23
Chapter 23 Rory
Karly lookedlike she was struggling, so within a second, I raced across the restaurant to take her arm. She was acting proud, trying to make her leg work for her because she didn’t want ruin her outfit, which I could understand. Not that anything could have made her look anything less than absolutely stunning in that tight fitting red number which clung to her curves in all the right places. I’d been anxious all afternoon, assuming this date was going to be more than just dinner, but actually the night where everything fell into place, but seeing Karly and knowing this was exactly where my heart needed to be, all of that simply melted away into nothingness. I was just happy. Over the freaking moon.
I was happy to say what I felt, what I meant, and I could almost predict what everyone else was going to say, but until I actually heard those words out loud, spoken by the very people I wanted to hear them from, I wouldn’t be able to fully relax until our harem was official.
“Here we are,” I said as I got Karly to the table where Alek, Hatcher, and Chase were waiting. “Let me get your chair for you.”
As we all took our seats, there was a real zinging energy between us all. It was almost unbearable because it was so much. I wasn’t sure how the waitstaff could stand to come to our table to serve us, but thankfully they did. I half wondered if it was going to be too much when Alek let us know he had booked the whole restaurant for the date tonight, but thank goodness he had. This was smart. It was just us; just what I wanted it to be.
“This is nice,” Karly purred as she sipped her glass of sparkling white wine. “I can’t believe you organized all of this.”
“Well, we need some more time to talk, don’t we?” Alek replied with a one-shouldered shrug. “There is still a lot we need to say.”
Karly nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, I definitely agree. There is a lot to say.”
I thought this was going to be it, the moment we were going to get it all out in the open, but as the food was served, the subject drifted off to the meeting we’d just experienced. If it could have been called a meeting. It was more of a shit show to me. An explosive nightmare that didn’t really go anywhere. I got why everyone wanted to talk about it, to pick up on what happened between Sly and King Bear Mobius, to try to figure out what Sly was planning with his disruptive behavior, but it was too much for me. I couldn’t stand it.
“Why do you guys think the Bear King is allowing Sly to go unchecked?” Karly asked everyone, with her eyes darting around the table curiously. This was all off the record, Karly definitely wasn’t working right now. “It’s weird, isn’t it?”
“I have been wondering if there is something we don’t know,” Hatcher admitted. “Like some under the table deal.”
“You may be right,” Chase agreed. “I didn’t think anything of it at the meeting because I was too confused by everything going on.”
“You really think a fellow Virgo would be in cahoots with the Unaligned clan?” Alek asked in a panicked tone. “That doesn’t seem likely, right?”
Chase shook his head, but I honestly couldn’t be totally sure how convinced even he was by that. Personally, I couldn’t imagine it. I’d always thought of Bear King Mobius as a fair and just king, but how much did I know? Maybe not enough. Alek had seemed really worried about Drew and the Unaligned clan the whole time, more so than everyone else, and perhaps he was right to be so panicked.
But honestly, I didn’t feel like I had the mental capacity to deal with that right now. Since I had already happily decided that I wasn’t worried about the Astro Games anymore, I couldn’t be the one to beat Drew. I felt like Jason could do it if he didn’t end up getting kicked out of the competition. His determination to be with the princess would push him to work harder…if the rumors were to be believed, of course. I had other things to think about. I had us to worry about. That was why Alek called for the date, wasn’t it? This wasn’t supposed to be just a casual night of small talk, so someone had to address the harem soon.
As the dessert plates were brought to the table, I couldn’t hold back any longer. I rose to my feet, and started to talk. Maybe it would have been better if I’d planned in advance what I was going to say, but it was too late for that now. The flood gates had opened and the words started to tumble out. “There is an elephant in the room, and I want to address it. I need to address it.” I turned to face Karly. “Karly, I know we’ve talked about how this might be too soon, but time changes nothing. When you know, you know, and I know. I’m sure. I love you, and I want to be with you. I want to be with this harem because I know it will make me happy. I can feel it.”
There was only joy, no fear as she took in my words. I loved the expression on her face. I might have told her as much, had it not been for Hatcher surprising everyone by taking over the conversation.
“I came to the Astro Games for a very different reason than everyone else. To unwind, to get out of the lab, and maybe to come out of my shell a little bit as well. The last thing I expected was to meet a group of people who I not only get along with really well, but who I have things in common with, and who appreciate the differences we have all as well. I really feel like I have a part here, a role.” He seemed to catch himself before he forgot to say the most important thing. “Oh, and, of course, I’m in love with you as well, Karly. This harem is what I want too.”
Alek chuckled as he rose to his feet. I could tell how much he appreciated Hatcher’s slightly awkward speech. When he started to talk, the conviction with which he spoke blew me away. I wasn’t expecting this since Alek was the one who seemed to have the most pressure weighing down on him. “I know my decision is going to cause some issues. I know that.” Before any of us could panic, he clarified what his decision was going to be. “But Karly is worth it. I have always known Karly was worth it, but now I’m truly embracing this, and the feelings I feel.” He reached across and took Karly’s hand, smiling right at her. “You are the woman I want to be with. There is no one else for me. There never has been. I guess we just needed the harem to really let us see that.”
Karly nodded, tears brimming in her eyes. But they seemed to be happy tears, thank goodness, because we were all getting what we wanted at long last.
Chase stood up then. Like with Alek, I was a little worried about what was going on in his mind.
“The pressure for me to win, to follow in the footsteps of the Virgo Bear King Mobius, has been a lot. It’s always been expected of me. But just because it’s an expectation, doesn’t mean I have to do it, does it? Not when I have something more important here in front of me.” He walked around the table to cup Karly’s cheeks in his hands and kiss her. “I would love to be in the harem. If you will have me.”
Karly rested her hands on top of Chase’s and grinned at him. “Chase, of course I will have you. I would love nothing more. I find being with you easy and exciting. I love your enthusiastic spirit, and the way that you always boost my mood. You are wonderful.”
Chase looked like the bear who got the honey as he walked back to his seat. There was a glazed-over look in his eyes as he kept his focus solely on Karly while she moved around the table to Hatcher. I couldn’t tell if he was just nervous or overwhelmed.
“Hatcher, you are adorable,” she giggled before pressing her lips to his. “And so clever, so unique and different. I love speaking with you, learning from you, being around you.” She stroked his cheek gently. “I think you and I are so similar, we have so much in common that we will be able to entertain ourselves forever. I am really glad you want to be in this harem with me, with us.”
Alek was next. I was on the edge of my seat as I waited impatiently for her to get to me, but I knew Karly’s attention was required elsewhere as well. Since we were all in this together, I could just about handle waiting.
“Alek, you and I have always been in one another’s lives, and there has always been a connection between us. I mean, we never thought it would go somewhere, but you’re right. We needed the harem to let us see that we just can’t live without one another. I need your impatience, passion, and drive to make my world so much better. I need you in my life. I’m so glad that I can finally cave to the feelings I have always had for you.”
With that, she kissed Alek as well. I felt the years of build up between them as they connected on this visceral, primal level. That made me grin. Thank God they’d finally found a way to make it work, and thank goodness they’d waited until we all found one another.
Then it was my turn. I held my breath as I waited to see what Karly was going to say about me. “Rory, oh Rory.” She smiled softly. “Rory, your character is infuriatingly like mine.” She giggled. I wished I could join in, but I was way too nervous for some reason. “But I love the fact that you’re strong and powerful. I love the way you make me feel and think. I adore everything about you. I want you. I want all of you. I need all of you.”
My heart swelled as she kissed me, sweetly and passionately, sealing the deal once and for all. I held on to her, keeping her close to me, unable to let her go. I wouldn’t. Nothing else mattered as we had finally all decided we were going to give this a shot. Not even the worry that very soon we were going to have to throw the competition so we were all out on our asses.