Until The Lies Were Ours

CHAPTER 4

“What have I done? What have I done?”, Ivorie paced from one end of the living room to another

“I knew you were going to follow through on the pact. I just never could’ve imagined you’d become a bride-to-be in one night”, Nova wiggled her eyebrows, laughing notoriously

“Way to go, Rie!” Nova stood in front of Ivorie to block her path and stop her from pacing.

“What have I done?”, her voice cracked as she asked that question for the hundredth time that morning.

“I’m not doing it, Nov. I’m not following through. He only has my first name, he can’t find me”, she sat cross legged on the floor.

“No! You have to get married to your prince. I want to be your maid of honor”, Nova said sarcastically as she hopped up and down clapping her hands before sitting next to Ivorie.

“At this rate, you’ll already be married next week and give birth to his babies next month”, Nova burst out laughing, rolling on the floor.

“Yeah. I know, right”, she gave Nova a blank stare.

“He doesn’t know me, he won’t find me. I’d just stay here in your apartment and not step a foot outside till next year—”

There was a knock on the door.

“Yeah, and you’re not on social media anyway. How would he find—

“Oh. My. God”, Nova shrieked as she opened the door.

“What happened?”, Ivorie ran to the front door. “What’s all these?”

“Oh my God, Ivorie! There’s like fifteen boxes out here… is that a peony bouquet in a freaking glass dome?! ”, Nova swooned as she dragged the gifts one after the other into her living room.

“You didn’t even bother to ask who they’re from—”

“I’m looking for a lady, Ms Ivorie Alan”, the man at the door dressed in a penguin suit and a bored expression boomed.

“May I ask what this is about?” Ivorie asked with a raised eyebrow and one hand on her hip.

“Here”, he extended a white envelope and then walked away.

“No-va!”, Ivorie called out, standing squarely with both hands on her hips trying to block Nova from taking the last of the gifts in.

“Hey! Out of my way! Gifts first, questions later”, Nova pushed her way back in with the gift like Ivorie was made of paper.

“Ugh!”, Ivorie slammed the door shut.

“Well?”, Nova beamed. “Who are my gifts from?”, Nova asked in a singsong.

“The man just asked for me and gave me this note”.

Nova gasped and grabbed the note, opening it eagerly.

“You have a secret admirer! All my life I’ve waited for this! Let me see, let me see”.

Nova worked her trembling fingers as she tore the envelope open. Ivorie sighed, rolling her eyes.

Dinner tonight, 8PM. -Nikolai

“Wait, Nikolai? Your husband-to-be?”

“What?”, Ivorie snatched the letter, running her eyes over the words.

“He found me. How did he find me?!”

“Wait, Nikolai? There's no chance he could be Nikolai Thorne, is there? The Nikolai Thorne?!”, Nova asked wide eyed.

“Um… yeah?”

“This is such a big deal! Don’t you know who Nikolai Thorne is? How could you skip that detail?”

“Nov I was tipsy, okay? I barely remembered his first name. Why? Who is he?”

“I knew you lived under a rock, I just didn’t know it had gotten this bad. Are you even on the internet?!” Nova shook her head in disbelief.

“You know, you live in a pineapple under the sea. Yup. You’re SpongeBob.”

“Just tell me who he is”

“He owns PulseMatch!”

“PulseMatch? The dating app with the cheesy commercials? That PulseMatch?”

“No, the PulseMatch I own. Of course, that PulseMatch! What other PulseMatch is there?”

“Okay! Chill Nov. There’s veins popping on your forehead”.

Nova ran to her room and hurried back to the living room with her iPhone.

“It was so dark in the lounge last night, I didn’t see his face clearly when you were leaving”, Nova said as she tapped her phone screen hastily.

“Is this him?” Nova asked, putting her phone too close to Ivorie’s eyes.

“One inch closer and you’d push your phone through my eye sockets up my brain”, Ivorie sighed as she pushed the phone a bit farther.

Those piercing gray eyes.

“Yeah…”, she responded.

She was tipsy last night but she had never seen so clearly when she looked at those eyes. She flushed, remembering how he ignited her body when he grazed her skin.

It was all coming back to her.

“This is insane, Rie”, Nova exclaimed as she walked towards the boxes of gifts.

“Absolutely bonkers!” She added in a fake British accent.

“Oh! The emerald heart jewelry set!” Nova sighed as she tore through a gift box.

“What are you doing standing there? Come join me”, she nudged a transfixed Ivorie.

Ivorie didn’t take a step— stunned as she scrolled on Nova’s phone. The more articles she read, the more she discovered about Nikolai and PulseMatch.

“Oh! Rie? Rie? Ivorie!”, Nova called out to an absentminded Ivorie.

“Come see this!”

Nova picked up a majestic black satin dress from a box. It was the color of midnight, but it dared to be far more dangerous. The corset of the bodice looked sculpted like it was designed to hold secrets of ecstasy. The plunging neckline, on the other hand, promised to spill those very secrets to the world.

A note fell as Nova lifted the dress—her mouth opened in an ‘O’. Ivorie picked up the note.

Wear this tonight. -N

“There’s no way I’m meeting him tonight. I’m just gonna ice him out”, she let out an exasperated sigh.

“Damn. Look at these, Rie. Jewelry, silk lingerie sets, a velvet clutch, the full La Prairie Skin Caviar Collection, do you know much these—

“I’m returning it all. I can’t accept these. I can’t accept him”, She replied as she pored her eyes over the items that were displayed on the living room floor with the neglected empty boxes scattered across the room.

“Hey, hold on now. This is the scent of royalty, Rie!! Smell this… isn’t it divine?”, Nova sighed giving her very best puppy dog eyes.

“You can’t give these all back. He’s a billionaire, these mean nothing to him. I could hold on to them for you. Don’t worry, they’re safe with mama Nova”, Nova said as she sprayed the Clive Christian No. 1 over Ivorie.

This must be what heaven smells like.

“Hey, stop. Stop it”, Ivorie sighed in defeat. “What should I do, Nov? I need to walk away from this.”

“I know you want to, Rie. But hiding won’t change anything. Like you said, you only gave him your first name, but here we are in my living room. He’s filthy rich, Rie. f**k that! He’s wealthy and powerful. You can’t hide from that”.

Ivorie paled.

“Meet him tonight. Tell him how you feel.”

Ivorie nodded, weakly.

“And you’re not returning any of these! They’re ours”, Nova danced around the room.

“Try the dress!”

Nova pulled Ivorie’s hand, dragging her to the closet and pushed her in, throwing the designer dress to her chest.

Stepping out of the closet, Ivorie took timid barefoot steps as she walked to Nova, the black dress flowing graciously behind her.

“Good lord! He got your size! Look at that delicious cleavage”, Nova cupped Ivorie’s breasts. “The bodice holds your boobs perfectly”.

“You’re going to kill him in this dress”.

More than killing, seeing her in the dress drowned Nikolai deeper in an ocean of lustful desire than he had ever felt.