Official with Alice.

Author's Note: June 23rd was my birthday, and as a very small celebration, I uploaded an extra chapter to the patreon. It getting here a little late, but better than never, right? Enjoy.

“So you’re really fine with this,” I asked them just to confirm one final time.

“Yeah!” Mila assured me.

We got together early that morning by the school’s front gate. I felt the need to consult one last time with Mila, Grace and Sarah before I went to see Alice.

“You should’ve heard her after her date with you.” Sarah laughed. “I’ve never seen her so smitten.”

“We already told you we encourage it, so stop asking,” Grace told me, poking my stomach.

“It’s just… Look, I’m already serious about this, okay? If you have any last reservation…”

“Oliver.” Mila stepped closer to me, grabbed my head and kissed me hard on the lips before she pulled away, grinning. “Go make her crazy.”

I sighed with a resigned smile. “YOU girls are crazy.”

“And that’s a fact,” Sarah said, nodding. “And while you’re doing that, we are going to steal your petite, redheaded girlfriend for a while.”

I frowned at her. “I know you like to be blunt, Sarah, but don’t go overboard with her. You too, Grace.”

“Hey!” Grace complained. “I have more tact than Sarah, thank you very much!”

Mila laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ll hold them back. We want to be on Noelle’s good side, after all.”

“I’m counting on you,” I told her.

Sarah scoffed. “Seriously? Zero respect around here…”

To think I’d get to the point where I could actually banter with them instead of solely being the target of their teasing. Look at me, I’m growing.

Alright, then. Time to meet Alice.

The student council office was on the first floor of the main building. I walked there with stiff steps, not even sure what I was nervous about. No, you know what? It wasn’t nerves. I was excited.

I knocked lightly on the door. It must’ve taken at least 10 long, agonizing seconds before she answered.

Alice was wearing a sweater under her blazer, a scarf, mittens, black stockings, and yet she was still shivering.

“You don’t do well in the cold, huh?”

“I hate it,” she said.

She stepped aside to let me in. When I was inside, I heard her lock the door.

Now… I’d been pondering on what to say since last night. We may have been in agreement already on what we wanted to do, but that didn’t mean I shouldn’t try to make this moment special, right? Maybe say something charming, something to sweep her off her feet, something to make her fall even deeply in love with me!

…

Hah. Like I was capable of something like that. Words weren’t my thing, so no matter how much I thought about it, nothing came to me. So now I was stumped.

Good thing it didn’t matter, anyway, because the moment I turned to look at Alice, she practically jumped at me and pressed her lips against mine. I got startled for all of three seconds before I hugged her and kissed her back.

Her face felt cold at first, but as we made out, it began to warm up. The taste of her tongue was every bit as intoxicating as I remembered, as was the thrill of having her in my arms. In fact, I was so excited that I pushed Alice against the wall right next to the door.

She got her arms around my neck, moaning as I kissed deeply. I kept my hands firmly on her waist, because I can’t express how much I wanted to let them roam more. I was too used to making out with Mila, Grace and Sarah. Those girls let me get away with a hell of a lot of groping. But that was them, not Alice. Maybe one day, when we understood each other’s limits better. For now, I was more than happy to be exploring her mouth and savoring her lips.

After a while, she pulled away, putting a hand on my chest. She looked me in the eyes, grinning from red ear to red ear. “I would apologize for doing that so suddenly, but I think you liked it as much as I did.”

“Turns out only two days went by before we could kiss again.”

“Well, you know…” She fixed the neck of my shirt as she spoke. “We had to talk to Noelle soon, right? It wouldn’t do to hide it from her.” She chuckled. “I didn’t expect her to also agree to go out with you. Hoped for it, but didn’t think she would. You’re something else.”

I shook my head. “No, I’m starting to think it’s you all who are crazy.”

“Rude,” she said, playfully poking my cheek with her mitten-covered hands.

I leaned in and kissed her again, this time more calmly. Soft, wet kissing sounds echoed in the silent student council office.

“Mmm. Not only does kissing feel amazing, but it also warms me up,” Alice said.

I readied myself. Since yesterday, there was one thing I wanted to ask both Alice and Noelle.

“Can I ask you something?” I asked. Alice nodded. “I don’t know if it’s even right to ask, but… I’d like to know. What… What do you expect from me?”

“As in… as a boyfriend?”

“Yes. I realize it’s a lot to ask you to agree to my terms, so I’d understand if you had high expectations of me.”

“I suppose you’re not wrong about that. Let’s see… I think it’s fair to set our date as the bar, right? Unless that was just an act to woo me.”

“I’m a terrible actor.”

She giggled. “I know. So, what I’m expecting is… A man who enjoys hearing me gush about boring car stuff, a man whom I can feel comfortable being myself with, a man who is strong and reliable, a man who will be… gentle and passionate with me and who’ll teach me all about intimacy.”

“That’s not fair,” I told her. “If that’s all, I won’t have to put any effort into it.”

Alice laughed. “Seriously, what happened to the old, awkward Oliver I used to know? Who’s this walking hunk of confidence?”

Good question. What was it about me that I could now say that sort of thing without stuttering? I would have never been able to say something like that before. I think it had to do with my personal growth, but more than that, it had to do with the reassurance that, even if I wasn’t completely sure why, five girls all liked me. It’s hard not to have a surge in self-esteem when you see five girls are willing to share you just to be with you. Add to that, Alice and Noelle were more reserved than Mila, Grace and Sarah, so I unconsciously took the lead. Feeling their worries and nerves eased my own, strangely enough. That said…

“Don’t be fooled,” I told her. “I’m still as dumb and awkward as always. It’s just that you can hear me now.”

She smiled. “And that’s miles better already.”

“Alice, go out with me.”

“I’d love to.”

I kissed her again, and she welcomed me eagerly. We made out until we heard the bell ring.

Patreon.