The roar of Neel’s motorcycle vibrated beneath me as we weaved through the streets, heading toward the college. The wind whipped past, tousling my hair despite the helmet I was wearing, and I gripped his waist just a little tighter as we leaned into a turn. It wasn’t the first time I’d ridden with him, but there was still that initial thrill that came with being on a bike. Neel had joked about it earlier, when I climbed on the back, saying, “Hold tight on my waist or else I won't be taking the blame if you fly away. That would completely fall on you.” He wasn't wrong. The way Neel flirted with me earlier was lighthearted, like something out of a novel—charming and full of wit—and that's how I realized he didn’t mean anything serious by it. He loved literature, after all, and that meant quoting from his favourite books or playing into a character wasn’t unusual for him. It felt like a game, one that I didn’t mind playing along with. Even my heart didn’t skip a beat the way it
The rest of the day dragged on, my thoughts endlessly looping around the text from dad and my reply to him. I was in my Chemistry class, staring at the equations on the whiteboard, but none of them made sense. Covalent bonds, molecular structures—I usually enjoyed this part of the class, but today, the words blurred into one another, and I could barely concentrate. I found myself doodling mindlessly on the corner of my notebook, my mind somewhere else entirely. The professor's voice became background noise as I replayed that message over and over in my head. ‘Come live with me in London. It’s time we talk. Stop being a gold digger.’ The initial texts sounded like something straight out of a formal letter, not a father reaching out to his daughter after years of silence, and the end was something fathers with sound mind shouldn't ever tell their daughters. He hadn’t called or messaged in so long, not since I blocked his old number after one too many hurtful arguments. So why no
The drive back home was steeped in silence, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Dev seemed to understand, as he always did, that I wasn’t in the mood to talk. I appreciated his ability to read the room. His hands stayed steady on the wheel, and he didn’t make any attempts to break the silence with idle conversation. I just watched the world blur past through the window, the late evening sky turning a deeper shade of indigo and pink. My mind swirled with fragmented thoughts—about the past, and memories from London. By the time we pulled into the driveway, the house loomed larger and grander in front of me. My chest tightened slightly, noticing the money it must have taken Derek to build the house for his family. He was a rich businessman with lots of wealth and name all around the country. The house spoke of money, but there was something oddly comforting about the house too, as if its walls held an unspoken promise that no matter what, things would settle down in time.When we walked ins
The words didn’t register at first. My brain struggled to process what he was saying. ‘An accident?’ I blinked, staring at him as if waiting for some sort of clarification, but none came. All I could hear was the blood rushing in my ears, muffling the room around me, warping everything into an echo. The furniture, the walls, everything seemed to blur as I stared blankly at Caspian, waiting for him to correct himself, to explain that it wasn’t what I thought. That it wasn’t as bad as it sounded.‘Dad... in an accident? But how? How? What accident?” my mind latched onto the last text I had received from him, just a few hours ago. He was fine. He was fine the whole time as he kept sending me all those nasty messages. I remembered staring at my phone earlier, his messages still fresh. There wasn’t a hint of trouble or danger. He was okay then, so how could everything change in just a few hours? “What?” I finally managed, my voice barely above a whisper. The word came out strangled, as
The weight of everything bore down on me as I stood in that room, surrounded by faces that looked at me with concern and sympathy, but I felt utterly alone. The rush of emotions—fear, anger, guilt—swirled inside me, making it hard to breathe. I was furious at my dad for everything he'd put me through, for the cruel words, for abandoning me, and yet the thought of him lying there, possibly dying, filled me with a kind of dread that swallowed every other feeling. “Do you… need water?” Harry asked standing next to me, cutting the awkward silence. “Or anything?” “No, thank you. I am fine,” I replied, trying not to get annoyed at him. “I don't need anything right.” “You are not fine, Kat.” He was sincere with his words but I didn't like the way he was looking at me. “What happened with your father is bad, I understand, but you need to look after yourself too.” “I'm not the one in the hospital. I'm doing perfectly fine here.” “Okay, Harry stop,” Dev said, trying to hold back the
MomThe caller ID read and I stared at the screen, my heart pounding louder than the ringing of the phone. My fingers were shaking and eyes burning from crying. The word ‘Mom’ flashed in front of my eyes, a reminder of the past that I could never escape. I hesitated for a second before picking it up, feeling a mix of confusion and dread. The last thing I wanted right now was more tension, but I knew I couldn't escape it. My throat tightened as I pressed the answer button, barely able to speak. “Hello?” I said, pressing the phone to my ear. My voice came out weaker than I intended. “Katherine,” my mom’s voice came through, soft at first. It was different—less cold than I remembered. There was a slight tremble, as if she was unsure of what she was going to say. “Derek told me about your dad. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”Her tone was surprisingly gentle, and for a brief moment, I felt a flicker of comfort. Maybe, just maybe, this conversation wouldn’t spiral into something
The plane hummed quietly beneath us as we soared through the night sky. The world outside the window was shrouded in darkness, just like my thoughts, with only the faint twinkling of stars to remind me that there was still life out there, somewhere. I stared out the small window, but my mind was far away from the present—lost in a sea of tangled thoughts and distant memories. “Don't worry, everything is going to be absolutely fine,” Lucas tried to convince me. He was sitting on the seat next to me, holding my hand in his hand. “I talked to dad before boarding the plane. Robert was out of the operation theatre. He is doing okay. He will probably be awake by the time we reach London.” “I know, mom texted me earlier,” I said quietly, letting him hold my hand. I needed some human contact to remind me I wasn't alone. He sighed as I continued, “I just… I need to see him with my own eyes to convince my heart that he is really fine.” “I understand,” Lucas said, sinking into his seat to
The car sped through the dimly lit streets of London, rain gently pattering against the windows. The city I once knew, with its familiar landmarks and winding roads, had transformed. It felt like a distant memory, a place that had once been home but now felt like a foreign place. I pressed my face to the window, the fog of my breath misting the glass as I watched the blur of lights and shadows pass by. Beside me, Lucas stretched his arms over his head, groaning softly as he blinked the sleep from his eyes. “How long was I out?” he mumbled, still half-asleep. “The whole flight,” I said, smirking. “You didn’t miss much, though. We just flew across an ocean.” Lucas chuckled, his laughter lightening the tension in the car for a brief moment. He turned to Caspian, who was seated on my other side, his expression unreadable. “You get any sleep?” Lucas asked, clumsily moving to sit properly. Caspian shrugged, his gaze still focused out the window. “Just a little,” he said quietly. His
“She wouldn't play with Dad like that, would she?” His question made me uncomfortable because Mom was doing exactly that. She was with Derek because of his money and she claimed he knew that too and was fine with it, but I didn't know if I could pass that information to Leo or not. Whatever agreement they had was between them, and I believed it wasn't my place to share that with his sons. Thus, I hid the truth but didn't tell him lies about Mom either. “I don't know her enough to comment about that. She hasn't been around much and you know she dated a lot of men between my Dad and yours.” “Still, she's your mother,” Leo tried to pull out any information, it was understandable that he was worried about Derek. “You must know something.” “I know that she's not the most responsible person on the planet, and didn't care about her daughter for years,” I said, remembering how I wanted to leave with her when Dad and her divorced. “Apart from that, she's just a stranger to me. I guarant
“Leo likes Kat's friend, and we just had a little disagreement about it,” Derek explained to Mom while she came to stand behind him. He was still sitting on the stool idly tracing a pattern on the marble top while trying to gather his thoughts. He looked older that morning, weighed down by the events that took place the night before. His brows were furrowed, lips pressed into a thin line, and his eyes were fixed somewhere far beyond the kitchen. “Oh! you didn't tell me about him?” Mom turned to look at Leo with curled lips. “Wait, is he the guy you've been texting recently.” Leo looked away, embarrassed. “And you told me it was someone from the class.”“You knew about it, yet didn't tell me anything?” Derek said suddenly and his voice carried that heavy, parental mix of frustration and concern. Though he didn't sound angry. “You should have told me earlier.”“I wasn't sure about it myself. Besides, I thought he was someone Kat was interested in,” she said, turning to look at me. “I
“Actually, Dad, I like Diego.” “No, you don't!” Derek almost laughed as he said those words. “You are too young to understand love.” “I'm an adult, and I'm talking about liking him and not being in love with him.” Leo walked to give Caspian a side hug and stood by his side instead of looking at Derek while he spoke. “I can do what I want.”“You don't have my permission to date some random guy you picked from the roads.” The kitchen felt like a pressure cooker, the air around us suddenly became too thick for comfort. I could feel it—the tension that hung between everyone, and how each breath sounded heavier than the last.I was standing by the island, pretending to look at the coffee mugs lined up on the shelf, but my mind was a swirl of thoughts. I could feel the shift, the quiet unease. Something was wrong, and it wasn’t just the way Derek responded to Leo, but something else was going on. I didn't know what it was, but I could feel it in my bones. The moment had been creeping u
My eyes fluttered open slowly, and I saw the sunlight streaming through the balcony in my bedroom. I groaned tiredly, my whole body was heavy with exhaustion from the previous night. For a brief, disoriented moment, I wondered if it had all been a dream—the party, the argument, the fight, the tension hanging so thick in the air it almost made me feel suffocation. My heart lurched as a thought shot through my mind. Caspian. ‘Is he still here?’ I questioned myself and turned my head quickly, scanning the room for any sign of him. The bed beside me was empty. No lingering warmth, no trace of his presence anywhere. I once again melted under the covers as a wave of relief washed over me. Though it mingled with a strange, inexplicable disappointment. I wasn’t sure which emotion was stronger; the relief of not being caught with him or the disappointment of not waking up in his arms. I touched my lips, remembering the way he kissed me in the tree house. His hands tenderly played with my
Caspian’s hand was warm as he took mine in his own and led me through the creeping shadows of the forest. The branches of the trees above us whispered secrets to each other. And our only companion in that dark night was the faint glow of moonlight filtering through the branches that swayed under the spell of the wind. The sounds of the birthday party faded behind us; the hum of voices and the music became a distant murmur that we couldn't hear anymore. I felt a strange sense of anticipation, like we were sneaking away to a place that existed just for the two of us. He stopped in front of a large oak that stood tall near their house. Its branches stretched in all directions, and the trunk was so wide that it would require at least seven people standing hand in hand to fully encircle it. The bark of the tree was rough and weathered, telling stories of countless seasons that had passed. A ladder was nailed into it, and it disappeared into the darkness above. Caspian’s lips curled
The music from the sound system thumped gently in the background, blending with the laughter and chatter that floated through the cool, soothing air of Lake Willow.The fairy lights strung along the trees cast a warm, golden glow across the boathouse and the surrounding clearing. Everything was perfect, in a way I hadn’t expected it to be. But then again, it wasn’t the beautiful decorations or the tasty cake that made the night special. It was the people—my brothers, my family—finally feeling like they had a place to just be.I watched Harry moving through the dance floor, surrounded by his friends, with joy in his eyes. He was laughing; his arms were flailing in a carefree rhythm that made me smile despite the fear of what Dad might do tomorrow, eating away my brain cells. If he decided to throw us out, I had to take care of my brothers and provide them with necessities. To most of their cards, Dad still had access, and he could freeze their account whenever he wanted; thankfully,
I already knew about the surprise party; Harry did too. The way Kat, Dev and others had tried to be subtle, sneaking around and exchanging knowing glances, was almost comical. Leo couldn't be sneaky, even if it cost him his life. I heard him speaking about the surprise on the phone more than once, while Harry guessed it seeing the way others interacted with each other. Both me and Harry figured it out days ago, but neither of us said a word to anyone. Pretending not to know felt easier than watching their faces fall, realizing all their hard work would go to waste. They wanted the day to be special—for us. Despite everything—the strained dinner conversations and the silences that cut sharper than words—we didn’t want to ruin it for them. We didn’t want to ruin their mood and take away the one thing they thought would make our day special. They were already going against Dad by planning the surprise. As we walked toward the boathouse, the air was still dense due to the argument
“A surprise?” I nodded my head, forcing a small smile. “Yeah, a surprise for you and Harry. Come with us and I promise you, it will be better than this.” He laughed, “Anything in this world is going to be better than this.” Dev looked down to lock eyes with Ian and, in a soft, love-filled voice, said, “I am sorry for not doing anything and letting you go through all of this; let me and the others show how much we love you.” “Y-you don't have to show me anything, I know,” Ian took a shaky breath and nodded before wrapping his arms around Dev. Just then, Caspian and Lucas appeared with Harry in tow. They were laughing about something, but when they noticed Dev and Ian, they stopped. A veil of confusion covered their faces as they tried to figure out what happened. “What’s going on?” Harry’s brow furrowed, and his eyes flickered between us. “Are you okay?” “Yeah, it was Alaric, forget about him,” Ian said, pulling away from Dev and then turned towards the others. “Did they
I saw Diego standing near the entrance with a small bag in his hand as I tried not to look at the people checking me out. He had a tense smile on his lips and looked lost, I almost laughed seeing him looking for me. He pulled his phone out and stepped to the side, hiding away from the stolen glances he received from ladies near him. He looked sharp in the blue suit he was wearing and had his hair slicked back. My phone started to ring and I realised he was calling me. I was about to pick up the call when he looked in my direction, and our eyes met, I waved my hand, and with a faint smile, he walked towards me. He had a little jump in his steps that he was trying to hide, but when he looked at me completely, his jaw was on the grass. All the nervousness due to being in an event like that and the unease from before was gone. His eyes sparkled and I felt Caspian turning towards him. “Wow,” he said, mesmerized as he looked up and down. Weirdly, with Diego, I didn't feel creeped out li