LOGINAriana POVI didn’t know when everything started feeling this heavy. It wasn’t like this before. Before, things were simple. Not perfect, but simple. I knew where I stood. I knew what I wanted. I knew what made me happy. But now, everything felt mixed up. Like nothing had a clear shape anymore.I stood in front of the mirror, staring at myself. I looked fine. Nothing about me had changed on the outside. But inside…everything felt different. I looked tired. Not the kind of tired that sleep could fix. The kind that sat deep in your chest and refused to leave.I exhaled slowly and picked up my phone from the table beside me. No new messages. I stared at the screen for a few seconds longer than I should have. Then I locked it and dropped it back. I wasn’t going to call him. Not this time. If he wanted to talk, he would.That was what I told myself. But the truth was…I wasn’t even sure I wanted to hear from him anymore. That thought scared me. Because just a few days ago, I couldn’t go an
Nick POVI knew something was wrong the moment she didn’t pick up. Ariana never ignored my calls like that, not once. I stared at my phone, the call ended screen still showing. Then I called again. It rang and rang, no answer. My jaw tightened."Pick up," I muttered under my breath. Nothing. I dropped the phone on the bed and stood up, pacing my room. This didn’t feel right. After everything that had been happening…she should have answered. Unless..."No," I shook my head. "don’t think like that."I grabbed my phone again and opened our chat. Typed, deleted, typed again. Call me when you see this, Sent. I waited. Nothing. I ran a hand through my hair, frustration building. "Why is she doing this?" I muttered.But deep down…I knew. She wasn’t doing anything. She was choosing. And that thought made my chest feel tight. My phone buzzed. I picked it up immediately. Not her. Unknown number. I frowned. Then answered. "Hello?""Nick."I froze slightly. That voice. Laura’s father. "Sir," I sai
Ariana POVI didn’t go to work the next day. I couldn’t. I woke up, stared at my phone, and just…stayed there. Everything felt off, the room. The silence. Even my own thoughts. I reached for my phone slowly. Opened Instagram. Still trending. More posts. More comments. More people talking like they knew me.She looks like trouble. She’s definitely using him. Another girl chasing fame. I locked my phone immediately. "I can’t do this," I whispered. My chest felt tight again. I got out of bed and walked to the window. The sun was out. People were moving. Life was going on. But mine felt stuck. I wrapped my arms around myself. "This is too much."A knock sounded on my door. "Ari?" Sofia."Come in," I said. She walked in slowly, studying my face. "You didn’t come to work.""I know."She sighed and sat beside me. "I figured something was wrong." I didn’t respond. She looked at me for a moment. Then; "Is it him?"I let out a small laugh. "Isn’t everything about him now?"She didn’t smile. "A
Ariana POVI didn’t sleep well. Not even close. Every time I closed my eyes, I kept seeing it. The posts. The comments. My face everywhere. I woke up feeling heavy. Like something was sitting on my chest. I reached for my phone immediately. Bad idea. More notifications. More tags. More people talking. "This is getting worse," I whispered.I sat up slowly, scrolling through everything again. Someone had made a whole thread. Pictures of me and Nick. Side by side. Zoomed in. Analyzed. Who is she really? Why is he hiding her? Is she the reason for the drama? My stomach turned. "This is insane."I threw my phone on the bed. Got up. Started pacing. "I didn’t ask for this," I muttered. My phone rang. Nick. I stared at it. Let it ring. Then it stopped. A second later…it rang again. I picked up this time."What?" I said, not bothering to sound nice."Ari, have you seen what’s going on?""Of course I’ve seen it," I snapped. "it’s everywhere.""I’m handling it."I laughed. A short, dry laugh. "H
Ariana POVI woke up tired. Not the kind of tired sleep fixes. The kind that sits in your chest and doesn’t leave. I stared at my phone before even getting out of bed. No message from Nick. I didn’t know why that bothered me. Because last night, we talked. Sort of. If that even counted as talking. I sat up slowly and rubbed my face."Focus," I whispered to myself.Today wasn’t about him. It couldn’t be. I had work. Content to post. Things to do. I got ready quickly and left for the café. The air outside felt different. Like something was about to happen. When I got to work, I noticed it immediately. People were looking at me. Not normal looking. Not casual. Whispering. I ignored it at first. Went behind the counter. Started setting things up. Then my boss walked up to me."Ariana," she said carefully. That tone. I didn’t like that tone."Yeah?" I asked.She hesitated. Then.. "Is everything okay online?"My stomach dropped. "What do you mean?"She gave me a look. The kind that already
Ariana POVI didn’t expect it to feel like this. I was the one who said it, maybe we should stop this. But now…I was the one staring at my phone. Waiting. It had been minutes. Maybe more. I wasn’t even sure. I sat on my bed, legs folded under me, my phone in my hand, my thumb hovering over the screen like I was about to do something… but didn’t know what."Why am I like this?" I muttered softly.I dropped my phone beside me and lay back. Staring at the ceiling again. This used to be easy. Talking to him. Laughing with him. Even arguing with him. Now everything felt heavy. Like every word mattered too much. Like every silence meant something. I turned my head and looked at my phone again. Still nothing. My chest tightened slightly."So you’re not going to say anything?" I whispered. I picked up the phone again. Unlocked it. Opened our chat. No new messages. I stared at the last thing I sent, maybe we should stop this. I swallowed. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. Maybe I went too far.
The rest of the ride went in complete silence, it was the kind of silence that I'd call comfortable and peaceful."Kitten, we're here." Nick parked the car by the side of the road.My eyes instantly shot up, a flutter forming in my stomach at the sight of the ocean. Nick had suggested spending a fe
"Ariana Bennett, please ascend the podium."I swallowed, my pulse beating loudly in my throat as I walked up to the podium. Today was the long awaited history presentation, and boy was I nervous?Sofia grinned at me from across the room, a silent show of support. I returned her grin with a smile of
Sofia and I decided to have a sleepover at her house since we haven't had one of those in a while and it was also the only way of getting Nick out of my head. We decided to watch a marathon of sisters because it's the only show we could agree on watching. Sofia popped down next to me on her comf
My hand delved between us, needing to tease him, to pleasure him. I wanted to touch and feel every inch of him.Instead, he grabbed my hair tightly, as he pushed our bodies closer."You think you deserve my cock?" He growled against my ear, the warmth of his breath making me shiver. "You're lucky I







