SageIt was surprising.I thought he would be angry with me for meeting her in the first place, he would know I never trusted him and decided to hear from another source.I would be furious if I was in his shoes. Anyway, I am glad he didn’t take offense.I had a new mission, stay away from Valarie.It sounded simple enough. In fact, I was determined to follow through. But, of course, the universe had other plans.Because the very next class on my schedule? History.And my new professor? Valarie.I groaned inwardly as I walked into the lecture hall, keeping my head down and moving quickly to my seat. Maybe if I didn’t make eye contact, she’d pretend I didn’t exist.No such luck.When I finally glanced up, our eyes met. She was already staring at me, an unreadable expression on her face. I forced myself to look away and focus on anything else, the desk, my notebook, the wall anything but her.I didn’t want to give her the wrong impression and make people start questioning our relationsh
SageThe first thing I became aware of was the pounding in my head. The second was the muffled sound of angry voices.I groaned and blinked my eyes open, squinting against the harsh white light of the school clinic. My vision was blurry at first, but as it cleared, I saw them.Professor and Valarie.They were standing at the foot of my bed, locked in a heated argument with hand gestures and stuff. The professor looked tired like he was tired of talking, he kept scratching the back of his neck. I knew it because everything he was exasperated by me, he often rubbed that place. I could see how much her return had taken a toll on him. I groaned again and pressed a hand to my forehead. “What… happened?”He turned to me immediately, his expression softening just slightly. “You fainted, but the nurse said it was nothing serious.”Before I could process that, Valarie let out a dramatic sigh. “Apparently, you couldn’t handle the truth. The moment you heard that we’re getting back together, y
KaidenI was sick of waiting. My impatience was beginning to piss me off.The more I watched, the more I was disappointed with the results. The other time were the pictures which didn’t work given that they were still together in their delusional world. It still wasn’t enough for me. No matter how many times I watched from the sidelines, waiting for Sage to wake up and see the truth, it wasn’t enough.He was mine.He just didn’t know it yet.And that professor? That smug, polished, perfect bastard? He was the only thing standing in my way.I had tried to be patient. Tried to wait for Sage to realize that this whole thing with the professor was doomed to fail especially during the time they were fighting.I liked that they weren’t speaking to each other and it was an opportunity for me to slip right back to where I was but it didn’t work out like that:Sage too was an idiot. Instead of crumbling, their relationship only seemed to grow stronger. It was infuriating for me.I needed a cr
Kaiden’s POVI rushed over to his place the moment he texted me. He knew our short comings right now but he chose to ignore that and reach out to me.I knew Sage better than anyone, and for him to reach out like this meant something had shaken him.I was willing to bet money that Valarie had arrived to take back her man.That should have made me happy. The plan was working, wasn’t it?Still, the moment I pushed open the door, I wasn’t prepared for the sight in front of me.Sage was pacing. The first thing I noticed was his hair, it was an absolute mess, sticking up in every direction as if he had been running his hands through it all day His shirt was slightly wrinkled, and his eyes had that wild, frenzied look he got when he was overwhelmed.Dried tears stuck to his cheeks and I had to guess he had been crying too.Poor thing.I closed the door behind me, taking in the absolute disaster of a person in front of me, and amusement curled in my chest.“Wow,” I said, crossing my arms. “
SageI stopped picking up the professor’s calls.I avoided him in the hallways, pretended not to see him when he passed by, and ignored the way my heart twisted every time I caught a glimpse of him. It was pathetic, but I couldn’t bring myself to face him. Not after everything.And the worst part? I had no one to blame but myself.I should have let things go when he told me his version of the story. I should have accepted it and moved on instead of letting Valarie worm her way into my thoughts, making me question everything.I was crashing out and rethinking everything. Now that I know that the professor was honest when he told me his story, I was even more pissed at myself for being so gullible.I could have seen this coming, you should always anticipate that the past would threaten the present.But I didn’t. And now, here I was, drowning in my own misery.The only person remotely pleased about my situation was Kaiden, not that I’d call him happy. No, he wasn’t gloating or celebratin
SageAfter that last conversation with the professor, everything went downhill.Now, it was his turn to avoid me.It was worse than I ever could have imagined. Every time I turned around, it seemed like he and Valarie were getting closer. They weren’t exactly together, but the way they talked, the way they stood near each other, the way she smiled up at him like she had a right to, it was enough to make my stomach twist.He ignored my calls. He ignored my texts. Even in class, when he used to meet my gaze as if no one else in the room mattered, he barely even looked in my direction.It was humiliating.It was miserable.I was miserable.And the worst part? I had no one to blame but myself.I did this. I pushed him away. I let Valarie’s words get under my skin, and now I was paying the price.She came to scatter my happiness and I let her do it, no questions asked. I should have fought just like he was fighting. I don’t know if I genuinely liked feeling this way because I seemed to en
SageIt was diabolical, the way my mind worked sometimes.The way Valarie had spoken to me, the way she had smiled like she knew something I didn’t, it had lit something dark inside me.For the first time, I truly realized that she could be put out of the way.The thought shouldn’t have made me feel so calm.But it did.I hated being malicious towards people but there was just something about her that brought out the dark side in me. I wanted her gone.I went home, grabbed my laptop, and didn’t stop searching until I found exactly what I was looking for.A slow smile spread across my lips as I shut the screen.Then, for the first time in a long while, I slept soundly.I woke up early Sunday morning, the kind of early that made the world feel quiet and unreal. The sun was just beginning to rise, casting a soft golden glow over the city.I got dressed carefully, smoothing down my shirt, running my fingers through my hair until I looked… presentable. Innocent.And then I went straight to
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
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