SageI woke up the next day having rested my body. The first person I saw was the kind doctor who had treated me the last time. “We have got to stop meeting like this,”I looked at him, he was young and extremely handsome, I smiled. “I am sorry, I can’t help it.”His face turned serious, “what happened this time, Sage?”I sighed, how would I even explain it so he would hear it? That I was a klutz or this was the second time someone intentionally put me in the hospital? I couldn’t say anything that wouldn’t put me in trouble. I had no idea what I was even dealing with.“You have to be more careful from now. The bruises you got this time were much worse. You cannot keep coming back here.”“I understand, doctor.” I said.There was nothing else to say but that. He must think that I am an idiot. Coming into the hospital like a bruised punching bag. I brought this upon myself.He was still crossing things off his record when the professor entered. He took one look at me and frowned.“What
SageI wore my clothes and wrinkled my nose when the antiseptic smell still clung to my clothes as I walked out, my body sore from injuries that hadn’t fully healed. The dull ache in my ribs reminded me of the attack, the pounding of fists and boots, the weight of helplessness crushing down on me. The bruises would fade, but the bitterness in my chest would remain because it was now obvious to me that Kaiden was the reason I had been attacked twice now.He couldn’t even come to see me after they had called him. He is a very ruthless bastard and I hate him with every fiber of my being now.The professor was waiting for me outside, leaning against his car like he hadn’t just berated me in there. His arms were crossed, his expression unreadable, as always.The warmth I had glimpsed in there was long gone now.I stopped in front of him, adjusting the hospital bag slung over my shoulder. "Are we going to your place?"He barely spared me a glance before unlocking the car. "No. I’m taking y
SageI was in awe. I knew the professor wasn’t one to be messed with but seeing it first hand made me feel warm inside.He single handedly knocked them down like their were baby tree roots. I was damn scared for my life thinking I would end up in the hospital again.This time, the doctor would actually call the cops on whoever visits me. I was more than grateful that the professor didn’t leave.He snarled at the man, “don’t make me ask again, I have little or no patience for idiots like you.”“My name….my name is Micheal.”“Is that so?”“Is there a reason why you are an asshole, Micheal? I can’t imagine it’s everyday my students and I get assaulted by the same guy thrice. Is it a mere coincidence or do you have business with them?”The man in front of him, Micheal as apparently tried to hold his ground, but it was clear he was shaken. The professor didn't even have to say anything; he just stood there, staring Micheal down like he was nothing more than an insect beneath his shoe.He
SageHe was downtairs waiting for me when I finished packing. I took only the necessities and zipped up the bag.I hesitated at the bottom of the stairs, gripping my bag tightly. He leaned against his car, arms crossed, watching me with a bored expression. His patience was wearing thin, I could see it from the thin vein bulging on his forehead.“Get in the car,” he said in a firm voice.I knew arguing was pointless, but I still stood there, shifting on my feet. “Are you sure about this?”“No,” he replied dryly, opening the passenger door for me. “I could just leave you here, see how long you last before someone else decides to put you in the hospital.”I sighed, shoulders slumping. With one last glance at my apartment, I slid into the car. He shut the door and got in the driver’s seat, starting the engine without another word.The drive was silent. I kept my eyes on the road ahead, my thoughts racing. I didn’t want to be here. I didn’t want to deal with Kaiden. I didn’t want to need h
SageKaiden and I sat in silence at first.Neither of us wanted to acknowledge the awkwardness of the situation, but it was impossible to ignore.I had no idea why the professor would leave us here knowing that we would be at each other’s throat before the night ends.I wonder if he had that much faith in me or he just didn’t care what we do. I was still pissed off that Kaiden was here. How was I supposed to stay with someone that openly said he hated me?Should I smile or just pretend like we don’t have so much history. I mean after what the professor said, was it even possible that I had feelings for my best friend.I looked at him to find him pointedly looking at everywhere else apart from me. I forced my gaze back to the television.I reached for the remote and he swatted my hand, I rubbed it, “what the hell?”“I am watching it.”I wanted to argue that he wasn’t even paying attention but I didn’t want trouble. Maybe that’s why the professor trusted me to keep Kaiden in check.I c
KaidenI was being ridiculous.I knew it. I knew it.Everybody knew it.And yet, I couldn’t stop the irritation clawing at my chest, couldn’t silence the voice in my head that kept circling back to the same damn thought.Why the hell do I care so much?I repeated the same thing over and over again, like some kind of twisted mantra hoping it would curb all the thoughts.I didn’t care about the professor. Not like that.Sage was the one I liked. Sage was the one who got under my skin in ways no one else did, the one who made my blood run hot with nothing more than a sharp remark or a cocky smirk.The professor?I just wanted to fuck him.That was it. That was all.So why the hell was I sitting here, stewing in my own irritation. I tried to tell myself that it was just anger from him bringing Sage here when he knew what I was trying to do.Woo him enough to get into his bed again.Sage ignored me after I snapped at him, he told me to my face to quit whining and acting so pathetic. I agre
SageAfter Kaiden left, I expected some kind of reaction from the professor. Maybe a sigh, maybe a muttered complaint under his breath about Kaiden being too dramatic. Instead, he just stared at the door for a few seconds, his expression unreadable, before turning back to me with a look that made my stomach drop.His eyes were cold. Detached.Just like I expected him to be earlier. I was truly surprised when he entertained me for as long as he did.He moved away from me, putting distance between us like I was something he needed to avoid."Your sulking doesn’t concern me, Sage," he said curtly. "Neither does Kaiden’s tantrum."I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. "I wasn’t sulking," I lied.He didn’t even acknowledge my response. He turned on his heel, walking toward the staircase, but just before he disappeared from view, he cast one final glance toward the door where Kaiden had left.My fingers curled into fists.That single look, barely a second, barely anything at all was e
KaidenI mindlessly scrolled through old messages while waiting for his texts.He didn’t text back after I sent him the location and that made me a little sad because I was expecting him to barrel in here.I had left his house without a word, without a backward glance, hoping no, expecting that he would come after me. That he would notice my absence, realize something was missing, and care enough to follow.But the phone remained silent.I sighed, running a hand down my face. Maybe it was childish, maybe it was dramatic, but I didn’t care. Sage was always there, always pushing his way into spaces that didn’t belong to him, always acting like he had some special claim. And the professor let him. He entertained his whining, let him get away with things I never could.Something he could never do with me. I have to be nagging if I want him to spend time with me. I didn’t want it to resort to this but it looks like I have no choice.I needed to remind him, remind myself that I wasn’t just
KaidenI watched Sage’s chest rise and fall steadily, his breathing finally even and calm after a long, exhausting day. The faint hum of the heater filled the small apartment as the evening air drifted colder through the windows. He looked peaceful in sleep, peaceful in a way that didn’t match anything we’d been living through lately. It was a lie his body told, one I was grateful for, even if I knew it wouldn’t last. The last thing I needed was for him to keep worrying about the unknown.Today took a toll on him.I sat at the edge of the couch, elbows resting on my knees, hands folded, but my thoughts weren’t still. They kept drifting back to the question he asked earlier about whether we’d ever go back to how things were. And now I knew for certain: we couldn’t. Not with this storm closing in around us, not when every time I let my guard down, something tried to take Sage from me.I haven’t even figured out how to apologize to the professor, it took me a lot of thinking to realize
SageThe next morning, Kaiden and I walked to school in silence. The meal we shared was so brief and he stayed with me. The professor didn’t come home and when I called him, he said he was working late and we should enjoy ourselves.I knew it was because he didn’t want to spend time with Kaiden. After their argument, they have been tense with each other.I didn’t want to Interfere in their problems as it could escalate into something I wouldn’t be able to control.I looked at Kaiden, I know we have already talked about this but I was so curious.I wanted to ask him again about where he’d really been that day, but the tension in his jaw warned me off. Still, I couldn’t help myself. “So,” I started, kicking a loose pebble on the sidewalk, “you never really told me where you went. Like, actually went.” His steps didn’t falter, but his grip tightened around the strap of his backpack. “I told you. I needed to clear my head.” “Yeah, but that could mean anything,” I pressed. “You just
SageI stood just outside the hospital’s main entrance, staring at the parking lot like it was a war zone. The discharge papers were crumpled slightly in my grip. I could feel my fingers tremble, but I didn’t loosen them. The sun was bright, the day clear, but I felt like I was standing in the middle of a fog, one that hadn’t lifted since I was attacked.Kaiden mentioned he would come and pick me up, hence the hesitation. I felt like if he wasn’t here to do that, I wouldn’t go. “Ready?” His voice pulled me out of my head.I turned toward him. He had one hand in his pocket, the other adjusting the strap of my duffel bag slung over his shoulder. His hair was a little messy, like he hadn’t even bothered with a brush this morning, and his hoodie looked slept in. But his eyes, his eyes were alert. “I don’t know if ready’s the word I’d use,” I admitted. My voice sounded too thin to my own ears. “I feel like I’m being pushed out of safety and right back into the middle of whatever this me
KaidenI slept at my place after the detective dropped me off. He was looking at me like he had a lot to say about what happened but I didn’t.Yes, I overreacted but I couldn’t go back there. I felt suffocated and the only thing I needed was freedom. I needed to find my answers and not let it extend to my relationship.I decided to go see Detective Bryan. The man in charge of narcotics. The one who might know what the hell was really going on. I hadn’t told Sage or the professor anything. Not yet. I couldn’t, not until I had something real. Something more than just paranoia and late-night shadows tailing me.I sat hunched over my laptop in a dingy little café two blocks from my apartment, the place reeking of burnt espresso and desperation. I typed in “Detective Bryan, Narcotics Division, city PD” and hit search. A few articles came up. He was decorated, involved in several high-profile raids. One article had a photo, square jaw, stern face, early forties. Not someone you’d expect to
SageI woke to silence. Not the peaceful kind, the kind that sets your skin crawling with dread, like the air itself is holding its breath. The clock on the wall read a little past 3am and I could see the shadows stretched along the floor, motionless. I looked around and noticed with a slight disappointment that Kaiden wasn’t here. I blinked twice and turned my head toward the small couch across the room. No professor either.My heart sank.They were gone. Both of them.I have never felt so alone. I thought they would both stay with me so I won’t be scared. But I was a big boy and could handle myself.I sat up slowly, the sheets slipping off my chest as I scanned the dim room. Maybe they went for a walk. Maybe Kaiden needed air and the professor tagged along. Maybe I was being paranoid.Or maybe something was very, very wrong.I was about to slide out of bed when the doorknob turned.I froze.The door creaked open, and the harsh fluorescent light from the hallway spilled into the r
KaidenI left the hospital with a gnawing unease in my gut. I hadn’t told Sage or the Professor the full truth, that I needed to test Raines myself, to see if he was really on our side or if he was playing us. If I had voiced my suspicions, the professor would have warned me against it, and Sage… well, Sage would have insisted on coming with me, injuries be damned. But this was something I had to do alone. I couldn’t pretend for the life of me. If the detective wasn’t on our side then I needed to know now, to save myself the trouble of finding out later.I know that the professor was just trying to be cautious but the detective was kind of my friend so I needed to give him the benefit of the doubt.I stared at my phone for a long moment before making the call, my thumb hovering over his contact. This was a gamble, if he was dirty, I might be tipping my hand. But if he was clean... I needed to know. Taking a steadying breath, I hit dial. He answered on the third ring. "Kaiden?"
KaidenThe note terrified me, I wouldn’t lie. I kept the smile on my face for the nurse’s benefits. I didn’t want them to be asking if I was okay and interrupting my peace.Those words, scrawled in jagged letters sent a chill down my spine that lingered long after I first read them. I had spent the night restless, checking the locks on the doors twice, then three times, before finally settling into a chair beside Sage’s hospital bed. He was still unconscious, his face bruised, his breathing steady but shallow. Whoever had done this to him had a message, and now it seemed that message was meant for me. I had no idea how to protect him or even protect myself. It felt like everything we did was a waste of time and we were heading nowhere.I didn’t bother sleeping again because I was so anxious. I was tempted to call the professor and explain to him but I knew he would drive down here the second I call him.By morning, Sage was stable, still asleep but no longer in danger. I made sure
Kaiden I stood next to the professor, watching the detective’s face shift between concern and indifference as he closed his notebook with a heavy sigh. “We’ll look into it,” the detective said. “But if you’re asking me for guarantees—” “I’m not,” I cut in, trying to keep my voice steady. “Just… do your job.” He gave me a nod that felt more like a dismissal. And then he walked off, disappearing into the murmuring noise of the precinct. When I called detective Raines, he said he had been assigned to a case and directed us to his partner in the precinct. We had to go there but it didn’t seem like it was working out for us. The professor hadn’t spoken since the detective left us. His arms were crossed tightly, jaw locked, his usual calm gone. He looked like a man barely holding himself together, and that scared me more than anything. He usually had answers. He always had a plan. But now? His phone rang. He glanced down, muttered something under his breath, and answered. “Hello?”
SageI should have listened to the way the wind shifted. They say when your instincts are telling you something then it’s the truth.It was barely past six when I stepped out of the lecture hall, my bag slung over my shoulder, the sky overhead bleeding into a deep shade of lavender. The university courtyard had mostly cleared, and the usual evening buzz was thinning out as students filtered off to their lives. I’d stayed back for office hours, lingering too long over an unfinished paper, too caught up in making it perfect to even consider that other things could be waiting for me.Maybe that’s why I didn’t notice them at first. Maybe my mind was too full of shadows.My phone buzzed in my pocket, but I didn’t reach for it. The wind carried a chill I couldn’t place, the kind that crawled along the back of your neck and whispered you’re not alone.I turned down the path toward the side parking lot, my sneakers crunching over the scattered leaves. It wasn’t until I passed the library’s da