CHAPTER 75: THE BARGAIN

Chapter Seventy Five

**Kieran Morrison**

Almost immediately, annoyance spread across Vince’s features. I felt my lips twitch with amusement.

Now that I wasn’t thinking about Oliver disappearing on me again, I could see how stressed Vince looked.

I was a bit curious, he was usually nonchalant about life itself, were those dark circles under his eyes related to Blondie?

"What’s with that expression? He’s persistent, isn’t he? You pretended not to notice him this morning, but I saw the way you tensed up when he walked into class this morning,"

When I’d found out where William’s interest lay, I’d been fucking relieved it wasn’t my Oliver.

The thought of having to eliminate that kind of competition had been... unpleasant, especially since Oliver and I had argued severely because of him.

Vince had mentioned to me a few days ago how someone had been following him, but it had gotten worse and William simply didn’t do a discreet job of hiding it.

He’d been discovered, and now Vince was stuck dealing with an overeager fanboy.

Hell, I would wholeheartedly encourage William’s pursuit. I was willing to do anything that kept potential rivals away from my boyfriend.

Wait. . . A minute.

Thinking about it, I hadn’t seen Blondie earlier, did this mean that Ollie and he were together?

I glared at Vince as though this was somehow his fault. Well, it entirely was.

"Isn’t it high time you searched for a stable relationship? You can’t be a fuck boy forever,"

Vince’s eyes flared as though I’d just attacked him.

"You know I don’t do relationships," Vince said, then his lips curved into a knowing smirk.

"But we’re talking about you, your mood has been too unstable lately, even I can’t deal with you. Claude mentioned you went on a date? And I saw your phone - you made his face your screensaver. Yet, here you are smoking like you lost a bet,"

Oliver had always been my screensaver. I had folders full of pictures of him - when he was unaware, when I’d hurt him and tears had made his eyes shine, when he was happy and his whole face lit up, candid shots of him walking to class, eating lunch, even sleeping during boring lectures. I’d been collecting these moments for years, long before I’d admitted to myself why.

They were just noticing now, but for me, it was nothing new. Oliver had been an obsession disguised as hatred for so long that the transition to something else felt natural.

"We get it, your boy is hot," Vince continued, and I felt my jaw clench at the casual way he said it. "But you still need to take it slow. Looking at him, he seems like the type who’d get scared away easily. I’m saying this for your sake especially."

He meant well, I knew he did, but still, the words hit wrong.

Jealousy flared hot and vicious in my chest. No one else should be looking at Oliver that way, evaluating him, commenting on his appearance.

That was mine to do.

"None of your business, since when do you offer relationship advice?" I bit out through clenched teeth.

I was already moving slowly with Oliver, wasn’t I?

Going at this pace when all I wanted was to lock him away somewhere safe where no one else could touch him or look at him or even think about him was torture enough. Satisfying myself with a simple kiss when what I wanted to do was to have a complete version of what I’d done that Friday night.

I wanted to see all of him.

Touch all of him.

Fuck.

I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d gotten laid.

Unfazed by the warning gleam in my voice, Vince continued with that lazy smile.

"I take it you two haven’t done it yet? I know you’ve been wanting to, even back when you claimed to hate him. I think I get where the problem is coming from, the reason you’ve been so tense is because you need to get laid. When was the last time you had sex?"

"Just shut up!" The words came out as a snarl, my control finally snapping. But he was probably right. Everything within me was fucking tensed.

I knew the cure. Oliver would fucking fix this. But he has fucking ghosted me which he’d been doing a lot lately.

"See? You are directing your anger at the wrong person again. What did the teacher say about blue balls syndrome in reproductive health class?"

"You don’t even attend classes, and you failed the subject last semester" I scoffed pettily.

Vince wasn’t fazed by my retort, he was enjoying this too much, and I wanted nothing more than to deliver a punch to his smug face

But I held myself back, if I got his face ugly, his fanboy might lose interest.

And I needed William’s obsession with Vince to continue. It was the perfect distraction, keeping Oliver’s best friend busy and away from whatever was happening between us.

"So, the problem isn’t your balls then?"

This time, I shot him a brooding glare.

"Ah, then I guess not," Vince said, taking two quick steps backwards but still grinning.

He could sense the violence radiating off me, but he found it amusing rather than threatening. "If getting laid isn’t the problem, what could get you looking like a fucking lovesick puppy? Let me guess - he rejected you and found someone better?"

He was joking, but he was so close to the truth it made my chest tighten with something that might have been panic if I admitted it.

I was anxious about the new transfer student, Oliver could be so gullible, it was so easy to take advantage of him.

But I could handle him, I just needed Vince’s help in keeping the best friend away. If Oliver only had me, he wouldn’t be too distracted, and he would be able to finally focus on us.

"Just do me a favour, whatever’s going on with your fanboy, don’t let it end. Keep him away from my boyfriend. Consider it a part-time job - I don’t mind paying you. Name your price."