The Pact

06. lemondrop

The next couple weeks flew by, with each day blending into a predictable routine: wake up, track practice, classes, volleyball practice, train with Beck, study with Beck, insult Jace, and so on.

The one thing that hadn't taken place during the week was any talk about Beck's help with my... request. He hadn't told me anything about the 'training' or how we would go about it, and to be honest, I was getting a little antsy.

I was tired of waiting to lose my virginity. I couldn't handle any more of Bryn's variations of the name 'Virgin Mary.'

Beck and I stood in the gym after practice, mindlessly volleying the ball back and forth. "Are we going to have sex?" I blurted out. As soon as the words left my mouth I wanted to hide. Why did I say that?

Across from me, Beck froze, the ball bouncing off his chest and onto the floor. The echo of the ball rolling across the court was the only sound for a few seconds.

Mortified. That was the only way to describe how I was feeling. "I don't know why I said that, I'm sorry, that was weird and so not sexy and I just was worried that maybe you changed your mind and if you did that's fine but-"

Beck burst into laughter, the rich sound drowning out my nervous rambling as he clutched his stomach. "God, you really are a virgin," he howled.

Fuming, I crossed my arms and shot him a glare, then swiftly turned on my heel, making my way toward the change room.

"Em!" Beck called out, catching up to me and grabbing my arm, spinning me around to face him. "You're hilarious," he chuckled, wiping tears from his eyes.

I grimaced, shaking my head. "Stop laughing. Please stop laughing."

He grinned, holding his sides. "I'll stop when you stop being so damn funny."

I huffed, crossing my arms again. "I'm glad you find pleasure in my mortification."

Beck rolled his eyes, casually leaning against the wall next to me. "You know what? I really do. You're cute when you're angry. And stop crossing your arms. It makes you look like a little kid," he teased.

Giving him a dirty look, I reluctantly uncrossed my arms, relaxing my posture as he suggested.

"So, back to the original question," Beck started carefully, his tone shifting. "We can't just jump into having sex," he stated matter-of-factly.

I stared at him, confusion evident on my face. "Why not?"

Once again, Beck burst into laughter, playfully patting me on the head. "Because, V-May," he chuckled, using one of Bryn's variations of my nickname. "It's an art form. There are layers to it."

I raised my brows, cocking my head to the side, intrigued. How many layers could there possibly be?

"Well, it starts with kissing, obviously," Beck began, his voice lowering. "But then it progresses to touching. We take it slow, teasing each other, building anticipation."

"And then?"

Beck shrugged, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Then you take things further until..."

A rush of warmth flooded my face, causing me to bite my lip, feeling a tingling sensation run down my spine. I shivered slightly, my skin prickling with goosebumps.

Beck noticed my reaction, his eyes widening in surprise before he burst out laughing. "Oh my God, you're blushing!"

"Fuck you," I mumbled through gritted teeth.

He snorted. "Yeah, I thought that would get a rise out of you."

I glared at him.

"Anyway," he continued, taking another step closer, resting a hand on my shoulder as he leaned in close. His breath tickled my ear. "After we've established trust and comfort, there's only one thing left to do."