Chapter 2

As soon as Norris left, the chat exploded again.

[The "both characters are virgins" tag is legit. I love a male lead who stays pure just for the female lead.]

[Is the male lead sick or something? Every time he makes the second female lead wear those clothes, I think they're about to hook up, but he just ends up handling things himself.]

[Is the second female lead about to get written out? The male lead won't touch her at all. What's she supposed to do when her heat kicks in?]

I stared at the chat, lost in thought. 'Oh right, what should I do?'

There were so many new things in the human world that I'd totally forgotten about it.

Norris and I have been together since we were little, raised side by side like childhood friends.

When I was a kid, I was wandering around the mountains and picked up a chilly egg, then decided to use it as my pillow.

After sleeping on it for a while, it actually hatched.

Just like that, Norris, a slick little snake, grew up right in the middle of a fluffy rabbit den.

Everything was fine until I was about to come of age.

In our rabbit clan, we were supposed to pick our mates before we hit adulthood.

Because a month after we came of age, we went into a crazy heat. If no one helped us out, we might actually die from it.

All the other rabbits were terrified of Norris, and whenever they saw me, they'd avoid me like the plague.

With no other choice, Wesley had to make Norris and me become partners.

Norris never said he was against it, but the day after we formed our bond, Norris just up and left for the city. And he didn't show his face again for half a year.

With my heat creeping up, I grabbed a bunch of carrots and set off to track him down in the city.

But the city was so full of wild new stuff that I got completely sidetracked and forgot all about my original mission.

It was the chat comments that snapped me back to reality.

I'd just had my coming-of-age cake last week, which meant there was less than a month before my heat kicked in.

I really needed to hurry up and take care of this whole heat situation.

I camped out by the bathroom door for ages, and finally, the water stopped running.

Norris stepped out, a towel slung low around his waist, lazily drying his hair. Water droplets slid down his chiseled muscles, disappearing into the towel.

Norris looked just like one of those irresistible heartthrobs from the artbooks.

When I suddenly jumped at him, Norris was surprised, but he still held me tight without hesitation.

I hung onto him, staring right into his eyes as I spoke. "Norris, let's sleep together—the kind where we take off all our clothes."

I made a little gesture to show I was serious, even freeing up one hand to start undressing myself.

But just as I started to undress, Norris stopped me, grabbing my hand. He kept darting his eyes everywhere but mine, and what he said was totally random.

"Baby, the water's kinda cold tonight," Norris blurted out, clearly trying to change the subject.

'Bullshit.' I could feel the heat coming off his skin right where my legs were pressed against him.

Norris squirmed, trying to peel me off him. But I clung to him like a koala, refusing to let go.

I asked, "What does that have to do with us sleeping together?"

When he realized I wasn't letting go, Norris sighed in defeat and pressed a finger to my forehead.

Hit by his overwhelming predator aura, I instantly reverted to my bunny form, seething with frustration but totally helpless.

Norris, meanwhile, was cool as ever. He picked me up, switched off the lights, and bundled us under the covers all in one go.

"Of course it matters. When it gets chilly, snuggling with a little bunny keeps me nice and warm," Norris replied.

'That's not what I meant by sleeping together.'

Norris closed his eyes and started stroking my fur, totally ignoring my protests, acting like he was really about to drift off.

Annoyed, I kicked my front paws right onto his nose. 'Try sleeping now! Can a snake even breathe with its nose blocked?'

Norris didn't get mad at all. He just gave me a casual glance and, just like that, leaned in and kissed me.

I jerked my paws back, startled. 'Help. This guy's a total creep.'

When I woke up, Norris was already gone. After he got to the city, he's been out early and back late almost every single day.

I ran my hand over the cold spot in the bed, feeling a little down. 'Ugh, still didn't get to sleep with him.'

But my sadness only lasted a minute before I managed to cheer myself up. 'No big deal that Norris is out. I've still got Nancy around.'

Nancy's an elegant, long-legged crane, and honestly, nobody picks out cute outfits better than her.

I wrote a letter to Wesley. I ratted Norris out for refusing to sleep with me and all his other "offenses," and asked him to set me up with someone else.

Once I mailed it off, I headed out, feeling pretty pleased with myself.

Nancy never let me buy anything cheap or tacky. She was way better than Norris.

In just two hours, we scored big. Our arms were loaded with shopping bags.

We'd just plopped down to rest, arms loaded with shopping bags, when the chat suddenly flooded in.

[I'm kinda shipping the male lead and the second female lead now. He acts broke just to get her in those outfits, but when it comes to spending on her, he doesn't hold back at all.]