C4 CHAPTER THREE: GETTING UPDATED

After their delicious and amazing meal, Aaron went to his sound system and looked for softer music to put on. Diwa, meanwhile, walked around his apartment, looking at practically everything he had.

“Oh, what is this?” she asked, surprised.

“Oh, you found it. It’s my collection of rare items. When I have some time off, I like to go to antique stores and specialty shops. When I find something really odd, uncommon, or anything that I haven’t seen before, I buy it. There have been a few times in which the store owners tell me impressive stories about my purchases. For example, this small colorful clay pot…”

Aaron took out a lidded rounded object with small but detailed ornate drawings, barely the size of his hand. He took off the lid so she could see inside. “This one was painted by hand, and it’s full of foreign gold coins!”

Di gasped in admiration. Aaron grinned proudly and picked up another item…

“This pocket watch is said to have never stopped ticking, no matter how old it is. I’ve had it for about ten years, and yes, it has continued to run. It was one of the first items I ever collected. It came from London, and it’s mostly made of gold.”

She looked at him, happily going through his treasures while telling her stories.

How many surprises could he be hiding, I wonder?

“And this is my fountain pen collection. This matters a lot to me, but I try to keep it within a certain number. I love all of my collected items, but I buy them only on very special occasions since they are expensive. To be honest, I prefer that my extra money is spent on other, more useful, and significant… activities.”

“Like what, buying another expensive car?”

“Oh, no… I… Well, I don’t really talk about it, but someday I’ll bring you with me… There’s a place for orphaned children I like to visit. You’ll like it there, I think,” he finished a little shyly, not used to talking about things nobody usually knew about him…

Those things that people wouldn’t believe if they heard what he had done or currently doing. “But please, don’t mention this to anyone, okay? It would ruin my reputation,” he said with a smile and a sly wink.

“What?!” Diwa laughed in disbelief. “So, you would rather keep the “charmer” reputation instead of creating a better one for yourself?”

“Honestly, I don’t care much about what people say about me. It’s just that when you have a bad rep, usually people have fewer expectations. It’s harder to disappoint them.”

“Oh… Well, I don’t think you can disappoint me,” Diwa firmly stated as she placed both arms around his neck, and then pulled him into a tender kiss.

It took a while for the kiss to end.

“I really hope so. You’re the last person I’d like to disappoint,” Aaron murmured in between kissing her ear, her jaw, her neck…

* * *

Ring… ring… ring… click!

“Any news, my friend?” said a low, grating male voice.

“She is finally home, buddy. I saw her with the guy you call your ‘hated rival,’ and they look very happy. Maybe you’re wrong with your assumptions about her…” answered a low but more animated masculine speaker.

“I am NEVER wrong about her, and nothing I know about her are assumptions! I know her more than she even knows herself. She is just deluded by his position, power, and prestige. But she will awaken to the truth once he is out of the way.”

“Okay, I’m sorry if I sound like I don’t believe you, but I saw with my own two eyes how close and happy they are together. They even had a small ‘scene’ inside the elevator, and the witnesses couldn’t shut up about it to their friends. They were so loud that eavesdropping on them was a breeze. Please, bro, just think about what I said, OK?”

“Noted, Bren. I’ll take your suggestion under consideration,” the caller huffed as he ended the call.

It was his way of saying he’ll completely ignore what he just heard.

* * *

Meanwhile, the couple mentioned by these two mysterious strangers were currently - and happily - spending their last few hours under the covers of the Beta’s bed.

At around midnight, he stopped what he was doing for a moment, “Wait, wait, wait…”

“What?! What happened?” she snapped, startled.

“What time is it?”

“I think it’s close to midnight. Why?”

“Let me check,” he said, reaching for his mobile on the bedside table nearest him, all the while staying inside of her, without moving…

Which made her increasingly turned on by the second.

“Yup, it’s midnight, lamb chop.”

“You tease. You really stopped just to tell me that?” she asked, smirking.

He rewarded her with a hearty masculine laugh that increased her desire for him even more. In response, she tried to move her hips to get more of him inside her. He countered by shifting his weight to keep her pinned and immobile under him. All the while, he remained inside of her, still not moving… Still hard.

“Aaron, for the love of…”

“Di, this is the first Christmas that I have my mate with me. I just wanted to tell you how important you are to me by being the first to greet you… Merry Christmas, Cherry Pie.”

Diwa was suddenly rendered speechless. She looked up at him, forgetting the cuss words she was planning to throw at him.

“M… Merry Christmas, Aaron,” she finally managed after a while. Despite her smile, she could feel the knot forming inside her chest due to the intense bliss and her deep love for this amazing and beautiful man.

This couldn’t get any more perfect, she thought, completely giving herself up to her mate’s expert and delectable lovemaking.

They kept at it the whole night and early morning. Both finally fell asleep while cuddling by 4:00 AM.