After The Bet

1

"Some would look into his eyes and see darkness, but she knew better. She could see that he carried a storm within his bones, one that contained both chaos and calmness."

Charlotte

The sunlight glistened through the sheer, white curtains of the hotel room to bring light upon every object it touched. Rays of early morning sunshine beamed against my eyelids, causing me to twist and turn as I regained consciousness. My eyes struggled to peel open as I used my hand to shield the natural light away from my sensitive eyes.

I flipped on my right side so that the light now shined on my uncovered back. Sprawled out on the right side of bed was Cole, whose lower half was barely covered by the comforter and sheets that he managed to wrap himself up in throughout the night.

My mind wandered off to the time I had first let Cole take away my innocence. I had only known him for a month back then, yet he had all of my trust within the palms of his hands. He has not yet made me feel regret for letting him take my virginity, and I hoped that it stayed that way.

I quietly scooted my way to the edge of the bed before carefully placing my tiptoes against the cold ground. It caused a shiver to go down my spine as I hoisted myself up onto my feet and began to walk towards last night's clothes that had been left in a pile on the floor.

The red lace of my bralette and panties were noticeable against the darker colors of my actual outfit from yesterday. I slipped the fabric over my body as I heard Cole let out an audible groan before he pulled the pillow I had slept on over his head.

With a quick eye roll and a shake of my head, I was back to pulling on just my tank top from yesterday. School had ended almost a month ago, and now I was just enjoying the time I got to spend with the man I fell in love with.

I had now known Cole for around seven months, but we'd been together for almost six and a half. It's crazy for me to even think that half a year ago he was my personal most disliked man on campus. Yet, here we are, laying together in a hotel bedroom.

June weather was upon us, and we still had two and a half months of our summer break left to enjoy for ourselves. It was crazy to think that he was going to be a senior in college, and that his graduation was only a year away. I was going to be a junior in college, but I was still only nineteen. Speaking of which, my birthday isn't too far away.

Yep, I'm a summer born baby. My birthday is in early July. Not only am I young for my college career, but I was also one of the youngest in my high school just because of how late my birthday was.

My mom always used to tell me that I was very smart for my age and that I'd accomplish big things with my life. She also used to tell me to not go out actively hunting for a boyfriend, and with time, the right person would appear.

I remember the day I met Harry, which seemed like a lifetime ago. I was young and ignorant back then, and I didn't know what to expect out of a relationship. Once you're with someone, you cling onto the thought of who they were when you first met. That's what I did, and it led to my inevitable downfall.

Sure, I forgave him, but the pain of the past lingers. He still sends shivers down my spine with his cold glare and judgmental gazes. I learned to forgive, but never forget. Never forget the times he made me scream for help and cry. Never forget the sinister words spat out of his mouth like acid. Never.

Then, I found Cole. I never hated him, I would never use the word "hate" to describe that initial gut-wrenching feeling. It was more of a very strong disliking of his character at the time. How could I not despise seeing someone who humiliated me in front of the entire student body in the beginning of the year? Sure, I spilled my coffee or tea or whatever it was on him and myself, but there was no need to hang my photo all around the dorm halls.

Once again, I forgave him too. His was much more minor, and people can change. I'd love to say he never caused me physical harm, but I still remember the day he threw that glass vase at me as I tried to leave his room. Shards of glass had nicked the top layer of skin on my arms, leaving just a few minor scratches. Immediately he had snapped back into reality and came to my aid, even though I was screaming at him to not help me.

That was the thing about him, he'd do anything to keep my safe. It's just one of the many reasons that I'm madly in love with him.

"Charlotte." He grumbled from under the pillow he had placed over his head. This caused me to chuckle as I moved back towards the bed, sitting on my folded knees next to him.

"Yes, love?" I cooed quietly, running my fingertip down his bare spine, feeling every little ridge as I went lower. His body quivered slightly under my touch, and I knew it had to tickle him from the way he squirmed.

"If you don't stop that, then I'll tickle you with absolutely no mercy." Cole finally rolled over onto his back, making me move my hand back over to my lap. He threw the pillow at me, and it smacked me gently in the face before falling over to the side.

Gosh, the way he looked at me with those emerald eyes will never get old. He looked at me with this sparkle in his eyes that made me feel like I was the woman made for him. The way his hair was all tussled up over his head made a small smile come to my lips as I admired him.

"Any plans for today, gorgeous?" He questioned, sitting upright to run his fingers through his crazy mane. My eyes were glued to him as every little muscle on his body flexed, the sun kissing every little detail of his skin.

"Well, how much longer do we have this room for?" I questioned, twirling a piece of my wavy hair around my index finger as I brought my bottom lip between my teeth.

"Checkout time is ten, why?"

I pushed myself up enough to crawl onto his lap, straddling each leg on either side of him. My fingers laced through his hair gently as I brought my face closer to his. His arms snaked around my lower waist, pushing me even closer to his body.

"Maybe I was looking forward to a round two?" I said while I batted my eyelashes. Seeing that wild look in his eyes alone could get me off anytime.

"Well, Mrs. Aldaine, I never knew that you had it in you." Cole chuckled as he pressed his lips against mine feverishly, his hands roaming under my tank top that I had just put on not too long ago.

This was my life now, living every moment of it with the man I grew to love. I wouldn't take any of it back, not for anything in the world.

If this is true love, then it was definitely worth the wait.

•

Hello readers! I imagine many of you are from The Virgin Bet, but if not then welcome! If you haven't read the first book (which the writing is probably not as good in, yikes) then some things may be confusing.

I feel like this book will be more exciting than the first, so stay tuned! Thanks for giving After The Bet a shot.

This took a little longer than expected to release. Sadly, that guy I mentioned in the last chapter that had made me happy completely flip flopped on me a couple weeks ago. I'm still heart broken over the whole thing, so please give me some slack lol.