[Spirit of Lust 2] Chapters 234 & 235. (Patreon)

Author's Note: Didn't feel satisfied with how the chapters played out, so I decided to add a new scene at the beginning and edit some things. Everything new since the original is written in bold. Nothing's really changed, I just added more.

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Chapter 234: Intermission - Insecurities.

Thomas was about ready to leave. He put away his books, threw his backpack over his shoulder and checked under his desk one last time to make sure he wasn’t leaving anything behind. Satisfied, he exited his classroom while looking at his phone.

Oliver had sent him a message, saying he was waiting down on the first floor. Thomas had thought he’d be the one waiting for Oliver to be ready, but no. Better get going, then.

On his way there, however, as he was going down the stairs to the second floor, someone stopped him. A classmate of his, Debora. A cheerful girl, if a little loud at times. Terrible at keeping secrets, too, as Ben had learned last year.

“Thooomas! I was looking for you!”

Debora was one of the tallest girls in his class, standing at about 1.78 meters. Ace of the volleyball club, short dark hair, dark blue eyes, and… a pretty nice chest. Nice curves, too.

…

Thomas mentally chided himself, but on the outside kept an immutable face. He smiled and waved at Debora. “Hey, Deb. What can I help with?”

Debora blushed and began to fidget cutely. “Sorry, I know this might come out of the blue, but…” She swallowed. “You… You’re friends with the cute waiter from that coffee shop, right? The one everyone’s talking about?”

Thomas’ chest froze. His smile faded, but he masked his feelings with a thoughtful face. “Hm? You mean Oliver? Yeah, we’re friends. Why?”

“Do you think you could introduce me to him? I… Gosh, this is embarrassing!” She laughed. “I just can’t get him out of my head, you know?”

Thomas’ body tensed. He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled wryly at Debora. “I can ask him, but… See, he hasn’t outright told me, but I think he has a huge crush on someone already. Do you still want me to ask?”

That was mostly a lie, yeah, and it came out pretty nicely, he would admit. Oliver didn’t exactly have a crush on someone. The dude was crazy about not one, but three girls, and already in a relationship, no less. Thomas had no choice BUT to lie, and though he didn’t enjoy it, it came to him better than it did to his friend.

“O-Oh… That… makes sense.” Debora laughed humorlessly, her smile hiding a sudden pain. “He’s always hanging out with other girls, right? I suppose… No, it’s fine, Thomas. Thanks. Sorry to bother you.”

“Sorry, Deb.”

“No, really, it’s fine. Well, see you tomorrow. Take care.”

Thomas saw Deb leave. He stayed there for a moment before he shook off the uncomfortable feeling, gathered himself again and went to meet Oliver on the first floor.

The guy looked a little distracted at first, but he tried to brush that off when Thomas approached him. They made their way to the park, as planned.

***

“So what happened? You’re quiet today,” Thomas said as he threw a chest pass at Oliver.

The two friends were playing some basketball at the half-courts at the park. The last time they were there was when Thomas cried over his ex on Oliver’s shoulder. An embarrassing memory to the big guy, but a cherished one.

Few people were at the park on a weekday, so they had all the space to themselves. Thomas felt it was safe to ask Oliver about… well, whatever seemed to be troubling him. The guy had gone radio silent for a while, and that day, particularly, he seemed a little out of it.

“I’m always quiet,” Oliver told him, taking the shot and having the ball bounce off the hoop.

“More than usual, I mean. You’re not going back to the old Oliver, are you?”

“No. I… guess I have a lot on my mind.” Oliver took off his glasses, rubbed his tired-looking eyes and put them back on. “Had to run around a lot today.”

Thomas took his own shot and nailed it for the fourth time in a row. “School? Work? Family? Friends? Women?”

Oliver’s shoulders slumped and he sighed heavily. “Women.”

Women trouble. Thomas still wasn’t sure if he was jealous or glad not to be in Oliver’s shoes. Dealing with three girls had to be insanely difficult, but it was probably three times as rewarding, too.

He remembered the short encounter he had with Debora, but decided to put that aside. It wouldn’t do to give Oliver more things to stress about right now.

“Really?” he asked. “The girls seem to be in an awfully good mood to me.” He took the ball back and started spinning it on one finger. “I was talking to Grace and Sarah earlier today and they were in suspiciously high spirits, and Mila’s posts in her social media have all been rainbows and sunshine.” Honestly, she was doing a terrible job at hiding she was in a relationship, linking all those sappy romance songs she was listening to. “You’re not sacrificing your own mental health to keep them happy, are you?”

“It’s… hardly a sacrifice.” Oliver rubbed his face with both hands and grunted.

It was clear that, whatever was troubling the guy, he didn’t want to tell Thomas. It stung a bit, really. “Come on. I thought we trusted each other by now.” He passed the ball to him again. “If you don’t want to talk about it, I’m not gonna push you, but it hurts a little.”

Oliver flinched, making Thomas feel guilty. He WAS pushing him by saying that. “It’s… not something easy to say, okay? I…” He took a deep breath, aimed his shot and took it. This time it went in. Thomas was about to praise him if not for what he said next. “I asked Alice and Noelle to go out with me. They said yes.”

Thomas felt his chest chilling, and the sound of the basketball bouncing seemed to echo louder in his ears. He couldn’t think of what to say, and his mouth was going dry as he kept quiet.

When he looked at him again, Oliver flinched.

“Are you serious, Oliver?” Thomas asked, sounding more grave than he thought he would.

Oliver grimaced and looked away from him. “Yeah.”

An uncomfortable heat got mixed in with the chill Thomas felt in his chest. “What are you doing, man? Why would you do that?” he asked.

Oliver tensed up. He bit his lip, and still looking away, answered. “I asked them because I like them.”

‘Because he liked them?’ Just like that? Was he not aware of his situation? Thomas raised his voice. “You can’t just ask out every woman you like, Oliver!”

No. He could. He could because he was Oliver. Because every girl was head-over-heels for him. If he wanted a girl, he could have her. All he needed to do was ask. Because for the last two months…

Oliver suddenly glared at him, making Thomas even more uncomfortable. “Why not?”

He couldn’t be able to say why, but Thomas felt attacked. “Why not? Do you hear yourself? You were already seeing three girls! I know the situation was special, but you’re getting carried away!”

Oliver snapped. “How? How am I getting carried away? I haven’t forced myself on anyone. Hell, it wasn’t even my idea to begin with! All I did was ask, and they said yes. They all want this too.”

Of course they’d say yes! There wasn’t a single girl who’d say no to him! Oliver was taking advantage of that!

“Oliver, you’re seeing five girls!” Thomas raised his voice. “This isn’t going to end well. You’re all going to end up hurt!”

Oliver’s glare faded as his face fell. His eyes went wide, even getting somewhat watery. His lip quivered and his body was as stiff as a board. It was obvious to Thomas that he had hit a nerve, and it did not feel good.

“I didn’t force anyone…” Oliver muttered to himself. He looked down, grit his teeth and clenched his fist. His entire body shook. “I just wanted…”

Oliver clicked his tongue, walked with a fast pace and went to gather his bag from the nearby bench. Without even giving Thomas a second glance, Oliver began to walk away.

“H-Hey, Oliver! I…!” Thomas’ words fell on deaf ears. And really, he didn’t even know what exactly he wanted to say. He watched Oliver walk away with heavy steps, and the sound of each one felt like a hammer to the chest.

Thomas sat down on the floor with a heavy body, legs crossed and arms resting limply on his lap. He suddenly felt drained, his eyes itching. He rubbed them with a hand before he clenched his own forehead and his head as hard as he could while gritting his teeth.

“Such a fucking idiot…!”

Thomas didn’t know if he felt jealous of Oliver or if he was glad he was not in his shoes. That had lasted until that day. Now, Thomas knew he was jealous of his friend, and that he was an asshole to him because of it.

The worst part was the knowledge that, however bad Thomas felt about his reaction, Oliver now felt thrice as bad. Thomas knew he betrayed the trust that guy had put in him.

“I’m the fucking worst…”

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Chapter 235: Intermission - Self-reflection.

Thomas stayed there, sitting on the floor of the half-court at the park, replaying his stupid reaction in his mind over and over. It really was a stupid outburst, plain and simple. There was clearly something in Oliver’s mind, and it was Thomas who insisted he confide in him. And what did he do? Criticize him and reject him from the very first sentence he said without even hearing the rest.

He rubbed his itchy eyes again while cursing himself. He knew better than most how hard it was for Oliver to open up to someone. How could he react like that?

Oliver was his friend. A surprisingly close friend. Thomas never felt comfortable talking about the stuff he talked about with Oliver with anyone else. As much as he liked Kevin and Ben… It wasn’t the same. When he tried to bring up his issues with Lyla, his ex, to them… they laughed, not believing there were actually any issues with ‘such a perfect-looking couple’. Oliver wasn’t like that. He listened, and even if he didn’t believe he was encouraging, he was. Thomas truly felt better after talking to him the day after Lyla broke up with him. Oliver told him it was okay to cry, to feel the pain, to be angry and let it all out. Thomas didn’t feel he could let himself cry in front of anyone else.

Thomas felt he could talk to Oliver about anything, and he wouldn’t judge. He had never been proven wrong. Even if it was Thomas doing most of the talking, hanging out with him was fun. He was fun to tease, yet had a hidden snarky side. Thomas never thought he’d hit it off so well with someone SO outside his usual circle, but maybe that was the reason why.

That said… It was always jarring to remember that Oliver was the guy with three girlfriends. Five, now. He was so shy, so afraid of everyone… It almost didn’t make sense that all the girls at school were talking about him. And the man in question was likely oblivious to it all.

…

For the first month after his breakup with Lyla, lots of girls had been approaching Thomas, trying to get friendly or outright asking him out. He hadn’t felt ready for a relationship, so he politely turned them all down. Then, for the past two months, girls kept approaching him, only this time they weren’t asking about him, they were asking about Oliver.

“So… You’re friends with the cute waiter from the coffee shop?” some would ask.

“Hey, Thomas, can you introduce me to Oliver?” asked the bolder ones.

Just earlier, Debora asked both.

Noelle had fallen for him, too, and apparently so had Alice, a girl known for claiming she didn’t have time for relationships.

It was nothing but irrational jealousy. Oliver could have anything he wanted, and Thomas had squandered opportunities while they were there and was now frustrated because of it.

It was an uncomfortable thought to remember that Oliver, the shy, quiet guy he knew, was likely having foursomes on the daily. So… When Thomas heard him say he had asked out two more girls… something snapped. The idea he always had had been confirmed. Oliver really could have whoever he wanted. He could even have… his boss, Maria.

Thomas fiercely shook his head. Stupid thought, stupid thought. Oliver wasn’t interested in her, and hell, Thomas himself… wasn’t… serious about her. He found her attractive, funny, interesting… And yes, her being older pushed a few more of his buttons, but he wasn’t seriously thinking that he’d ever have anything with a woman older than him.

…

Oliver could if he wanted to, though.

Thomas groaned in frustration. It was as much at Oliver as it was at himself. The guy was living the dream of every man on the planet. It was impossible not to feel jealous… and even threatened. He KNEW Oliver wasn’t like that. He was head-over-heels for his girlfriends, and respected them too much to do anything they hadn’t agreed to. Of course there had to be more to the story. Oliver didn’t simply ask Noelle and Alice out on a whim, and Thomas knew it without him needing to tell him. But his own insecurities caused him to have a knee jerk reaction.

He needed to apologize, but… Would Oliver even want to see him? Should he go to his house now or give him time? Maybe it was a good idea for Thomas himself to cool down a bit.

He didn’t know what the right answer was, so he decided to wait, betting on time to let him gather his thoughts.

***

That next day, early in the morning before school began, the first person he came across wasn’t Oliver, but his sister. Isabelle led Thomas up to the staircase to the rooftop, where they could talk with some measure of privacy.

“I want to hear your version,” Isabelle said, scowling with arms crossed. “Tell me what happened yesterday between you and Oliver.”

Thomas swallowed and grimaced. “What did he say?”

“He painted you in too good a light for how upset he was, which is why I have to believe there’s more to it.” Isabelle shook her head. “He said you had a point.”

Thomas groaned and clicked his tongue. “Of course he did! Ugh! I didn’t mean anything I said! I was just mad because… because I’m an insecure idiot, that’s all!”

“He takes your opinion seriously, you know?”

“He shouldn’t. I don’t even know what I’m doing with my own life. Who am I to tell him how to live his?”

“His best friend.”

Thomas flinched and clenched his hands in his pockets.

“Oliver has never had a guy friend to confide in. Your opinion is important to him.” Isabelle smiled. “I know that what he’s doing is… outside of what society would consider proper, but I doubt most people do socially acceptable things with half the care and thought Oliver puts into this.”

“You don’t find it strange, then?”

Isabelle laughed. “Oh, I totally do.” She then shrugged. “But they’re all happy about it. If so, what’s there to complain about? It’s not like Oliver pointed a gun at my friends and told them to go out with him. They like him enough to bet on this relationship, and none of these girls are stupid enough to do something this drastic without giving it proper thought.”

Thomas sighed heavily. “See, I know that. I really do. I just… said stupid things because, well… I was kinda jealous.”

Thomas half-expected Isabelle to laugh at him for that. Instead, the black-haired girl nodded.

“I can understand that.” She grimaced. “It’s… easy to do stupid things for stupid reasons. The more I think about it, the more I start to believe Oliver saved himself a million problems by just being quiet.”

“He went too far in that direction, though.”

“True. He’s finding a nice middle ground now.” Isabelle smiled. “You know, even I feel jealous. Jealous of him AND the girls.”

“How so?” Thomas asked.

Isabelle squeezed her wrist, fidgeting. “I’ve had terrible luck with guys, so seeing how happy these girls are, even while sharing a boyfriend is… I don’t know, it makes me feel kinda stupid for not paying enough attention to who I decided to date. And then Oliver…” Isabelle pursed her lips and stopped herself. “No, that’s enough. My point is: go talk to him later. He might be the guy with five girlfriends, but that doesn’t mean he wants to leave behind his best friend.”

Thomas nodded. “That was the plan.”

That said, Isabelle’s words left Thomas feeling a little bashful.

…

Best friend, huh?