Matthew's POV We arrived at the counter, and just as I expected, the receptionist’s eyes lit up the moment they landed on him. It wasn’t subtle. Her expression shifted in an instant—like a gray sky suddenly split open by sunlight. Her posture straightened, her entire face animated with a kind of dazed reverence, like she had trained her whole life just for this moment—to smile at him and no one else. I watched her too closely. The way her lashes lowered as she blinked, slow and deliberate, like each movement was an invitation. The way her lips curled upward when she greeted him, voice coated in syrup, rich and golden, as if it had been sweetened just for the sound of his name. I hated it. I hated every saccharine second of it. Why does everyone act like he’s some rare celestial being? Like his presence alone is a blessing from the gods—charming, effortless, perfect? Why is it only me who feels this visceral, burning heat when he walks into a room? Not awe. Not delight. Just this
Matthew's POV I’m good for nothing. The thought didn’t just pass through my mind—it echoed, ricocheting off every corner of my skull like a relentless curse I couldn’t shut out. It thundered louder than any voice in the room, more piercing than any insult a stranger could hurl at me. Because these weren’t someone else’s words. They were mine. They came from somewhere deep and cruel inside me, and what made it worse was that I believed them. Fully. Completely. Unflinchingly. I wasn’t built for responsibility—not the kind that actually mattered. Not when someone’s life was in my hands. Not when Evelyn needed more than empty promises and reckless hope. When she needed someone to stand tall and fight for her, all I gave her was blind faith in a plan that never stood a chance. What I thought I was fixing… what I believed with every fiber of my being would free her… it was never even close to a solution. It was a delusion. A poorly dressed wound, hidden under a threadbare excuse for
I slid into the car and shut the door behind me, the soft click echoing a little too loudly in the quiet. The atmosphere inside felt... different. Heavy. Stifling, even. My hands fumbled over my lap as I settled into the seat, trying to look composed, but the truth was far from it. The silence between us wasn’t comfortable; it wasn’t the kind you slip into with someone you trust. No—this silence had sharp edges, pressing against my skin, suffocating me inch by inch. On ordinary days, I wouldn’t have given a damn. I’d have cracked a joke, leaned back, and ignored whatever tension lingered in the air. But right now? My heart was beating like a warning drum, and I couldn’t keep my mind from spiraling. A born flirt. A professional heartbreaker. My jaw tightened, the muscle twitching as I stared at him. If he kissed me like that—so deep, so sure, like I was the only one that mattered—how many others had tasted those lips before me? How many girls had been pulled into that orbit only t
Matthew's POV As soon as the car came to a halt, Adrian stepped out without a word. The door closed behind him with a dull, final click that seemed to echo louder than it should’ve. I didn’t move. I stayed rooted in place, my gaze fixed blankly on the dashboard, the soft glow of the controls blurring as my thoughts spiraled. My hands lay loosely clasped in my lap, unmoving, almost lifeless. A knot of confusion tightened in my chest, thick and unrelenting.Had I said something wrong? Something that pushed him away?I tried to trace the thread backward, hunting for the moment when the shift occurred—the second his mood had changed, when the air in the car grew colder, heavier. But nothing screamed out. No harsh words. No sarcasm. Nothing but an invisible wall that had suddenly risen between us, silent and immovable.The silence pressed in, heavy and suffocating, like a weighted blanket I hadn’t asked for. It sat on my shoulders, in my lungs, in my bones. My mind looped the last part of
I froze mid-step, heart seizing with a sudden, unexpected pang of guilt.It clawed through me out of nowhere—the realization that I hadn’t spoken to any of my friends in what felt like forever. Not just days. Weeks, maybe. Time had blurred together, slipping past while I’d been caught up in my own mess. I hadn’t noticed how far I’d drifted, how silent I’d become. And now, the silence wasn’t just mine—it had infected everything.What if they thought I’d abandoned them? Ignored them on purpose? Worse—what if they were angry? Hurt?A coil of panic tightened in my chest as I snatched my phone from where it lay buried under a twisted mess of sheets and blankets on my unmade bed. The screen lit up harshly, and I squinted at the brightness, blinking against the sting. My thumb moved quickly, muscle memory guiding me straight to the group chat.Silence.A wide, empty silence. Like stepping into a room after a fight—thick, tense, and echoing with unspoken things.Matthew: Group is dead silent.
I wasn’t prepared for the wave of familiarity that crashed over me the moment I stepped into the event hall. It hit hard—like a tide I didn’t see coming. The soft lighting overhead casts a golden hue across the room, making everything feel strangely dreamlike. Faces I hadn’t seen in years filled the space, some aged by time’s quiet touch, others still clinging to the same goofy, untamed energy they wore in high school. The smell of perfume and cologne mingled with the faint scent of polished floors and catered appetizers, adding to the sensory overload.Laughter rang out from various corners, a backdrop to the hum of overlapping conversations and the occasional cheer erupting from those sudden, emotional reunions. It felt surreal—like I had walked into a memory that had been playing on repeat somewhere far back in my mind, and now, suddenly, I was living in it.I stood there, rooted in place, caught off guard by how easily the past had found me. I knew, on paper, that this event was a
Matthew's POV Confusion struck me like a thunderstorm erupting in the middle of a sunlit afternoon—unexpected, brutal, and relentless. It crashed over me, flooding my sanity, blurring the lines between what I knew and what I thought I knew. One moment, everything made sense. Next, I was drowning in betrayal, every breath harder than the last. My feet refused to move, rooted to the floor like I’d turned to stone. I watched them—Adrian and Lily—wrapped in a moment that should’ve never existed. A living, breathing portrait of everything I feared.His hand brushed hers.So simple. So damning.When Adrian’s gaze collided with mine through the crowd, my lungs clenched, useless. He didn’t look away fast enough to spare me the devastation, nor long enough to explain himself. But even that fraction of a second stole the air from my chest. The world shrank to nothing but the sound of blood roaring in my ears, like a tidal wave crashing inward.He didn't flinch. He didn’t hesitate. He just turn
The night spun out of control in the most unexpected way. As I lay there, the remnants of our heated passion clung to my mind. It felt surreal—yet deeply satisfying—as if I had crossed a line I never imagined I would. And somehow, I didn’t regret it. Adrian and I had never gone that far. We fought, hurled insults, pushed each other’s buttons—but this? This changed everything. It wasn’t just a kiss or even the raw, uninhibited sex. It was the fact that, for once, I was sober. And I wanted it. That truth slammed into me like a freight train. The feeling felt so unfamiliar. I’d always claimed to be straight. Women have always been my preference. I built my life around that certainty. But in those moments with Adrian, my resolve crumbled, slipping away like sand through my fingers. I didn’t understand it. It wasn’t supposed to happen—especially not like this. But the second his lips touched mine, I craved him with a hunger I couldn’t explain. I remembered how he kissed me—better than
Matthew's POV Adrian sank heavily onto the couch, his breath coming in sharp, uneven gasps, his eyes already burning with a hunger that eclipsed everything else. It wasn’t just desire—it was something darker, something primal. And I could feel it, too, swirling inside me, pulling me toward him like gravity. I followed his lead, my legs slipping around his waist as I straddled him, the heat of his body colliding with mine in a rush that set every nerve on fire. Our bodies slammed together like two storms, tearing through each other, both of us desperate to be pulled apart and stitched back together in a single, violent union.There was no room for hesitation. No time for restraint. Our lips crashed together, urgently, demanding, a collision of fire and needed to obliterate everything else. The outside world vanished in that instant, leaving only the raw, undeniable truth: nothing mattered but this, nothing could ever matter more.We kissed like the earth was ending. Like the world had
I no longer cared about the world outside that room—or the chaos clawing at the back of my mind, screaming for attention like a neglected child. Let it scream. Let it howl. Its voice was a distant echo now, fading into irrelevance. I used to live in that noise. I used to drown in it, second-guessing every impulsive choice, every reckless breath that felt too wild, too fast, too dangerous to be mine. I used to ask myself if I was spiraling.But not anymore.Tonight, I didn’t need clarity. I didn’t want a reason.I wanted this.I wanted him.The air between us pulsed with something raw, something unspoken and untamed. The dim lighting draped the room in golden shadows, blurring the harshness of our sins until they almost looked beautiful. His mouth found mine like it was always meant to—urgent, rough, aching. There was no grace in our kiss, no gentle prelude. It was a collision. Violent. Unapologetic. It tasted like desperation and heat and a thousand broken promises we didn't care to f
Matthew's POV "You misjudged us," Lily said all of a sudden, her voice cutting through the silence like a blade. I frowned, thrown off completely.I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I might be gay—or at least not straight. Whatever label I was supposed to wear, I wasn’t ready for it. And now here she was, throwing in another curveball that only tangled up my already twisted thoughts."Just like you, I too am in a state of dilemma," she said, pausing for a breath, her eyes flickering with something soft—regret, maybe. "I wasn't sure at first, but after kissing Adrian... and then kissing you... I'm more than certain now."She swallowed, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her mouth."I like her."My frown deepened. The hell is she talking about? And like who?"Jennie, you slow wink... don't get all worked up," she teased.Then it hit me.Realization crashed into me like a wave slapping across the face. My eyes widened, and I blinked slowly."You like girls?" I a
The night spun out of control in the most unexpected way. As I lay there, the remnants of our heated passion clung to my mind. It felt surreal—yet deeply satisfying—as if I had crossed a line I never imagined I would. And somehow, I didn’t regret it. Adrian and I had never gone that far. We fought, hurled insults, pushed each other’s buttons—but this? This changed everything. It wasn’t just a kiss or even the raw, uninhibited sex. It was the fact that, for once, I was sober. And I wanted it. That truth slammed into me like a freight train. The feeling felt so unfamiliar. I’d always claimed to be straight. Women have always been my preference. I built my life around that certainty. But in those moments with Adrian, my resolve crumbled, slipping away like sand through my fingers. I didn’t understand it. It wasn’t supposed to happen—especially not like this. But the second his lips touched mine, I craved him with a hunger I couldn’t explain. I remembered how he kissed me—better than
Matthew's POV Confusion struck me like a thunderstorm erupting in the middle of a sunlit afternoon—unexpected, brutal, and relentless. It crashed over me, flooding my sanity, blurring the lines between what I knew and what I thought I knew. One moment, everything made sense. Next, I was drowning in betrayal, every breath harder than the last. My feet refused to move, rooted to the floor like I’d turned to stone. I watched them—Adrian and Lily—wrapped in a moment that should’ve never existed. A living, breathing portrait of everything I feared.His hand brushed hers.So simple. So damning.When Adrian’s gaze collided with mine through the crowd, my lungs clenched, useless. He didn’t look away fast enough to spare me the devastation, nor long enough to explain himself. But even that fraction of a second stole the air from my chest. The world shrank to nothing but the sound of blood roaring in my ears, like a tidal wave crashing inward.He didn't flinch. He didn’t hesitate. He just turn
I wasn’t prepared for the wave of familiarity that crashed over me the moment I stepped into the event hall. It hit hard—like a tide I didn’t see coming. The soft lighting overhead casts a golden hue across the room, making everything feel strangely dreamlike. Faces I hadn’t seen in years filled the space, some aged by time’s quiet touch, others still clinging to the same goofy, untamed energy they wore in high school. The smell of perfume and cologne mingled with the faint scent of polished floors and catered appetizers, adding to the sensory overload.Laughter rang out from various corners, a backdrop to the hum of overlapping conversations and the occasional cheer erupting from those sudden, emotional reunions. It felt surreal—like I had walked into a memory that had been playing on repeat somewhere far back in my mind, and now, suddenly, I was living in it.I stood there, rooted in place, caught off guard by how easily the past had found me. I knew, on paper, that this event was a
I froze mid-step, heart seizing with a sudden, unexpected pang of guilt.It clawed through me out of nowhere—the realization that I hadn’t spoken to any of my friends in what felt like forever. Not just days. Weeks, maybe. Time had blurred together, slipping past while I’d been caught up in my own mess. I hadn’t noticed how far I’d drifted, how silent I’d become. And now, the silence wasn’t just mine—it had infected everything.What if they thought I’d abandoned them? Ignored them on purpose? Worse—what if they were angry? Hurt?A coil of panic tightened in my chest as I snatched my phone from where it lay buried under a twisted mess of sheets and blankets on my unmade bed. The screen lit up harshly, and I squinted at the brightness, blinking against the sting. My thumb moved quickly, muscle memory guiding me straight to the group chat.Silence.A wide, empty silence. Like stepping into a room after a fight—thick, tense, and echoing with unspoken things.Matthew: Group is dead silent.
Matthew's POV As soon as the car came to a halt, Adrian stepped out without a word. The door closed behind him with a dull, final click that seemed to echo louder than it should’ve. I didn’t move. I stayed rooted in place, my gaze fixed blankly on the dashboard, the soft glow of the controls blurring as my thoughts spiraled. My hands lay loosely clasped in my lap, unmoving, almost lifeless. A knot of confusion tightened in my chest, thick and unrelenting.Had I said something wrong? Something that pushed him away?I tried to trace the thread backward, hunting for the moment when the shift occurred—the second his mood had changed, when the air in the car grew colder, heavier. But nothing screamed out. No harsh words. No sarcasm. Nothing but an invisible wall that had suddenly risen between us, silent and immovable.The silence pressed in, heavy and suffocating, like a weighted blanket I hadn’t asked for. It sat on my shoulders, in my lungs, in my bones. My mind looped the last part of
I slid into the car and shut the door behind me, the soft click echoing a little too loudly in the quiet. The atmosphere inside felt... different. Heavy. Stifling, even. My hands fumbled over my lap as I settled into the seat, trying to look composed, but the truth was far from it. The silence between us wasn’t comfortable; it wasn’t the kind you slip into with someone you trust. No—this silence had sharp edges, pressing against my skin, suffocating me inch by inch. On ordinary days, I wouldn’t have given a damn. I’d have cracked a joke, leaned back, and ignored whatever tension lingered in the air. But right now? My heart was beating like a warning drum, and I couldn’t keep my mind from spiraling. A born flirt. A professional heartbreaker. My jaw tightened, the muscle twitching as I stared at him. If he kissed me like that—so deep, so sure, like I was the only one that mattered—how many others had tasted those lips before me? How many girls had been pulled into that orbit only t