14. Into the Cliff

The night air was crisp, carrying the faint scent of autumn leaves as Savannah and Cassian strolled side by side. The streets were quiet, illuminated by flickering streetlights that cast long shadows on the pavement.

It had been an unexpectedly peaceful evening—just the two of them, sharing ice cream, laughing at stupid things, and for a moment, it felt like the chaos of the past few days didn’t exist.

Savannah turned to look at Cassian. He was gazing ahead, his jaw clenched as if lost in thought. The dim glow from the lights traced the sharp angles of his face, making him look almost… vulnerable.

"Hey," she said softly, nudging his arm. "You good?"

He exhaled, stopping in his tracks. She stopped too, facing him.

Cassian ran a hand through his hair, looking at her as if debating something. Then, without warning, he took a step closer.

"I was a dick earlier," he said. "Back at my place."

Savannah blinked. "Uh… yeah. No argument there."

A ghost of a smirk flickered on his lips, but it disappeared just as quickly.

"I shouldn’t have reacted like that. I shouldn’t have let you leave like that." His voice was raw, the arrogance stripped away. "But, Savannah…" He swallowed, his throat bobbing. "This—" He gestured between them. "This is real. Too real for me to sit here and pretend it’s just some game."

Her breath hitched.

Everything about the way he was looking at her made the world around them disappear. His eyes were dark, unreadable, but filled with something intense—something dangerous.

"Cassian—"

Before she could finish, his hands cupped her face, warm and steady, and then his lips brushed against hers.

It was soft at first, hesitant, as if he was waiting for her to pull away. But she didn’t.

And that was all the encouragement he needed.

Cassian deepened the kiss, his grip tightening, pulling her closer. His lips were warm, demanding, filled with everything he wasn’t saying. Savannah’s hands found their way to his shirt, gripping the fabric as her heart pounded in her chest.

She was drowning in him, in the way he kissed her like she was something fragile and precious, yet set ablaze all at once.

When they finally pulled away, breathless, Cassian rested his forehead against hers.

"Tell me that felt fake," he whispered.

Savannah opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Because no. That was the farthest thing from fake.

Just then, Cassian’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He ignored it.

Another buzz. Then another.

And then—his phone started ringing non-stop.

Savannah pulled back, blinking. "Cassian, answer it. It might be important."

He let out an annoyed sigh and fished his phone out, glancing at the screen.

‘Nate.’

Frowning, he picked up. "What?"

"Check your I*******m. Now."

Cassian’s stomach twisted. There was something in Nate’s voice that sent a cold shiver down his spine.

"Nate, what the hell are you—"

"Suzy just uploaded a video," Nate cut him off.

Cassian went still.

His entire body turned rigid, his heartbeat thundering in his ears. This was the worst timing possible. He had just confessed. This was not the time for whatever Suzy had done.

Before he could react, Savannah’s phone started ringing too.

She groaned, pulling it out. "Jesus, what is it now—"

She saw the caller ID.

David.

Great.

"What?" she answered, exasperated.

"Where are you?" His voice was sharp, urgent.

"None of—"

"Savannah, I know you hate me, but now is not the time," David snapped. "Tell me your location."

Something about the way he said it sent a spike of anxiety through her.

"Okay, geez," she mumbled. "I’m near the old record store on West Avenue. What’s wrong?"

But David had already hung up.

At the same moment, a notification popped up on her phone.

‘New message from ‘General School Group Chat’

Her fingers trembled as she opened it.

A video.

Her heart stopped.

She pressed play.

The video was taken in a dimly lit bar, the camera shaky. Cassian was there, sitting with his friends. A girl—Suzy—was draped across his lap, trailing her lips along his neck. Laughter echoed in the background.

Then, his voice.

"That Savannah girl is gonna fall in love with me. I’m gonna make that perfect little princess fall for me and show her place."

The world tilted.

Savannah’s blood ran cold.

She couldn’t breathe.

The voices in the video continued, the taunts, the laughter, the careless words that cut deeper than any blade.

**"Haha—she definitely must be a virgin. She’s Mary."**

Everything around her blurred.

The Cassian in the video was smirking, laughing, cocky. The Cassian who had just kissed her, who had just told her this was real—was he even the same person?

A sharp pain spread through her chest, her fingers tightening around the phone.

Cassian cursed under his breath as he checked his own phone, seeing the video himself.

"Fuck," he muttered.

Savannah looked up at him, her expression unreadable. But there was something in her eyes—something broken.

"You knew," she whispered.

Cassian’s head snapped up. "Savannah—"

"You knew this was a bet," her voice was quieter this time, shaking.

"No, it’s not like that," Cassian stepped closer, but she took a step back.

"Don’t." Her voice cracked. "Don’t you dare come closer."

Cassian’s throat was dry. He had to fix this.

But how do you fix something when the damage has already been done?