𝗚𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘆-𝗧𝘄𝗼

𝗚𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘆-𝗧𝘄𝗼:
Debt

❅𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘆-𝗧𝘄𝗼❅

"I wish everyone the best for the holidays, exam scores should be posted by next week," I said as everyone eagerly packed up their belongings.

It was my last class of the day, finally.

And it necessarily wasn't that hard considering all I had to do was sit and monitor the exams for each class.

I simply just wanted to see my girlfriend.

Someone who I noticed texted me while I was in the midst of handling the last exam.

Mazi: Come over when you're done

I unconsciously smiled at her straightforwardness—and also at the plans that I suddenly had.

It made me rush to pack up my things, giving the lecture hall one last look over before I left to head to my car.

Walking through campus to the faculty parking will always be the hardest part of my day.

Especially considering I'm in heels with a heavy leather messenger bag on my shoulder.

I swear I'm always out of breath by the time I get settled in my car.

But today I didn't bother catching my breath for even a second.

I had the car on and in drive before I could blink, driving out of my parking spot to leave campus and head to Mazin's.

The fifteen-minute drive flew past me as I focused on the road and the light Christmas music that I played through my Bluetooth speakers.

Life felt a little less burdening with the weight of teaching off of my shoulders.

Now I just had to focus on small tasks regarding much more illegal details.

But otherwise, that's all I had to worry about.

Now I could spend my mornings how I wanted.

Which of course would be with Mazin.

I smiled to myself, humming the Christmas song in my head as I got out of my car and walked over to the familiar front door.

My steps were quick as my heels clicked precisely with each one.

But before I could begin to knock on the door, it had opened—and Mazin had stepped out, earning a surprised gasp from me when she pulled me into a hug.

"I missed you so fucking much," she said, her voice muffled against my neck that her face was nuzzled into.

My smile grew as I ran my arms around her waist, "I missed you more," I whispered, relaxing into the warm hug we shared, "Someone was waiting for me," I joked, finding her timing with the door to be amusing.

"Oh as soon as I got the alert about the gates opening, I was ready," Mazin said, joking back with me as she squeezed my waist and pressed a soft kiss to the skin of my neck, "Now I have a surprise."

I raised a brow as she pulled away from me, "A surprise?" I repeated back to her skeptically.

Mazin hummed once, impatiently pulling me into the house by my hand which earned a laugh from me as my eyes undeniably traced her body.

Which was covered by the black sweatshirt and sweatpants she wore with slippers.

Her blonde hair was pulled back into a messy low ponytail which somehow managed to look better compared to if it was neater.

I tilted my head when she guided me upstairs—but not to her room.

This was another bedroom at the other end of the hallway, which seemed to look like an exact mirror of hers.

I furrowed my brows at the similar bedroom, only it was much more bare with only sheets tucked onto the bed.

The closet she pulled me into had a little more to it though.

Like a few t-shirts hanging up, some Jordans still on the shelf, and then jeans folded in the clear drawer.

"I had to hide them in here so you wouldn't see," Mazin said, grabbing something hanging up—before turning around to reveal them.

My brows shot up at the ugly Christmas sweaters.

One said Kiss Me Under The Mistletoe and the other said Mistletoe Magnet.

"Do you like them?" Mazin asked, her dark eyes trailing my face, "I wanted us to wear these for the ugly Christmas sweater party tonight," she explained as I visibly processed the sweaters.

They weren't too hideous or anything.

The writing and stuff was actually really cute.

And one of the sweaters was more of a burgundy red with evergreen accents while the other contrasted it.

"I like these a lot," I said, reaching for the one on the left.

Which caused Mazin to quickly pull it away, handing me the one on the right.

"This one is yours," she told me as I took the soft sweater, which read Mistletoe Magnet, "I couldn't find the exact same one as mine, so it's a little lower cut," she said, causing my eyes to divert to the neckline.

Which was more of a v-cut instead of coming up to my collarbone.

"I really like it," I whispered, smiling wider now that I had processed what Mazin had done.

How she had planned this and even picked the sweaters out herself.

"You're so cute for this," I said, glancing up from the sweaters to meet her dark eyes.

Mazin smiled, "You're going to be even cuter in the sweater," she said, her tone entirely teasing as she leaned down to me for a kiss.

Which caused me to tilt my head back slightly, meeting her halfway for a brief kiss.

"Thank you for this," I whispered, knowing I would've been entirely unprepared for the party tonight.

One I wasn't even aware of, but maybe Mazin wanted it that way so she could surprise me.

"Anything for you," she said, pulling back slightly to press a soft kiss on my cheek.

My smile grew, curiously glancing past her to the closet, "Whose clothes are these?" I asked her, folding the sweater over my arm.

"They're T's—he used to live here until a few months ago when he bought a house for Alena," Mazin briefly explained as she guided us out of the closet, "He left some stuff here just in case he ever needed it."

I nodded a few times as she turned the closet light off, walking out with her into the bedroom.

"Do you want to hear a secret?" Mazin suddenly asked me, grabbing the belt loops of my dress pants and seamlessly flipping me around to her.

I felt my face burn up from her actions, "Yes," I murmured, glancing down when she slid her arms around my waist, keeping her sweater draped over her shoulder.

"It's going to cost you though," Mazin subtly added, and I could tell by the look in her eyes that this conversation had quickly taken a turn.

One that made my face burn hotter.

"It must be a very good secret then," I whispered, eyeing her face for a moment before subtly glancing down to her lips, "What will it cost me, Mazin?"

Her lips tilted up slightly, firmly squeezing my waist, "I'll decide that when the time comes," she determined, easily making me raise a curious brow, "You'll just be in my debt."

I pursed my lips, meeting her stare as this weird warmth burned more intensely between us, "I don't think I'd mind being in your debt," I said honestly.

Which seemed to make Mazin's brows raise, openly eyeing my face for a moment.

"Don't be so sure about that," Mazin corrected me, leaning in closer to me and leaving our faces barely centimeters apart.

My face burned even hotter, tilting my head back further to align our stare completely.

"Tell me the secret," I whispered, even if a part of me wondered what this debt would pertain to.

And if it would be sexual.

It sounds very sexual.

Especially with how Mazin is currently looking at me.

I clenched my jaw when she suddenly leaned even closer to me.

But past my face, stopping beside my ear that her warm breath fanned against.

That's when my eyes fell closed, naturally leaning into her warm body.

"T's proposing to Alena on Christmas," she whispered so softly in my ear, pressing a soft kiss directly below it.

And just like that, my eyes snapped open in surprise.

But not a bad surprise.

A really good surprise.

From what I heard, they've been together for five years.

I'm really happy for them, especially Tahir.

I can tell he loves her.

"Now you have to keep the secret," Mazin said as she pulled back from me, meeting my stare.

I nodded almost wordlessly, mostly because I was desperately trying not to look at her lips.

"I'll keep the secret," I assured her in a soft whisper.

Mazin hummed, glancing between my eyes, "I know you will," she said without hesitation, "I'll be in touch to collect that debt of yours."

I unconsciously rolled my eyes, laughing at her words, "Well you know where I live," I joked back as we walked out of T's old bedroom.

"I also know where you sleep," Mazin added as she walked behind me, "And who you sleep with."

I shook my head with a smile, feeling an annoying blush grow on my face, "I feel like you word things like that on purpose," I said, finding her words holding a sexual innuendo.

"Always," Mazin mocked back as we walked further down the hallway toward her room.

And soon we were getting ready for the party tonight, showering and getting dressed separately.

Luckily, Mazin had also bought us matching jeans to wear with the sweaters—hers were more baggier to her preference while mine were more mom jeans.

"Hmm I don't know," Mazin said as I walked into the bathroom, dressed in the outfit she picked out for me.

I raised a brow, faking my offense, "Oh wow, you don't know?" I repeated back as I stopped in front of her.

"Don't get me wrong, you look fucking incredible," Mazin said, now reaching up to the deep-cut neckline, "But I don't like this," she determined, toying with the hem that displayed my cleavage.

Which was emphasized by the bra I wore underneath.

"Maybe a tank top underneath," Mazin suddenly suggested, her eyes glued to my chest.

Which naturally made my face burn up, "I'm sure it's fine—no one should be looking there anyways," I tried to assure her.

Mazin laughed through her nose, "Yeah, no one is fucking looking there, Vierlai," she said, immediately shutting the idea of that down, "I'm just worried about myself—I won't be able to focus on anything with you wearing this."

An amused smile grew on my lips, "You'll be fine," I said, knowing she was just being dramatic.

But Mazin seemed to feel the opposite, shaking her head, "Virelai, I'm being serious," she nearly whined, now pulling me closer by my waist, "It would be so fucking mean if you wore this around me in public," she said, now burying her face in my chest.

Which naturally made my heart shoot out of my chest, processing the softness of her face against my bare chest.

It was something that left me speechless, unable to string words together as I focused on trying to get my head out of the gutter.

But there are fucking goosebumps running down my arms.

"Mazin," I suddenly whispered, briefly closing my eyes as I let out a deep sigh.

She hummed in question, sending vibrations through both of our bodies and somehow making this unfamiliar feeling grow worse inside of me.

"This is..." I trailed off, unsure of how to word what I wanted to say, "This is making me uh feel things," I awkwardly whispered.

Which immediately made her pull back from my chest, "Things?" she emphasized with furrowed brows.

Until she openly analyzed my face for a moment—suddenly nodding to herself in conclusion.

"Oh," she whispered, pursing her lips into an amused smile.

I groaned in annoyance, "Do not smile at me right now, Mazin," I said, which somehow made her smile grow.

"But it's cute that you're turned on—"

"I'm wearing the sweater," I suddenly cut her short defensively with a narrowed look.

Mazin dramatically scoffed when I walked past her, "Virelai," she said, following directly behind me to the bathroom sinks, "I take back what I said, I don't even remember what we were talking about—"

"Yes you do and you do it on purpose," I said, eyeing her through the mirror.

And it wasn't hard to miss the smile that grew further on her lips.

Which was beautiful but annoying me at the same time.

"So now it's my turn to do something on purpose," I determined, adjusting the sweater a little lower and making Mazin's eyes widen.

"Virelai, baby, I was just joking," she tried to convince me as I began brushing my hair.

Mazin had single-handedly bought duplicates of anything I had needed to get ready at her place, which explains why she was so nosey when she dropped me off at my apartment after the carnival.

At this point, I could live here and never have to go home.

Unless I wanted to wear my own clothes.

Every time I stay the night I typically wear hers.

"Maybe you'll learn not to joke so much then," I determined as I brushed my hair back into a low bun.

And as I did my hair, Mazin managed to cling to my side, still trying to convince me to wear a tank top underneath.

As she openly stared at my chest, which felt hard to ignore given how much it affected me.

But I somehow stuck through on what I said, walking out of the house with her, wearing the sweater as is with light makeup on and my hair slicked back.

Mazin wore her hair in a sleek high ponytail with natural makeup on as well, wearing her usual iced-out jewelry while mine was more delicate and minimal.

The drive to the bed and breakfast wasn't too far given it was on the outskirts of downtown.

They managed to rent the entire lobby out for this ugly sweater party.

As we pulled up, there was already a food truck serving tacos, and then hot chocolate passed out with cute marshmallows shaped like snowmen.

Inside the bed and breakfast, it was already lively and warm with Christmas music playing and a soft chatter flowing.

Nelli unfortunately wasn't able to make it since she had to finish up with a client, but Ronan still made an appearance.

Even if he looked out of place without her.

Especially since he would consistently check his phone, texting back to texts that I knew were from her.

Marie was very talkative with him while Vic seemed more reserved for once, talking to Mav and Jada more.

But I was less focused on them and more eyeing Tahir and Alena, recalling the news that Mazin told me.

And I could definitely see them as a married couple—they looked perfect for each other, especially as they stood with us and Tazmin and Lena.

The conversation was light and entirely random, sipping on our hot chocolate.

At least until Omara and Nadia pulled me aside to talk and catch up—Omara even tried to jokingly ask me about her exam scores.

But Mazin had pulled me away from them both before I could say anything, insisting on speaking with me privately.

"Oh, I'm—we're sorry," I quickly stumbled over my words as we stood in the bathroom doorway, staring at Dove who had lifted her face from the sink.

Where two powdery white lines were still present.

The other one she had sniffed away.

"No, you're good," Dove quickly said, waving us off, "Let me finish these last two and the bathrooms yours," she told us, nonchalantly leaning back down to sniff up the remaining two lines back to back.

I was not aware she did... cocaine.

But um, okay?

"Much better," Dove sighed out, smiling as she grabbed a paper towel to dust the sink off, "Now I need hot chocolate," she determined, throwing the paper towel in the trash as she walked past us both.

But even as she shut the door behind her, I still seemed to be processing what I had witnessed.

Mazin on the other hand, seemed accustomed to what she just saw—locking the bathroom door as she focused her attention on me.

"I want to announce that we're together," Mazin told me, gently grabbing my waist.

I blinked a few times, "So we're not going to discuss Dove and the cocaine?" I asked with a tilted look.

"It's more common here than you think," Mazin told me, pulling my body closer to hers, "You just don't see it as often as I do."

I pursed my lips together awkwardly, "Right," I said, blinking again as I ran my hands up her covered arms, "Well, I already told Nelli about us."

Mazin shrugged, "I'm sure everyone kind of knows or has a feeling—my moms both know because they would fucking kill me if they didn't know first," she said, caressing her hands up my back, "But I want to tell everyone else formally."

I nodded a few times, "That sounds good to me then," I whispered with a growing smile.

Mazin's lips naturally twitched up, "Yeah?" she whispered back, leaning her face down closer to mine.

I hummed, "Yes, of course," I didn't hesitate to say, tilting my head further back when she pressed her lips to mine.

And this kiss was much deeper compared to our previous brief kisses.

Especially when Mazin guided me against the nearest wall, grabbing my neck with one hand and my waist with the other.

Her thumb traced down the front of my neck, sliding her tongue past my lips as I tugged her closer to me by her waist.

I hummed breathlessly when she guided my feet apart with her one, positioning her body between my legs.

"Collecting your debt?" I whispered against her lips.

Mazin smiled slightly, "Oh you would know if I was," she murmured, trailing kisses past my lips to my cheek, "Trust me," she added, softly kissing my cheek before she pulled away.

I let out a breathless sigh, trying to recollect myself as Mazin focused on my low-cut sweater she tried to adjust for better coverage.

"This isn't helping your debt though," she mumbled with a sigh, dropping her hands from my chest when the material wouldn't stay where she preferred it.

"Who said I wanted it to help?" I purposely asked her, flashing her an amused smile when she raised a brow at me.

And before she could say anything else, I purposely walked past her—unlocking the door of the bathroom.

"You can't just say that and leave," Mazin said as she quickly followed me out of the bathroom down the hallway.

That Tazmin and Lena were walking down.

At least until they caught sight of us, giving us a knowing look as they glanced past us to the bathroom we just left.

"We were wondering where you went," Lena said with an amused smile, her tone holding clear insinuation.

"Yeah, Virelai's top needed to be adjusted," Mazin smoothly said before I could even think of an excuse.

Tazmin pursed her lips into a smile, "Sure," she said, motioning her head in the other direction, "Well we're about to announce who won the sweater competition."

I quickly nodded, "Yeah, yes, of course," I said, awkwardly glancing away from them both as I grabbed Mazin's hand and pulled her along.

I swear this has to be the most awkward predicament of my fucking life.

It was something I replayed over and over again even as we made it back to the main area with everyone else.

And once we made it out, Nadia did the honors of taking the stand to announce the winners.

There were three prizes for each team.

And luckily, Mazin and I managed to get the most votes and won an entire trip to Paris.

Insane if you ask me, but I'm very lucky so. 

"Virelai and I actually have something we want to announce," Mazin said as we stood in front of everyone, keeping her arm around my waist.

"Tazi and Mel are going to be grandparents," Nadia suddenly said with an amused smile, earning an eye roll from both Tazmin and Lena.

Meanwhile, Mazin managed to laugh and so did I, finding that to be a drastic step to take right now.

"Not unless Virelai wants a dog," Mazin joked back with Nadia.

"Ugh, a dog would be so cute," Omara suddenly added, which made Mazin shake her head.

Meanwhile, I could only smile, finding the subject change to be hilarious.

"Back to what we were originally saying," Mazin purposely said, glancing over to me.

Which suddenly made me realize she wanted me to tell them.

Nerves immediately tied in my stomach, leaning closer to Mazin as she naturally tapped my lower back. 

That's when I relaxed slightly, letting out a soft breath.

"Mazin and I are dating," I suddenly said before I could overthink my own words.

But there were no shocked reactions.

Not a single one.

Instead, there were loud claps and cheers.

"I used to pray for times like this," Tahir said, nudging Ronan who laughed as he patted him on the shoulder.

Alena laughed at them as she clapped with Dove and everyone else—while Omara and Nadia seemed to high-five and hip-bump each other.

I could tell Lena and Tazmin openly knew, smiling with Vic and Marie who they probably told as well.

Mostly because they don't look shocked whatsoever and neither does Mav and Jada.

I imagine Lena and Tazmin got together with them right after to tell them the news.

"We need a round of shots—no a club, we need to go out and celebrate," Tahir determined as he approached us, "We're going out tomorrow night."

Mazin smiled at him, "I mean, if Virelai's down," she said, glancing over to me.

I shrugged, finding the idea fun.

Mostly because I've never really done the club scene:

"I think it sounds fun," I said, naturally glancing over when a group of men dressed down in black parted through the crowd.

And I knew it was the Moretti's security team even if Xavier wasn't with them for once.

I furrowed my brows, noticing the men approach Tazmin first—who tilted her head, leaning into the man as he told her about whatever issue they were having.

And not even seconds later—

She glanced over to me.

Then Mazin.

Who she motioned over, nodding her head at her.

My brows furrowed deeper as Mazin respectfully excused herself, walking past the confused crowd all staring and whispering about the sudden intrusion.

Even I was confused as I watched Mazin precisely.

How her face slowly fell and her eyes openly darted over to me.

Did I do something?

Because not only did Tazmin look at me but now Mazin and Lena both are.

"What's going on?" Tahir asked, walking over to them through the crowd as he held Alena close.

"Virelai," Mazin suddenly said, walking back over to me as the people by me respectfully stepped away, "We need to leave."

I grew even more confused at her words, "What? Why?" I whispered, glancing down when she firmly grabbed my hand and pulled me along.

And I swear when she didn't say anything, my anxiety grew worse—anticipating what could've happened.

Or what's currently going on.

It wasn't until we were seated in her running G-Wagon that she turned to me and said—

"There was a move made on your dad."

Then my world tilted.

My breathing had stalled and my eyes widened, processing what she just told me.

This can't be happening.