SageI knew I had to be careful because when I saw him standing in the doorway of my apartment, leaning against the frame with that same smug confidence, I felt an odd mixture of excitement and apprehension.His piercing gaze swept over me before he stepped inside without waiting for an invitation.I shut the door behind him, folding my arms. “I don’t want to chat with you.”“Why is that?”I gaped at him like he was crazy, maybe he was.“Are you really asking me that? You sent your men to attack me. I was sent to the hospital twice on your account. What the hell is wrong with you?”“It’s not personal. You are just collateral damage.”“You are crazy for saying that. Get the hell out of my house. I do not want to chat with a psycho like you.”“You have no choice because I am in your house, Sage. Didn’t your mother teach you not to open the door for strangers? I could kill you and nobody would do anything. Kaiden doesn’t even care about you.”The last part stung, I admit. I subtly looke
SageHe and I sat across from each other at the dining table, a meal between us that neither of us seemed particularly eager to finish.I forced myself to eat, but my appetite had dwindled the moment I noticed the way he kept glancing at his watch. Every few minutes, he would steal a look at the time, his fingers subtly tapping against the edge of the table, his mind clearly elsewhere.I hope it just wasn’t on that bastard, Kaiden because I would be so fucking furious. I am here, eating dinner with him and you are thinking about another person.I set my fork down. “Are you expecting someone?”He looked up, startled by my question, before shaking his head. “No.”I wasn’t convinced. “Then why do you keep checking the time?”He exhaled quietly. “I was thinking of going for a walk.”A walk? That meant he was leaving. Going somewhere that wasn’t here, with me.“Do you want me to come?” I asked, my voice carefully casual, even as my chest tightened with something close to desperation.I wa
SageThe past few weeks had been a blur of back-to-back work, photoshoots, meetings, and barely any sleep. Ever since I left the professor’s house, I threw myself into my career with reckless abandon, pushing every other thought, every lingering emotion into the background.It didn’t help that the professor didn’t come like I expected him to. He made that whole show of asking me for my address just to bail on me?I was a fool for thinking that, a really big fool.It was easier this way. Work didn’t betray me. Work didn’t make me question my worth.But exhaustion was creeping in. I could feel it in my bones as I walking to my car after wrapping up another long day. Martin really meant it when I said I was at the peak of my career so he utilized the chance to book me till events were clashing.I had barely closed the door when I caught movement from the corner of my eye.Too late.A hand wrenched the door open before I could lock it, and something hard slammed into the side of my head
SageThe soft morning light filtered through the curtains as I lay in bed, listening for any sign of movement from the professor’s room. My heart pounded against my ribs as I replayed last night’s events in my head.It was perfect. Or at least, it was perfect for me. I had done everything to make him stay, to make him look at me the way he used to. He hadn’t even stirred when I touched him, and yet, despite everything, I still felt… anxious.Would he kick me out when he finds out I took advantage of him or would he interprète it as a show of desperation.That I reached the end of my ropes and had to do something to tame the voices in my head before they swallowed me whole.I heard the low groan followed by the rustling of sheets.He was awake.Finally.Forcing a bright smile, I walked into his room just as he sat up, rubbing his temples. He looked disoriented, blinking at me before running a hand through his hair.“What… happened?” he asked groggily, his voice rough with sleep.“You
KaidenThe steady beeping of the heart monitor was the first thing I noticed when I woke up again. The ache spread through every inch of my body and I remembered what landed me in this position.I groaned, shifting slightly against the stiff hospital bed. My ribs protested with a sharp pain stabbing through my side.I reached out and touched my face, my face was swollen and my lips were split. I closed my eyes to tame the anger that resurfaced. Then, my phone rang.My first thought was to ask Martin to get it for me but it dawned on me that he had left. That’s why the room was so quiet.He would have been making a series of calls to save my career from impending doom.I turned my head slowly, wincing as I reached for it on the bedside table. The screen glowed with a number I recognized instantly. I had saved it out of instinct when I first got that unexpected message, when he had asked for my location.I hesitated, my thumb hovering over the screen.Why was he calling?Curiosity won
Sage I was pacing, so sick with worry that I couldn’t breathe.I was so crazy to even do such a thing to Kaiden. Even if we were no longer talking, I was being cruel.I am cruel.I buried my head in my hands and shook them, I was fucked. My eyes widened when the door clicked open, and the professor stepped in.I couldn’t get a read on his face so my heartbeat increased because I had no idea what was going on in his head.He kept quiet and sat on the sofa, deep in thoughts. I couldn’t ask the question that was in my mind.How is Kaiden?I mean, did I even have the right to ask that?I should have gone with him but I didn’t, yet I was more curious than a cat.“Are you happy?” He asked.My brows furrowed, “excuse me?”“Are you fucking happy? He is in the hospital because of what you did!”“Me? How is that my fault?” I tried to defend myself.He chuckled, “How is it your fault? Are you fucking kidding me, Sage? You texted those people. You made them put Kaiden in the hospital.”“So what
SageFuck.Fuck, fuck, fuck.That’s what I heard him mumbling under his breath as he scrambled to find his clothes. His movements were frantic, almost desperate, like he wanted to erase what had just happened.Tears burned at the back of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.Is that how much he regretted sleeping with me?Was I that terrible that he couldn’t entertain the idea of sleeping with me? I was so pathetic.It’s like I was forcing myself on him and even at that, he didn’t want me. Maybe it was time to count my losses and move on before I end up losing everything together.I shifted, trying to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through my body. My muscles ached, my skin still tingling from his touch. I winced, biting my lip to keep from making a sound.The way he fucked me made me believe that it wasn’t out of want that he did it, he fucked me because he wanted to prove a point.Which he did.He was already dressed by the time I managed to push myself up on the bed. He wouldn’t
SageBy the time he returned, I had pulled myself together.I had spent the entire afternoon pacing, replaying the morning’s argument in my head, preparing myself for whatever mood he might be in. But as soon as he walked through the door, my heart pounded just a little harder, my throat tightening with something I refused to name.It was fear by the way.I was afraid of him.He looked at me with suspicion, his gaze unreadable.I smiled at him like nothing was wrong. “Welcome back.”He hesitated for a second before nodding. “Hey.”I moved closer, hoping to bridge whatever distance had formed between us. “How was your day?”He eyed me carefully. “It was fine.” Then, after a pause, “Are you okay?”I nodded quickly. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”I didn’t give him a chance to press further. Before he could open his mouth again, I launched into a story about my day."You wouldn’t believe the sale I found today," I said, forcing a cheerful lilt into my voice. "I went to that little boutiq
A few days before Kaiden saw Sage with the intern….Sage I was at home when the doorbell rang. I opened the door to find an intern standing there, holding a manila envelope."Hey," he said, flashing a smile. "I have some documents for the professor."I raised an eyebrow. "Couldn't you have just emailed them or sent a fax?"He shrugged. "I didn't mind coming over. Thought it would be nice to deliver them in person."He was good-looking, with a confident demeanor that bordered on smugness. As he handed me the envelope, he lingered a bit too long, his eyes scanning the interior of the house."Is the professor in?" he asked, peering past me."He's out at the moment," I replied, stepping slightly to block his view.He nodded, then leaned against the doorframe. "So, how long have you been working with him?""A while," I said cautiously."Must be interesting," he mused. "He's quite the character."I could sense where this was going. "Just so you know, we're dating."He blinked, m
Kaiden KaidenHe hesitated and I turned to look at him, pausing my steps.“I know this is probably a bad time but I remember we talked about going on a date. Let me take you out,”Is he for real?I literally just got back from the hospital and he wants me to go out with him?“I can’t go out on a date right now,” I told him as I eased back onto the couch, I winced from the soreness of my ribs. “Not until all of this is behind me.”He gave me a look that was a mix of disappointment and understanding. “I figured you’d say that. I had to try.”I offered him a faint smile. “I appreciate it, I do. It’s not about you, I just… I need to breathe. This whole thing is making me think I am too reckless.Raines leaned back in the chair across from me, elbows resting on his knees. “I get it. Trauma doesn’t go away because you wish it gone. But I want you to know, I’m not walking away. Michael’s going to answer for what he did, Kaiden.”“I remembered,” I said quietly.He looked up.I met his eyes.
KaidenThe hospital discharged me just before noon the next day, but my body still felt like a patchwork of bruises, it felt heavy and sore from the trauma. I kept thinking of the river, of how close I’d come to dying, of how the professor must have felt seeing me drown. I don’t even know how he got shot but I was feeling really bad because of how I treated him. I didn’t expect anyone to be waiting outside. But when the nurse wheeled me through the double doors, I spotted them immediately and a smile flickered on my face.Sage stood by the car, arms crossed, trying to mask his worry. Detective Raines leaned against the hood, one ankle crossed over the other, his black coat dancing slightly in the wind. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes flicked straight to mine and softened.“Hey, sleeping beauty,” he greeted, stepping forward to open the door.I offered a dry smile. “You always flirt with your victims?”“Only the ones who survive attempted murder,” he said, giving me a wi
SageI stood in the hallway of the hospital with my fingers clenched into fists in my pockets as I stared at the door to Kaiden’s room. The nurse had just told me where to find him. Room 48. I hesitated for a few seconds before finally reaching out to open the door.The first thing I saw was the professor.His arm was bandaged, blood still faintly spotting the edges of the gauze. He was standing near Kaiden’s bed, tense, his jaw clenched so tight it looked like he might snap it.Kaiden was lying in bed with an IV in his arm, looked pale, too pale for my liking and still somehow managed to be angry. He was frantic, his voice rising every second like he was desperate.“Call Raines. Call the detective, I need to speak to him, he should be here. Just call him, please!”The professor didn’t even look at me when I walked in. His undivided attention was entirely focused on Kaiden, his eyes burning dark with fury and something else…that looks like pain. What was he pained for? Was he mad
Kaiden It was a huge mistake. A big one but still, I wanted to do it. The moment I stepped out into the night, the air felt heavier. Colder. But I couldn’t sit still any longer. I knew it was dangerous. Hell, everything I’d done lately screamed recklessness. But there was something clawing at the inside of my chest. some knowing that didn’t feel like paranoia anymore. It felt like purpose. The second the detective left for his house, I planed it. Ethan’s mother was in a coma. And that wasn’t a coincidence. That was a message. So I took the back alleys. Wore a hoodie pulled low over my head. No car, just my sneakers hitting pavement and wet leaves as I walked the six blocks to her place. I knew I had maybe fifteen minutes. Less, if someone was already watching. There is a high chance that after their hit, they were looking to finish the job. I crept around the side of the house, careful not to trigger the motion light that flickered near the trash cans. The window I’d seen in
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