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43: CHEATING CHESS
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The Mate Agreement 44: TRUTH OR STRIP
Chapter 44:The rules of the game are quite simple.It’s almost exactly like truth or dare, but instead of having to complete a proposed dare when you opt for it, you strip; getting rid of one item of clothing at a time; each the equivalent of a dare. The idea behind the alteration is to get the people playing to be as honest as possible. Unless of course the players are eager to get their clothes off. It’s brilliant; I’m hitting two birds with one stone; getting Ravenstone undressed, and getting him to be honest with me for once, since I’m sure he wouldn’t be too eager to get naked in front of me.That’s if he agrees to it.I watch him quietly. He watches me back.I hold my tongue from explaining further, beyond the basic rules of what the game entails, that is. Half of the appeal of something like this is the intrigue and the mystery the idea is shrouded in. I wanted answers out of him. Maybe as badly as I wanted to get him undressed.“Isabella…” he runs a hand through his hair, sig
The Mate Agreement 45: PASTRIES
It takes us both approximately one full frantic minute to get dressed, rearrange the ivory table, the chairs, and ourselves. William dashes into the bathroom, locking the door behind him and I take a deep breath, sauntering over to the main door and opening it.“Ta da!” Akio cheers. “We brought-” He pauses, lowering the basket he’d held above his head like a trophy and sizing me up and down. “Were you in the middle of something?” He asks, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. He’s wearing a checkered blue and black 70’s disco suit, the pattern assaulting my eyes like a bad optical illusion. His matching cowboy hat is tipped back, the strings lost in his long black hair.My gaze darts to Bibah next to him, and she has the same narrowed look of suspicion, a slow smile creeping into her face. She’s in a gorgeous black studded abaya -the same one we’d shopped for together online, with a nude hijab a few shades darker than her skin tone. If it weren’t for all the glitter going on with Akio’s su
The Mate Agreement 46: OVERSLEEPER
After a few more minutes of talking and walking, Bibah and I headed back in because we were both tired and the air had begun to get a bit chilly. We said goodnight at the doorstep of her hotel room, and I started back to mine, but not before getting a bombardment of questions regarding my health from Vahini Singh. I assured her I was fine, maybe even more than I assured my mom, and made a quick exit.With every step I took back towards my room, my heart fluttered, and a stupid cheeky smile stubbornly stayed plastered to my face. But I couldn’t help it. All of the events of the night keep replaying in my head over and over again that I had to question if it had really happened, or had been a fever dream from the silliest crevices of my imagination.William Ravenstone had kissed me.No, William Ravenstone had begged to kiss me.My cheeks heat up. All the confidence I’d felt surging through me while inches away from his lips? Gone. A peculiar anxiety mixed with a shyness foreign to me ov
The Mate Agreement 47: BANDAGE SCISSORS HAIRCUT
I once thought his eyes were the shade of polished stone; a gray more clouded than a stormy sky, and sharper than a steel dagger. But now I see his eyes are like mercury; pools of hot liquid pulling me in, and scorching my skin the longer I stay under their riveting magnetism. And I can’t seem to look away.If I stared long enough, I’ll get to the depth of his soul. I’ll see what makes William Ravenstone the mystery he is to me; the one human puzzle I’ve only ever been interested in solving. If I stared long enough. But it’s a race to see who gets to the bottom first, for as fast as I’m falling into his eyes, the faster he’s sinking into mine.William’s hand touches my bare exposed thigh and I’m jolted back to reality, the contact an electric current zapping through my system. My eyes widen, realizing I’m still on top of him and his face mirrors mine. A split second later, we’re scampering off each other like a fire has been lit between us.He gets to his feet quickly and clears his t
The Mate Agreement 48: ARCADE, ADAM AGAIN
Wandering around the hotel for almost an hour, desperately pushing down my bitterness and blinking back hot tears led me to the small arcade just across the street.“Coins?” A short girl with a blond bob-cut asks from behind the counter the moment I step into the neon-lighted space. She holds up a box and jiggles it, making a sharp clinking sound, and raising an eyebrow in question; her polite but plastic smile in place. “You need to buy coins to play the games.”“I know how an arcade works.” I mutter under my breath, sniffing and making my way over to the counter. Thankfully, I had the mind to grab my card before storming out. I rummage through the pocket of my shorts and hand it to her.Her smile tightens but doesn’t falter. “Sorry, cash only. We don’t accept cards here.” She points to a small sign above the doorway with a chipped finger. “It says there.”I huff out a breath. “Come on, there’s got to be…”“I’m so sorry, but there’s nothing I can do.” She clips, dropping the box of c
The Mate Agreement 49: SORROWS SORROWS SLEEPOVER SORROWS
Bibah swings the door open on the first knock. She looks at me up and down, narrows her eyes, then pulls the yellow cat-print kimono she’s wearing tighter around her body. “You okay, Bells?” She begins, her voice tinged with worry and curiosity.I guess my poker face has failed me.“Can I crash here tonight?” I ask, trying to be nonchalant about it although the request itself exposes the fact that things are not exactly okay. I hope she hasn’t spoken to Ravenstone in the process of looking for me. What would he say? Well, what do I care? He can say whatever the fuck he wants, it’s no longer my business.Bibah sighs, leaning on the door handle and crossing her arms over her chest. Her silk bonnet slides back a little, exposing a tuff of shiny black hair. “I knew something was wrong. You look…” She trails off, shaking her head. A dark look crosses her features. “Ravenstone did something, didn’t he?”“I— It’s nothing.“ I don’t want to talk about it. I push past her, tired of waiting to b
The Mate Agreement 50: RAINDROPS
The lights are blinding.I stumble through the crowd of dancing bodies moving in slow motion. The bass of the loud party music reverberates into my skull like a drilling machine. My ears are ringing, my heartbeat in my throat.I feel drunk. Maybe I am drunk.I blink back dark dots that cloud my vision and try to remember how I got here, where I am, and what is going on. I look around, squinting, but every face is a blur, every item faded and inconsistent like I’ve been pumped full of hallucinogens.It sounds like it’s raining outside.I whip my head around, searching for a window, but I can’t see any.“Come on, Bella!” Someone shouts over the music, and suddenly I’m being dragged by my arm towards what I can make out to be a stage. I try to pull away, but my body keeps moving. Around me people cheer, clap, and holler, adding to my disorientation.The music slows and the next second I’m on the stage, holding on to a bouquet of tulips like it’s a lifeline. I squint when the spotlight sh
The Mate Agreement 51: VALENTINES DAY ADVERT
I gasp awake, jolting upright in bed.“About time, sleepy head. Come on, we’re gonna be late for the bus.” Bibah pauses, swiveling around from the mirror to face me, bobby pin poised midway to her wrapped scarf. “You good?” She asks, registering my wild stare and heavy breathing. “Were you chased by a clown holding a red balloon in your sleep?”“No, just fell off a roof.” I reply, then clear my throat because I sound dead. There is a faint pounding in my head. “What time is it?” I ask, flinging the heavy blanket I don’t remember snuggling under, away from me.“Late enough for you to get your ass out of bed.” Bibah replies, turning back to the mirror and properly pinning her hijab. She’s already dressed; clad in a black maxi skirt, a matching hijab, and a dark brown blazer jacket that looks like it was lifted off a rich English professor’s wardrobe. It’s a new look on her but it works, making her appear very dark academic. She glances at me through the mirror. “I know I look good. We l
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- The Mate Agreement 111: EPILOGUE
- The Mate Agreement 110: THE END
- The Mate Agreement 109: PREMONITIONS OF CHAOS
- The Mate Agreement 108: MOTORBIKE
- The Mate Agreement 107: SPEEDBOAT DINNER
- The Mate Agreement 106: LUCKY GIRL
- The Mate Agreement 105: YOU’RE KINDA HOT WHEN YOU NAG
- The Mate Agreement 104: LOST TO WHIMSY
- The Mate Agreement 103: IMMERSED
