

Nicolas' hands trailed up my back to my head, letting his fingers get lost in the messy tangles of my hair as he clutched me tighter. "This Derek has taken such a heavy toll on you that you are displacing your frustration on others. He must mean a lot to you."

I nodded. "He does. I love him so damn much, but... god, this is so fucking stupid! I'm so fucking stupid!"

He rubbed circles into the small of my back, attempting to soothe me. "No," he objected. "There is nothing wrong with you."

"Yes, there—"

He buried my head into his shoulder and gently kissed the top of my head. "There is nothing wrong with you," he reiterated in a softer, yet sweeter, voice.

I didn't bother to protest anymore. I just let myself cry in his arms and I let him comfort me in any way he could. After a few more minutes of endless sobbing, I pulled away from the embrace just enough so I could see his face. He gave me a soft, friendly smile as he traced a finger along my cheek. "Come," he insisted. "I will make you breakfast and you can tell me everything."

Reluctantly nodding, I followed him out of the grand foyer and to the kitchen where he pulled out a chair that was tucked under the island for me to sit on. "This is really nice of you," I commented as I slid into the seat.

He smiled. "I am just trying to help."

Wiping away my tears with the back of my hand, I settled into my seat and tried to get my heartbeat to return to normal. "Well, thanks."

Nicolas opened one of the cabinets to retrieve a frying pan and set it down on the stove. All of his attention was set on his current task at hand when he said, "Anything for you, mon beau."

**

a/n: Aha! Double update? I think yes! Last chapter I stated how much Noah was growing on me, but Nicolas is growing on me too. I don't even know who to ship but I suppose that's a good thing when it comes to who Mike will end up with. Who knows? It could be Noah. It could be Nicolas. It could even be Maya, Derek, Calvin or Cora (who will be introduced later on).

So guys, what do you think of this new Nicolas? A lot of you are still skeptical of him, but give him a chance would you? He's gotten the short stick enough times, don't ya think?

As always, leave a comment to show your thoughts and leave a vote if you enjoyed this chapter. I love when you guys have little debates on why a character is behaving a certain way. It's so entertaining to read!

Until next time,
Lara <3