SageI wasn’t expecting trouble that morning, the only thing on my mind was to keep trying till I get back in the professor’s good graces.I had barely stepped onto campus when security stopped me.“Mr. Fleming, you need to report to the disciplinary panel immediately.”My stomach dropped.I stiffened, my grip tightening on the strap of my bag. “What? Why?”The guard shook his head. “I don’t know the details. Just head over now.”A lump formed in my throat as I nodded. My pulse raced as I walked across the courtyard, my mind running wild with possibilities. Had someone found out about me and Professor Wilder? Had Valarie done something? Had Kaiden done something?Was there any clue? I desperately needed to know before I lost my shit.By the time I reached the panel’s meeting room, my palms were sweating. I wiped them on my jeans but it didn’t help, I was in a constant state of anxiety.I stepped inside and froze.Professor Wilder and Valarie were already seated. So were other members
SageI glanced at him, “I should be asking you that,” I muttered.He exhaled sharply, rubbing the back of his neck as he led me out of the room. “I’ve had worse days.”I scoffed. “Yeah? Well, I haven’t.”That earned me a small smirk, but it disappeared just as fast as it came.I struggled for what to say, I had no idea where to say or what I wanted to say. It was one thing to bring his private life out but the fact he did it so we could have peace.We walked in silence for a moment before I finally asked, “What made you do it?”He gave me a side glance. “Do what?”“Report her.”He shrugged, like it was nothing. Like he hadn’t just thrown a grenade into Valarie’s life. “She had to go,” he said simply.I frowned. “Just like that?”“Just like that.”I stopped walking and turned to face him fully. “But why now? It didn’t seem to bother you before when she was following you around.”He sighed, folding his arms. “Because before, she was just an inconvenience. Annoying, yes, but manageable.”
SageIt was a date.Not just any date, but our date. One that I had been looking forward to all week. We have spoken about it since Valarie was fired, but school and work kept us busy.Today, he had finally invited me out, and this time, I refused to be late. I arrived at the restaurant before him, which was a rare occurrence considering how often he was the one waiting for me. The restaurant was upscale, perched on a rooftop that overlooked the city skyline. It was stunning, the golden glow of the setting sun casting long shadows over the glass railings, the city stretching endlessly beneath us.When he arrived, he gave me a smile, the kind that made my stomach tighten just a little. Dressed in his usual suit, he looked every bit the composed, confident man I had come to know.I was the one sweating bullets because I was afraid someone would catch us.“I see you beat me here,” he remarked, pulling out his chair and settling in across from me.I smirked. “For once.”A waiter came by t
KaidenWhen I made the decision to follow Sage, I didn’t expect to find him on a date, and definitely not with that bastard.I also didn’t expect to overhear him talking to some old flame, reminiscing about a love I never even knew existed.The Ethan guy looked at him like Sage walked the moon for him, which made me wonder if that’s how I looked at him.The Sage I knew had always been into women. Or at least, that’s what he claimed. He had never been comfortable enough to explore beyond what society expected of him, beyond the limitations he had built for himself.I had to manipulate him to fuck him.And yet, there he was, standing with a man who spoke of their past love so openly, so naturally, like it had always been an undeniable fact.It made me feel like a fucking fool. I had been the one manipulated all this time.Like I didn’t know my own best friend.I watched him leave without looking back with his shoulders tense and his steps showing his anger. The moment he disappeared fr
KaidenI didn’t know when I nodded. It was like my body made the decision before my brain could catch up. One moment, I was staring at him, caught in some hazy mix of resentment and something I wasn’t ready to name. The next, his fingers wrapped around my wrist and he was pulling me up from my seat.My legs followed numbly. I let him lead me out of the restaurant, through the dimly lit parking lot, and to his car. The night air was crisp, sobering in the way that only reminded me how much I’d been drinking.The soft click of the passenger door opening barely registered until he guided me inside. He crouched slightly, reaching across me to buckle the seatbelt, the scent of his cologne wrapping around me. It made my stomach clench with desire and longing. For someone other than Sage.I couldn’t remember the last time someone had tucked me in. Buckled me up. Taken care of me.It had always been me taking care of everything. Even when I was spiraling. Even when I was breaking, I had to
Kaiden I don’t know how we got to his house or how I ended up in his bed but the night was a blur and what I had was the memory. *** The sound of the door shutting was what alerted me that we were inside, he grabbed me by the back of my throat and brought our lips together. Like a mellowed kitten, I allowed myself to be controlled by a more dominant male. A moan escaped my throat and I closed my eyes as his tongue thrust into my mouth. He ripped my clothes from my body and dropped me on the bed, a yelp left my lips but I was on him. My nose was rubbing on his bulge as I struggled to free his cock. The professor had the nerve to laugh when he saw how I rubbed on him like a depressed kitten. God, he smelled so good. My felt warm and funny. He was teasing me and like a sucker, I was falling for it. He took off his clothes and turned me so I laying on my back, legs spread like a loser. I was far too gone to care about how stupid I looked in front of him. His hips moved
KaidenI was surprised the words left my lips, he didn’t strike me as the type of person who took defiance well.I was so afraid he would spank me for talking back at him, I don’t know why my body reacted to the thought of him spanking me.My cock was now hard.I looked at him, expecting him to react negatively to my words, but he just grinned.“The claws are back, huh?I opened my mouth to defend myself but he shocked me even more.""Better get started then." With another of his cocky grins, he leaned in and wrapped his lips around my cock."Holy fuck, shit," I gasped.The wet heat of his mouth was incredible, and the little groan of pleasure he let out nearly sent me over the edge.My back arched and I struggled to get my bearings a bit. He was making it hard to do so, seeing as his lips worked wonders on me.My cock was big too, just that he was bigger. I was in awe of his cock. I didn’t have the time to admire it when I was blowing him by the road side but right now, with the litt
SageI paced my apartment, phone clutched in my hand, eyes darting between the screen and the window like staring at the night sky would somehow make my messages go through.Nothing.Every call went straight to voicemail. Every text remained unread.Either he was avoiding me or he was so busy but I would bet good money on the latter.And I had no one to blame but myself.I disrespected him by leaving without a word, without even a proper excuse. Just stormed off, letting my anger and frustration dictate my actions. I knew better than that, I wasn’t some impulsive kid who threw tantrums. But God, I had been so mad.Not even at the professor.At Kaiden. At Ethan.The two of them had collaborated to make my evening miserable. Especially Kaiden, where does he get off calling me a liar.He is the one who had manipulated me, he was just mad that I also did it to him. It doesn’t even help that I left him behind with the professor.He must have said a lot to him behind my back, another desper
Kaiden Dinner was quiet.Sage and I sat on opposite ends of the couch, plates balanced on our laps, the TV playing some crime documentary neither of us was really watching. I picked at the pasta I'd made, appetite long gone, but I ate anyway, because if I didn’t, Sage would worry, and I didn’t want to give him more reason to.He hadn’t said much since our talk earlier. About wanting both me and the professor.And I… I didn’t know what to say in return.Was it selfish to want clarity when he’d been nothing but honest? Or was I the coward for not knowing what I truly wanted?I pushed those thoughts aside when there was a knock at the door.I tensed.Sage looked up too, alert, his eyes darting toward the door as if bullets might fly through it next.I rose slowly, setting my plate down on the coffee table and walking toward the door without flipping the lock just yet.“Who is it?” I asked.“It’s Raines.”Detective.I exhaled in relief and opened the door.Raines stepped in, looking slig
KaidenSage kept quiet.I didn’t need him to say anything right now. I was still drummed up from the adrenaline coursing through my body. I figured out when she sent me away that she was hiding something.I felt something hit the back of my car.“What the fuck?” Sage yelled.I barely had time to register the first shot before the second cracked through the air.Another loud bang echoed, and this time it hit closer, metal screeched, glass shattered, and instinct took over."Down!" I shouted again, throwing my arm across Sage as bullets rained from behind. He ducked, his eyes wide and panicked, his breath ragged.The back windshield exploded into a hailstorm of glass shards, sparkling as they scattered across the seats and floor. I didn’t stop to think about shit, I shoved the gear into drive and slammed on the gas.The car jolted forward, tires screeching as another shot pierced the rearview mirror. We were being chased. Or hunted.I saw the glint of a barrel from a dark sedan parked o
SageThe address Kaiden sent me didn’t look familiar. I even had to double-check it on the map before setting out. A quiet residential street with modest houses lined side by side, trimmed hedges, and the occasional child’s bicycle parked out front, it didn’t look like anywhere we’d ever hung out. Definitely not our usual vibe. Still, it was Kaiden. And for reasons I still didn’t fully understand, I trusted him.I mean I did call his enemies to beat him up but Kaiden wouldn’t do that to me.I pulled up to the curb and saw him leaning against a dull silver sedan, arms folded, eyes scanning the street like he was waiting for something more than just me.I wrinkled my nose in distaste as I stared at his car, what in the heavens was that? That wasn’t his usual car.“This is where you wanted to meet?” I asked, stepping out of my car and walking toward him. “Looks like we’re about to interrupt someone’s family dinner.”He nodded once, his gaze sharp. “Yeah. That’s the point.”I raised an e
KaidenWhen I woke up, the sunlight was already spilling across the living room floor. My neck ached from the weird angle my head had been resting on, and when I shifted slightly, I realized why, River was curled against me, both of us tangled on the couch, our legs overlapping. His arm was still loosely draped over my waist, and for a second, I just lay there, taking in the quiet moment.It was strange, waking up like this. Peaceful. Natural. My body didn’t feel tense for once, like it usually did when I woke up alone in the echo of my own thoughts. Instead, I felt…warm. Not from the blanket. From him.He had stayed with me all night. We talked and got to know each other. There was nothing sexual about it even though I had been tipsy. He had been the perfect gentleman and had broken the ice with me.As soon as I moved, River stirred. His eyes blinked open slowly, landing on me, and then a lazy smile pulled at his lips.“You drool in your sleep,” I said, voice hoarse with morning.“I
Kaiden“You know, you have asked me that question so many times and yet, you keep wanting to know the truth. Why is that?” He asked instead.I shrugged, “I don’t know. Maybe I want to hurt myself by knowing the truth or I just want to know where I stand.”He shook his head like he was disappointed with my answer, “you can’t have your cake and eat it, Kaiden. The world doesn’t work that way.” I started walking towards the house, eager to escape this conversation. Yeah, I know I couldn’t have my cake and have it but I just wanted to.So much, it was killing me.I didn’t want to look at him when we stepped into my condo, not really. But I could feel the weight of his presence behind me like a shadow I wasn’t ready to shake. I tossed my keys into the bowl on the counter and exhaled, not sure why my chest felt so damn tight.“Do you want wine?” I asked, already reaching into the cabinet.“Sure,” he said. His voice was soft and devoid of his normal arrogance.I poured two glasses and hande
KaidenThe professor didn’t expect to see me. That much was clear from the way his eyes widened, like I’d caught him with his hands where they didn’t belong.“Kaiden?” River blinked, his voice caught somewhere between confusion and amusement. “What are you doing?”He wasn’t the only one surprised. I hadn’t planned this. But the moment I saw him sitting here in that dimly lit corner of the restaurant, laughing too easily with the guy across from him, this tall, handsome, and entirely too comfortable man. I couldn’t stop myself. My stomach twisted with something that felt a lot like jealousy. And maybe that was exactly what it was. I was too afraid to voice out the feelings I had twirling inside of me.I noticed he didn’t answer my question, so I asked it again, more directly. “Is this my replacement?”His eyebrows shot up. Nathan, whoever he was, looked between us awkwardly, clearly trying to figure out if he should smile or disappear into the upholstery.River composed himself quickl
KaidenThe second I left the funeral, I had a lot of thoughts clouding me like smoke. The wind tugged lightly at my jacket, but I hardly felt it. My mind was a storm of thoughts. Michael’s words still ringing in my ears, Ethan’s death twisting like a knot in my gut.I pulled out my phone and texted the detective.Me: “Need to talk. Now.”He responded almost immediately.Detective Raines: “Name the place.”I sent him the name of the Italian place a few blocks away. Low-lit, quiet, and not too busy on weeknights. I needed privacy for this conversation.It had taken a toll on me. I needed to talk to someone about this. Could it be I saw something I shouldn’t or….I was really sure about it. I was more confused the more I thought about it. I thought the rivalry between Micheal and I had just because of the job.Apparently, it’s a little more than that.By the time I got to the restaurant, the detective was already there, sitting in a booth near the window. He looked up as I approached, g
KaidenAfter my conversation with Sage, I wasn’t sure what to feel.He’d looked so earnest, so... broken, even though he tried to cover it up with words that felt like resignation. And for some reason, the thing that kept looping through my mind wasn’t what he said about wanting me or even what he said about the detective. It was what he said about the professor.That River had already started thinking about someone else.He didn’t even try to convince me to stay.That realization dug into my chest like a shard of glass. I kept wondering if it had meant nothing to him. If the way he touched me, kissed me, looked at me, it had all just been physical. A game. A passing thrill. And I hated that I couldn’t figure out whether I was more upset at him for possibly seeing it that way… or at myself for wanting it to be more.Was I that easy to replace?Did I really feel something deeper for him? Or was I just clinging to what felt good because everything else in my life was falling apart?My p
SageI continued, quieter this time, “I mean, I guess I’m glad things are finally working out, for the three of us. Or at least, they were. You accepting what River and I have, trying to be honest about what you want… I thought we were finally reaching some kind of peace.”He didn’t meet my eyes. “It didn’t mean I stopped caring.”I swallowed hard. “But it did mean you don’t want this. Not really. You want monogamy. Simplicity. And I can’t give you that. Neither can River. Maybe the detective can.”He finally looked up, sharp and unreadable. “You think I should give him a chance?”I tried to smile, but it faltered. “He wants you. And he’s not caught in all this mess. Maybe he’s what you need.”He didn’t answer. His silence felt louder than any rejection he could’ve given me.I couldn’t believe I was saying this in the first place but isn’t that the growth I had embraced. If being with us doesn’t make him happy then he is free to go ahead and do his own thing.It’s my job as his best f