[Spirit of Lust 2] Chapters 716 & 717. (Patreon)

Chapter 716: Real life haters?

I started to get a little worried. That frown wasn’t that of confusion or curiosity, but actual distaste. And I was pretty sure I didn’t know this girl at all. She seemed my age, and while I don’t believe I ever saw her at school, I could be wrong since I really don’t recall everyone there. But still… What did I do?

“You. You’re Oliver, right?” she asked, sure of what she was asking and seemingly only doing it as a formality.

“Uh… Yes. I’m sorry, but… have we met?” I asked with a small, apologetic smile.

“No. I just know you because of your channel,” she said. “Are you here to laugh at us or something?”

“Ah? E-Excuse me?”

“You do know people only sub to you because of the cat, right?”

My smile fell and my face went numb. No, not just my face. My hands, too, and my chest tightened and froze. It was like a knife I wasn’t expecting being driven into my heart.

“W-What…?”

“You’re one of those that uses whatever they can to get views, aren’t you? How do you force your cat to sit there while your guitar is screeching?” she asked.

My mouth went dry and my bottom lip quivered instead of properly forming a sentence. “I don’t… What are you…”

“Luna, let it go,” Ruby, the girl behind her, said, picking up her keyboard and throwing it on her back like a backpack. Yet when she looked at me, I could see the same distaste as her friend’s. “It’s not worth it.”

Fern’s face went pale as she watched the exchange in silent horror. I… couldn’t say anything, didn’t want to say anything back. I didn’t get angry, really. I just… stepped away and turned around. Fern didn’t say anything to them, either and simply followed me.

We walked in silence for a few seconds before my vision blurred for a split moment. I took off my glasses and rubbed my eyes. They weren’t tears, thankfully, but… even my head was starting to feel numb now.

“Oliver? I… I’m sorry. I didn’t know…” Fern took my hand and caressed it gently, yet hesitantly. She didn’t know if that was the right move.

I forced a chuckle and smiled at her. “Come on, how could you have known? This isn’t your fault. But man, that was weird, right? Haha.”

She didn’t buy it. I don’t think she would’ve even without the connection. She frowned and gripped my hand tighter.

“Are you okay?”

“...” I swallowed and smiled wryly. “No, not really. Pathetic, isn’t it? A random stranger talks shit at me and suddenly my mood is ruined.” I sighed, shook my head and took an even deeper breath. “Well, whatever. So I have haters. That’s not news. Never expected to run into one in the wild, so I guess that’s a funny anecdote…”

Those words weren’t meant for Fern. They were meant for myself. I was the one who needed to hear them. And yet, despite saying the words out loud, that girl’s words echoed even louder in my head.

Just for the cat…

Screeching guitar…

“You know I like your music, right?” Fern said. “Liked it before I started liking you. And she clearly doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Cake just runs to you whenever you start playing, doesn’t she?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I know. Let’s just… forget about it, okay?”

“You won’t, though.”

Come on. Dating for less than a day and she knows me this well already?

“At least, I wouldn’t. I don’t.” Fern sighed. “I don’t share my art on social media now, but I used to. When I was 16, I drew a character from a show I loved and was really proud of how it turned out. I uploaded it and was getting really nice comments and a fair bit of likes. Then hours later, someone replied with a drawing of their own, saying they had ‘fixed’ my art because my style was ugly. They just… took my drawing and changed the nose, the lips, the eyes, the skin tone… Even though I was very faithful to the original style. That person’s drawing got a lot more traction than mine, but I thought nothing of it. When next I posted something, it happened again. I suddenly started getting a lot of nasty comments. I… couldn’t handle it. I deleted everything and got off social media.”

I grimaced. “I hear that happens a lot. Artists starting fights with other artists on purpose to gain exposure.”

Fern nodded. “I understood that later. Back then I thought I just wasn’t welcomed. Still haven’t grown the courage to share my stuff again. But you? I’ve read some of the comments you get, the nasty ones. But you still upload, right? You still make new songs. I think that’s amazing.”

I smiled. “I think I told you once before. It’s… for people like you. For the ones that actually like what I do. I start thinking, ‘Well, this person isn’t going to miss me if I’m gone, but the ones that like these videos will, So I’ll just make another one,’ and… Well, now it’s been like seven months, I think?”

Fern smiled back. “See? And how many subs are you at now?”

“Um… Like 8K, I think? But I try not to worry too much about that.”

“I bet those girls are just jealous that you have more than them. Let me check!” Fern took out her phone and began to type.

“Fern, I’m already feeling better thanks to you. Let’s really just put this behind us, okay?”

She kept typing and scrolling down her phone… until she found what she was looking for. Then she locked her screen and hurriedly put her phone back in her back pocket. “You know what? You’re right. Let’s just forget about it!”

I let out a genuine chuckle and kissed her cheek. “Thanks, Fern. Seriously, you made me feel better. That wasn’t your fault, okay?”

She let out a sigh of relief. “Okay.” She nodded. “I’m not subbing to them now, though. Fuck them.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Say, are you the type to hold grudges?”

“Hm? A little bit. Sometimes. Why?”

“No reason…”

I was starting to grow the uncomfortable feeling that I might have started to date myself, but that was a thought I very strongly decided to ignore for the rest of my life.

************

Chapter 717: Moving on.

That awkward exchange still nagged me in the back of my mind, but I wasn’t lying when I told Fern I felt better. Part of it was that she had a strong point when she said she genuinely liked my music. I mean, Mila, Grace and the others encourage me and support me, but they aren’t exactly fans of my stuff, nor do they have to be. I don’t subscribe to the ideology that all my friends should listen to and love what I do as if it was some obligation. Fern, though, IS actually a fan, and it’s hard to get too depressed that two strangers happen to dislike what I do when a cherished friend, instead, loves it.

“Um… Not to be a downer, but… What do you want to do now?” Fern asked me. “If you’d rather go home, I’d totally understand.”

I chuckled. “You want me to go home?”

“Uh… no?” she said with a sheepish smile.

“Then I’m staying. I don’t want to be in this mall anymore, though.”

“Me neither. So… What do we do?” she asked with an expectant grin.

“I… know a place. A couple of places, actually, but one of them I can’t go to anymore.”

“Ah? Why?”

“Because I work there and it’d be awkward. And it sucks because I like that place.”

Fern and I began walking back to the parking lot, hand in hand.

“Yeah, I get that. Maria’s Coffee Shop used to be my go-to place but now that I work there it’s weird to be a customer. I get a discount on pastries to take home, though.”

“Crap, I miss that discount. And now I don’t even live with Isabelle, so I can’t ask her to buy stuff for me…”

“Speaking of… Have you talked to her since leaving the house?”

“I mean, it’s only been a day. I was planning to call later tonight.”

We took the elevator down to the underground parking lot and walked to my van… only to see those two girls again as we approached, leaving their equipment in the car right next to mine.

“Oh, for the love of…!” Fern muttered, taking the words right out of my mouth.

“They’re just leaving. Let’s just ignore them.”

I was hoping they’d get in their car and leave by the time we reached the van, but no. They had yet to load an amp when they saw us getting close.

“Holy shit, no way you’re following us,” the brunette said.

I said nothing, took out my key and jumped on the driver seat. Fern followed my lead, completely ignoring the two women as we drove off before them.

“I… don’t get it,” Fern said. “You got mad when those older ladies… interrupted us and also when my old classmate started badmouthing me, but you don’t get mad when they badmouth you?”

“People can say whatever they want about me. It hurts, yeah, but years of silence have taught me that you avoid a lot of trouble by saying nothing. Talking shit about my friends, though? I can’t stomach it.”

I can almost picture the scene if Grace or Sarah had been with us here. Neither of those two would’ve let it slide, even if I wished they did. Mila would’ve been more vocal in her disapproval, but I doubt she would’ve started a fight.

Fern giggled. “Wait, are you friendzoning me now?”

I chuckled. “Is it weird that I think of my girlfriends also as my friends?”

“Of course I’m joking. But I did use to hear people say that a man and a woman can’t be friends,” Fern said. 

“I’ve heard that, too, and I get what they’re saying. A man and a woman can’t interact without there being feelings for either one. I disagree, but I don’t think I’m in a good position to argue.”

“Why?”

“Because… Well… So far I’ve slept with every girl I consider a close friend, weird as that sounds.” 

Fern snickered. “Except for Maria, right?” 

“Ah, right.” I chuckled.

“And… me?”

“And you.”

“I’m… feeling left out now,” she said, trying to sound sultry but failed because she started laughing. “Hahaha! I’m sorry, I can’t! I don’t know how to flirt!”

“And that’s another thing we have in common.”

“Shut up. It’s like you can turn the charm on and off at will.”

I decided not to tell her how close to being right she was. The only thing wrong there was that Frey was the one holding the switch.

“No, I promise you that whenever you think I’m being charming, it’s entirely by accident.”

“I prefer to think it’s natural.”

“And it’s the same for you. I told you already I love how expressive you are. I love seeing you laugh. Makes me wish I was funnier.”

“I mean… You’re silly, and that makes me laugh, too.”

“Screw it, I’ll take it.”

In response, Fern laughed more.

After a while we made it to our destination, Hotel Intimacy.

“So… You’ve been here before?” Fern asked.

I blinked. “Funny story, actually,” I said as we got out. “This became our go-to hotel. It’s clean, has a few fancy rooms, and the front desk has a dark screen to keep customers from seeing the receptionist.”

“Oh, that’s… actually pretty neat.”

“Right? Well, I… came here several times. Sometimes with Mila, sometimes with Grace, sometimes with Sarah, sometimes with the three of them, once with both Noelle and Alice…” I sighed. “Guess who turned out to be the receptionist behind the black screen?”

It didn’t take too long for Fern to put two and two together. “Oh my God. No way!” she said, grinning from ear to ear. “Diana?”

“Yep…”

“Is that how you met?”

“It’s how she met ME. I didn’t meet her until we tried another hotel and she just coincidentally started working there.”

Fern smirked. “So… You have a reputation of bringing different girls here?”

“Likely. And I’d bet good money I’m not the only one.”

“Probably the only one who has consent from everyone, though.”

“Who knows? People are very… open minded these days.”

And speaking of, it was a little surprising how open Fern was to talking about me having sex with the others. Maybe it was her trying to fully get used to how normal it was, or maybe watching those videos made her throw away all reservations. It was hard to tell. What was easier to tell, however, were her growing excitement and jitters. She wanted this but didn’t know what to expect, or how to act.

Better take it slow.