KaidenI woke up alone.At first, I thought maybe I was still dreaming. That the warmth, the scent, the feel of last night had been nothing but a cruel trick of my subconscious.But the ache in my body and the faint scent of cologne on the sheets told me otherwise.I blinked up at the ceiling, my heart thudding against my ribs as the weight of what I had done settled in.I had slept with him.With the professor.With Sage’s professor.I sat up abruptly, running a hand down my face. What the fuck was I thinking?What had I been trying to prove? That I could get under his skin? That I could mark my place in Sage’s life in some twisted, backward way?It was fucked up because I felt like I was closer to him now. Now that we have slept with the same man, then maybe he would see how inlove with him I am.I scrubbed a hand through my hair, exhaling sharply. The worst part was, I didn’t even regret it.Not the way I should have.I spotted his shirt on the floor and pulled it over my head befo
KaidenNeither of us spoke.Then the front door opened again.We both turned at the same time, just as the professor stepped inside.His eyes flicked between us, taking in the situation and then, he shook his head. As if this entire mess was nothing more than an inconvenience to him.Like we haven’t been discovered, we broke Sage’s heart. He didn’t say a word as he dropped his keys onto the counter and toed off his shoes, moving around the space like this was just another ordinary evening.Sage, however, wasn’t having it.“You have nothing to say for yourself?” The professor barely spared him a glance. “Nope.”Sage’s eyes widened. “Are you serious right now?”The professor sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Look, I could say something, but I have a feeling you have a lot more to say than I do.”His jaw tightened. “Unbelievable.”I stood there, stiff, hands clenched at my sides. I wanted to say something to diffuse the situation but my tongue felt heavy in my mouth.Sage let out
SageI shivered the second as I stepped out of the professor’s house, but it was nothing compared to the numbness spreading inside me. My hands clenched into fists at my sides, my pulse pounding in my ears. The world outside made me so angry like reality was mocking me for ever thinking I could be happy.Kaiden followed me, his footsteps hurried as he struggled to keep up. He had finally worn his clothes despite the shame coating his cheeks. The professor kept staring at us with those cold eyes and I wondered when everything changed.He just changed and the warmth he looked at me with was suddenly nowhere to be found.It was just gone.Kaiden was still lingering behind me, waiting for me to say something. I couldn’t even find it in me to look him in the eye without feeling disgusted with him.So I decided to walk, I didn’t slow down and I didn’t look back either. I couldn’t.“Sage, wait—”I ignored him.“Please, just—listen to me!”Silence.“You owe me that respect at least. Just lis
KaidenBy the time I stumbled back into my apartment, I was already drowning in a storm of emotions I couldn’t control. My head was heavy, my thoughts tangled, and my heart. if I could even still call it that felt hollow.I tried to shake it off. I tried to tell myself I was fine, that Sage ignoring me wasn’t the end of the world, that I didn’t need his approval, his friendship, or even his acknowledgment. But the lie felt weak. I had always thought that no matter what happened, Sage and I would always be something to each other.But now?He had disowned me.He had rejected me again and again, declaring that nothing could ever make him speak to me again. He proved it by walking off despite me calling him over and over again.He left me standing there, feeling stupid and letting the guilt eat me up alive. I didn’t know what to feel or do at that moment because I felt so shitty, I couldn't even stand myself.The words replayed in my mind over and over again, burning like acid. Burning t
KaidenI took another step, desperate to leave this entire night behind me, to pretend none of this had happened.Embarassment was wearing me down as if it was a heavy cloak that I wore. But my legs wouldn’t move.A sick, twisting feeling settled deep in my gut, anchoring me to the spot. It was a selfish thought, a fucking thought shouldn’t have crossed my mind but it did.I kept wondering why he sent me away because the last time I checked, we had a good time when we fucked and he was just going to turn me away.My fists clenched at my sides as I turned back sharply, eyes locking onto his very annoying unbothered expression.“Do you still like Sage?” I demanded, “Is that why you’re refusing me?”His jaw tightened, but his face remained impassive. “That’s none of your business.”“It is my business,” I snapped. “It’s very much my business because Sage is my best friend.”A dry chuckle left his lips. “Your best friend?” he repeated, his voice dripping in mockery. “If you were really hi
KaidenI rubbed my hand up and down his back as he hiccuped, his body trembling against mine. He was hurting. Again.And yet again, here I was, comforting him.It sucked.It sucked because every single time, my own feelings got buried, shoved aside like they didn’t matter.Because to him, they didn’t.I poured out my heart to him and all he could say was for me to go to hell but here he was, in my arms sobbing like a baby because he was hurt.I was tired of this shit.I sucked in a deep breath and stepped back.His head snapped up instantly, eyes bleary and confused. “Why did you stop?”I shook my head. “I don’t know,” I admitted. Then, before he could say anything, I added, “You can handle yourself from here on.”His brows furrowed. “You’re leaving?” His voice was quiet, but there was something sharp beneath it.I crossed my arms. “Isn’t that what you wanted?” I asked, tilting my head. “To get rid of me? Well, I’m leaving. You don’t need me and you don’t need anybody so take care.”H
KaidenI heaved a sigh of relief the second I slammed my door. I ripped my shirt off my body and I started to calm down.No, that was a lie.I was fucking furious.How dare he? He didn’t want to be alone? Then he should go stay with his fathers, the fuck?Okay, now I was seething. I didn’t even think I could feel this magnitude of anger for the person I valued most but when he made me a second option, I lost it.Come to think of it, he has been doing that a lot. Whenever he and the professor were not getting along, even if it was because of me, he would remember me.Use me.And I would foolishly take it because let’s face it, I was that stupid. I took off my pants and tried to get the damn thoughts out of my bed before my night ended up getting worse.I have already embarrassed myself so I don’t think it could get any more worse than that. I was about to tuck in bed when my door flew open , I crouched to a fighting position with my eyes so wide that it would have shot lasers.I carr
KaidenI ran a hand through my hair, staring at my phone screen.A single name sat there in my contacts after I searched it.River.I had already slept with Sage. It should have been enough. I should have been satisfied, exhausted and spent. But instead, something burned inside me, something restless, something unsatisfied.I left him there because I was angry at myself, I didn’t want that. I didn’t like the control even when I got it again. I wanted to submit. Ever since I got a taste of it, it’s been what I wanted to do.I certainly wished the professor took me up on that offer. I knew he was the exact person to give me what I needed.And I knew exactly what I needed to do.With a smirk curling on my lips, I hit the call button.It barely rang twice before he picked up. “What do you want, Kaiden?”Straight to the point. Typical.He didn’t even ask me how I got his number. With the amount of things he knew I had done, getting his number was on the least of it all.I leaned back on 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
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