Chapter 24: FearsKai’s P.O.V“One month?” Cole raised his eyebrows at me as I told him about Friday night.It was Sunday morning and neither Cole nor I, had anywhere to be.Night on the other hand, had gone off to his parent’s, to spend the day with his folks. I hadn't asked much as he left in the morning, because he looked reluctant to go back home.I never asked him about his family, but from the looks of it, there was certainly some kind of trouble.“One month.” I repeated, nodding my head at Cole’s surprised expression.“I’m surprised he even agreed to such a stupid proposition.” Cole shook his head, stuffing a bunch of French fries into his mouth. “Especially after the shit you’re putting him through.”“Cole…” I narrowed my eyes at my best friend.“What?” He frowned. “I’m telling you the truth and that too, quite nicely. You won’t get that from someone else. They’d just punch you in the face and be done with it!”“Wow…thanks a lot man! Just the kind of confidence I needed.” I ro
Chapter 25: An Incomprehensible RealityNight’s P.O.VBreakfast on a Sunday morning was exactly how I thought it was going to be…My mother immersed with her PA as they went on to discuss their next charity event. My father on his phone with his secretary about what recent mayhem he thinks is going on with his company. And me at the opposite end of the table, wanting nothing more than to finish my breakfast and get the fuck out of here as soon as I could.I didn’t particularly show up at my house on a Sunday, but today, I had been summoned here for some reason. My parents had both been away on business trips for the last couple months and had finally returned home.And even though my mother had called to see me at home because she ‘missed’ me; nothing about this scenario told me that I had been missed in the slightest.So I stashed my bacons and eggs between the two buttered toasts I had on my plate, and ate it as a sandwich, so I could get breakfast over with as quickly as possible.
Chapter 26: Pairing UpKai’s P.O.V“People’s choice is so overrated.” I let out another sigh as I took in the array of clothes lined up in front of me. “Why do I have to do this all over again this year as well? Wasn’t two years enough?”“I’m guessing that the girls want to get you bare chested and in the pool once again.” Zach laughed at my sour expression. “Remember how those pictures got over 50k likes last year?”I narrowed my eyes at the Student Council President. “You’re having an awful lot of fun with this, aren’t you?”“Look, girls want some eye candy.” He shrugged shamelessly. “And my duty, as the Student Council President, is to provide them with exactly what they want.”“Zachary Billard!” I snapped at the fourth year med student. “You’re supposed to help students in distress! Not feed us to the sharks!”“I promise the pool is shark free!” He held up his hands in surrender, a wide grin plastered on his face. “If you start making even more fuss, I’ll have you wear g-strings.”
Chapter 27: JealousyKai’s P.O.V“Huh?” I blinked, several times, to try to understand the reason behind the sudden sharpness in his voice.“Don’t ‘huh’ me!” His eyes narrowed to slits as he gave me a thunderous expression. “You told me to not go around dating or having one-night stands, but here you are, frolicking around like a harlot!”“Excuse me?” A harlot? Was he kidding me! What fucking era was this again?Letting go of my collar, he brushed his fingers on my neck, making me shiver involuntarily, even though I tried to hide the reaction.And then he brought his fingers up to my face, making me narrow my eyes so I could look at what he was trying to show me.“Glitter?” I asked incredulously.“Unless you’re parading around with some woman in your arms…” he spoke through gritted teeth, “explain to me how glitter ended up on your neck!”“Huh?” I stood up straight, since bending down to Night’s level to talk to him was giving me back pain, and then I wiped at my neck with my own hand
Chapter 28: Tops and Bottoms Kai’s P.O.V “Do I have to pair up with her?” Night whined for the thousandth time as I finally got him to eat something before he plopped back down onto his bed. “Why can’t it be anyone else?” “I tried to negotiate with Zach, the student body president, but he doesn’t want to.” I shrugged, finishing up on my assignments as I sat on the table right opposite to Night’s bed. “At least he’s not having us do couple’s photoshoots in the pool.” “That doesn’t sound so bad…” Night frowned. “Is it?” “Considering that Ruby and I ended up having sex in the changing room last year?” I raised my eyebrows, my lips tilting up in a smirk when I saw Night’s expression sour. “Yup. I think it is.” “At least that’s not happening with me.” He grumbled under his breath, before he sat up with his pillow clutched in his arms. “What about you? Who are you paired with this year?” “Ah…I think her name is Saya? She’s a freshman from Commerce.” I shrugged. “Pretty cute if you ask
Chapter 29: Relationship StatusLandon’s P.O.VI was woken up from my peaceful slumber by the morning sunlight filtering in through the silk curtains.I raised my hands above my head and stretched, feeling my bones creaking and my sore body protesting as the last vestiges of sleep left my eyes. A pounding in my head told me that I might have been dead drunk when I went to sleep last night, and I was going to be paying the consequences of that throughout the day.Groggily, I looked around the unfamiliar room, rubbing my fingers on my temples, trying to understand why I was here in the first place, that too, naked and under some very expensive silk sheets that I knew I could never afford in this lifetime.I felt the soft sheets under my palms, pulling them firmly over my body to cover me up to my waist. I found pieces of my clothing scattered all over the floor and I wanted to reach for them, but I was still dazed and a little confused to actually leave the bed.The bedroom itself was h
Chapter 30: Falling FastKai’s P.O.V“Are you sure you’re up to this?” I asked Night as he sat on his bed, trying to get dressed for classes as he struggled with his socks. “The pool shoot will require you to get in the water and your fever still hasn’t gone down yet.”“I’m sure.” He insisted. “I feel a lot better already.”I highly doubted that from the way he looked like death warmed over, but I didn’t say anything else. He was a big boy. He should be able to handle himself…right?“I’ll drop you off at your faculty.” I told him firmly as I got off my bed and slung my backpack over my shoulders before taking his backpack in my hands.Night looked like he wanted to protest, but one look from me over my shoulders shut him up. “Fine.” He grumbled, finally able to put both of his socks on his feet before he stood up from the bed and put on his shoes next.“Let’s just get going. I don’t want to be late for class.” He came to stand beside me, putting out his hand so that I could place his
Chapter 31: Possessive Streak Night’s P.O.VConsidering that Kai has been my shadow since last evening…why was I even surprised to find him standing outside my faculty building at 3PM, with poor Cole at his toe acting like his chauffer?Did he really think I didn’t know that he had texted Cole this morning to get his car so he could drop me off at the faculty?As cute as I found this whole possessive-dominant streak to be, and I’d rather he show it in bed than just boss me around, I could tell from Cole’s expression that he was both amused as well as annoyed at the two of us, especially at Kai.Amused because Kai wasn’t always this sweet, so yeah, watching his bestie breaking a sweat trying to care for me was actually kinda cute. And annoyed because Cole now had to be dragged around everywhere behind the two of us, when he probably had much better things to do.Also…the fact that pretty much every girl and a few men on campus were now checking out Kai, who was leaning against Cole’s
Chapter 115: A Glimpse into the FutureKai’s P.O.V“You went to play gold with Mr. Williams?” Night folded his arms across his chest, his frown deepening with every passing second. “The School principal?”“Come on, babe, it was just a stupid game!” I sighed, rubbing at my temples. “I didn’t even score and stood off to the side listening to him talk about charity and stuff!”“You know what he’s like, Kai! How could you?” He snapped, his temper flaring.And to add insult to injury, Kelly rounded the corner at that moment, her backpack slung over her shoulders as she picked up an apple from the fruit basket on the table. “Also…word has it that he targets hot DILF’s, especially married ones.” She added with a smug smile.“Kelly! What the hell!” I snapped at my seventeen year old daughter, who simply shrugged and stood to the side, munching on her apple. “You’re just making this worse!”“I’m just saying what the mom’s are saying.” She shrugged again.“And how, pray tell, do you know what a
Chapter 114: AlwaysKai’s P.O.VSix years later…The beach stretched out before us in endless waves of sapphire and teal, the soft rush of the tide a soothing soundtrack to the most important day of our lives.We had chosen Night’s father’s beach house in Florida as the venue—an idyllic spot with sprawling, sun-kissed sand and a gentle breeze that carried the salt of the sea.A pathway of white rose petals led from the entrance of the beach house to the altar, which was an artful arch made of intertwined driftwood, adorned with clusters of white lilies and ivy.Delicate strings of fairy lights were wrapped around nearby palm trees, and lanterns hung at varying heights, swaying gently with the breeze as they caught the late afternoon sunlight, creating a warm golden glow.A canopy of sheer white fabric fluttered above rows of white wooden chairs, draped with ribbons of blue and green that mirrored the colors of the ocean.Guests filled the seats, familiar faces and old friends from col
Chapter 113: A Post-Engagement Treat Kai’s P.O.VThe last of our friends were starting to head out, their faces lit up with tired but content smiles, like they’d just had a blast. It had been a good celebration, and I could tell they were happy for us.First, Cole stepped up, his tall frame looming in the doorway as he flashed us his usual wide grin. "You two really knocked it out of the park with this place," he said, throwing an arm around Night’s shoulder and giving him a playful nudge. "I’m glad you guys are starting fresh. Don’t mess it up, alright?"Night rolled his eyes, but the smile on his face said he wasn’t actually annoyed. "We’ll try not to, Cole.""Good. Well, I’ll leave you to it. Don’t go getting into too much trouble now." He gave us a mock salute before stepping out the door, waving as he disappeared into the hallway. Landon, with his usual goofy grin, was holding Devon’s hand like he couldn’t quite bring himself to let go. "This night was awesome, guys," he said,
Chapter 112: This Is HomeKai’s P.O.VA few days later, we drove to the condo unit that Jonathan had previously bought for Night to live in, so he could live off-campus and stop sharing a room with me. The same condo that I had visited several months ago, when I had still been fighting with myself over where my heart truly belonged.But now… now we were here together with his parents’ blessing, and we were here not because of Night’s obligation to this family and their business, but because we were free to use this as we wished.And we wanted to.The condo that my sister had helped me get previously may have been cheap, but it was tiny and not enough room to have sleepovers and host our friends. But this one was definitely bigger and brighter. Perfect for me and Night.Tonight the condo was filled with the kind of warmth and noise that made the walls feel more alive than mere brick and plaster. Laughter bounced from one corner to another as our friends, our found family, filled the sp
Chapter 111: Just Me and HimKai’s P.O.VHow foolish had I been? The whole time, I was thinking that the only lives that would be affected by the revelation would be mine and Night’s.I didn't stop to think about the consequences it would have on their family. I had been so… selfish.I didn't even consider that Night might end up feeling horrible because of the things that I had brought to light.What if things turned out badly? What if Night ended up hating me? I couldn't help the wave of relief that washed over me as I watched their family embrace each other. Thank God it didn't turn out that way.I may have acted rashly and opened wounds that I shouldn't have opened, but at least, in the end, it all worked out to be in their favor.I guess it was mostly thanks to Jonathan finally having his senses return. If he had been too stubborn to see his faults, we probably would be having a very different scenario now.Still, I felt horrible for my own actions. I felt like a child who could
Chapter 110: Once A House, Now A HomeNight’s P.O.VWhen I turned to look at my mother, I had this undeniable feeling that our family was going to crumble. There was no other way to go about it—what was the right way of proceeding with your life when you suddenly find out that the man of your family turned out to have never loved you at all? That instead he had someone else occupying his heart, whether he admitted it or not?Thinking about it that way made me realize something else as well, the other side as to why my father had kept the truth. Just like Rosalie had said during her earlier fit, why would any woman want to waste her life being married to a gay man who could never love her the way she wants to be loved and never need her physically in the way that she wants to be needed?My father hadn't held back on the truth not only because of his troubled past, but because he was holding this family together…because he didn’t want me to grow up with only one parent, facing prejudice
Chapter 109: A New PerspectiveNight’s P.O.VI stared at him, letting myself absorb what he had just said. Part of me felt sorry for him; the incident with Matthias must have changed him so much that he turned his worldview around in a complete 180.But the other half was angry at myself for feeling pity for him. Angry at him, because I had deserved better than how he had treated me.“You of all people should know better than anyone that being gay isn’t some kind of disease,” I spat, “or a hobby that you can expect me to give up and move on when it’s no longer of any interest to me. You got angry at Kai when he told you that you never truly loved anyone in your life. How would you feel if I said the same thing and told you that what you and Matthias had wasn’t real? That it wasn’t valid because he wasn’t a woman?”He didn’t say anything, but from the way he looked at me I knew he was listening intently to what I was saying. Finally—when was the last time he did so? I couldn’t recall.
Chapter 108: Stray from the PathNight’s P.O.VI felt my eyes go wide, the room spinning out of focus around me as my father’s words echoed in the back of my mind.My breath caught in his throat, rendering me mute. I didn’t know what to think, what to say. To be honest, I felt quite numb, as though the floor has fallen out from beneath me and I was in a free fall, not knowing when I was going to land or if I was even going to land at all.The sharp thud of my mother dropping to the floor beside my father jolted me back to the room; her face was pale, eyes wide and vacant, mirroring the confusion I felt.The name—Matthias—was stuck on repeat in my head like a broken tape recorder. ‘Matthias, Matthias. Your father is just like you…’Just like me.The man who had always stood tall and indomitable now sat crumpled, broken by memories that seem more powerful than anything I could have imagined. I just couldn’t fathom, couldn’t grasp the fact that what he had just said was actually the trut
Chapter 107: Just Like YouKai’s P.O.VTaking advantage of the stunned expression on his face, I pushed him back as I released his hand, watching him stumble backwards.“And for the record,” I continued when I realized that Jonathan was too stunned to speak, “I’ll have you know that I haven’t ruined anything. This was bound to happen eventually, because you are a hypocrite for not only forgetting Matthias but also for turning against your own heart.”The words just gushed out of my mouth, faster than I could think things through. I didn’t stop to wonder whether I was saying the right things. Maybe I wasn’t. But it didn’t matter to me, because right now, all that I wanted to do was hurt him, just as badly as he had hurt Night.“Maybe you moved on so quickly because you are a selfish bastard who has never truly loved anyone in your life,” I spat, my temper getting the best of me.“That’s enough,” Night’s mother started to say, but I drowned her out, my words spilling out in an angry rus