Chapter 3: Russu No more!

Gaea

I just stood there, watching Clyden like I had forgotten how to breathe properly.

He looked infuriatingly perfect.

Hands in his pockets. Shoulders relaxed. Lips slightly pressed together as if he was always holding back a smirk he didn’t want me to notice.

But I noticed everything.

Dangerous.

That was the only word my mind kept repeating.

Not because he was loud.

But because he wasn’t.

He was the kind of danger that didn’t announce itself—you only realized you were already caught when it was too late.

“Why are you just sitting there?” he asked, tilting his head slightly. “How are we supposed to start like this?”

Start what?

I almost asked, but stopped myself.

Then his eyes moved over me slowly.

Too slowly.

Like I was something he was studying instead of someone standing in front of him.

“Why are you still so beautiful even when you’re glaring at me?”

I blinked.

“…Are you flirting with me?”

He laughed under his breath and finally sat beside me, too close.

Not enough space.

Never enough space with him.

“Let me tell you something,” I said quickly, pointing a finger at his chest. “I don’t fall for things like that.”

My voice was firm.

Convincing, even.

Or at least I wanted it to be.

But then—

He leaned in.

Too fast.

Too sudden.

And our foreheads touched.

Everything in me stopped.

No air.

No sound.

Just him.

His warmth pressed against mine, his eyes locking onto me like he already knew what I would do before I did it.

“Even like this?” he asked softly.

My throat tightened.

I should’ve pushed him away immediately.

I should’ve stood up.

I should’ve left.

But I didn’t.

My body didn’t move.

Only my eyes did—and they betrayed me, flickering to his lips for half a second too long.

I looked away quickly.

“Are you falling for me yet, Miss Gaea?”

That question snapped something inside me.

I shoved him away, my heart suddenly too loud in my chest.

What was that?

Why was my body reacting like I had no control over it?

This wasn’t me.

This wasn’t how I acted.

And yet…

It felt familiar.

Like a scene I had already written once before.

Like I was repeating something I had imagined in a different life.

“Can you give me space? Personal space, please?” I waved my hands between us.

“S-P-A-C—!”

I didn’t get to finish.

He grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me forward.

And then—

A kiss.

Quick.

Soft.

So brief it almost felt accidental.

Almost.

My entire body froze.

It wasn’t deep.

It wasn’t long.

But it was enough to shake something loose inside me that I didn’t understand.

“What was that for?!” I blurted out, stepping back immediately.

He only smirked.

“You were distracting me.”

“What? I didn’t do anything!”

“You exist,” he said simply. “That’s distracting enough.”

My jaw dropped.

“That doesn’t even make sense!”

He stood up slowly, closing the space again like he couldn’t stand distance between us.

“I’m the only one allowed to be shameless here,” he said.

I scoffed.

“Oh really? Say that to the women you’ve been with.”

That made him pause.

Just for a second.

But I saw it.

Something darker flickered in his eyes.

“Say what you want,” he murmured. “They’re not you.”

My chest tightened.

I didn’t like that answer.

Not because it was sweet.

But because it felt too intentional.

Too focused.

Like I wasn’t part of a crowd in his life—

I was the only one he was looking at.

I quickly raised my hand.

“Wait. I have something to say.”

He stopped immediately.

Like I had control over him.

That realization alone made my pulse jump.

“I don’t want to be at a disadvantage with your offer,” I said carefully. “So I’ll give you my body after I finish my novel.”

Silence.

Then—

He raised a brow.

“And what about my sex life?”

My eyes widened.

“What—?!”

“I usually find someone three times a week,” he said casually, like he was talking about the weather.

I covered my ears instantly.

“Stop talking! I don’t need that information!”

But even as I said it…

Something twisted inside my chest.

Uncomfortable.

Sharp.

Not jealousy.

No.

I refused to call it that.

It reminded me of Russu.

The same kind of emptiness.

The same kind of replacement.

The same ending I never really recovered from.

“I’m not stopping you from seeing other women,” I said more calmly this time.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“You won’t get jealous?”

That question made me hesitate.

Jealousy.

I knew that feeling.

I had felt it before.

With Russu.

But Clyden…

He wasn’t mine.

He wasn’t supposed to be mine.

This was just a deal.

A temporary arrangement.

A transaction.

Nothing more.

“I don’t have a reason to be jealous,” I said softly.

But my voice didn’t sound as steady as I wanted.

He noticed.

Of course he did.

He always noticed too much.

He stepped closer.

Then closer again.

Until my back hit the wall.

My breath caught.

My heartbeat betrayed me instantly.

Too fast.

Too loud.

“Then what am I to you?” he asked quietly.

I swallowed.

“You’re not losing anything,” I said quickly. “You’ll be the first anyway.”

That made him smile.

Not kindly.

Not gently.

Possessively.

“Good answer.”

Then he leaned in again.

Not touching me.

Just trapping me.

Like he didn’t need contact to keep me there.

“New condition,” he said.

My throat tightened.

“What condition?”

“You stay in my place until you finish your novel.”

My brows furrowed.

“I can manage on my own—”

“You cook,” he continued.

I frowned harder.

“I can order food.”

“You clean.”

“I can hire someone—”

“And,” he cut in, voice lowering slightly, “I can kiss you or hold you whenever I want.”

Everything inside me froze.

“That’s not part of the agreement—”

He kissed me again.

Short.

Deliberate.

Like punctuation at the end of a sentence I never agreed to.

Then he pulled away like nothing happened.

Like he hadn’t just rearranged my entire ability to think properly.

“Last offer,” he said calmly, sitting back on the sofa. “Take it or leave it. Five minutes.”

I stood there frozen.

My thoughts were everywhere.

My body still felt like it was catching up.

Then—

My phone rang.

Loud.

Sharp.

Breaking the moment completely.

I blinked.

Wait.

Where is my phone?

Before I could move, I saw it.

In his hand.

Of course.

His eyes dropped to the screen.

Then he smirked.

“Russu?”

My stomach tightened instantly.

“Who’s this?” he repeated, reading it again. “And why is there a heart beside his name?”

My face heated.

“That’s my phone!”

I rushed toward him.

He didn’t even step back.

Just placed one hand on my forehead and held me in place like I weighed nothing.

“Let go!” I struggled.

“You’re hiding things,” he said calmly.

“I’m not!”

“Then why does it hurt when I see that name?” he asked.

That made me stop.

Just for a second.

Because his voice…

Was different.

Not teasing.

Not playful.

Something sharper.

Something quieter.

Almost… annoyed.

Possessive.

He answered the call before I could react.

“Hello,” he said coldly.

A pause.

“I’m her boyfriend.”

My eyes widened.

“What are you doing—”

“Don’t call her again,” he continued.

Another pause.

Then he ended it.

Silence.

Heavy.

Strange.

He handed my phone back like nothing happened.

But his eyes didn’t leave me.

Not even for a second.

“In one week,” he said slowly, “there will be no more ‘Russu’ in your life.”

My chest tightened.

“That’s not your decision,” I said quietly.

His gaze darkened slightly.

“Finish that sentence,” he said, leaning closer again, “and I’ll kiss you until you forget how to argue.”

My mouth snapped shut immediately.

Because I knew—

He would.

He really would.

He leaned back again like nothing happened.

Like he hadn’t just shifted something inside me I couldn’t name.

And I slowly sat beside him.

My heart still racing.

My thoughts completely scattered.

But one thing refused to leave my mind.

Not fear.

Not anger.

Not even confusion.

Just one question echoing louder than everything else:

Why does it feel like I’m not the one writing this story anymore?