LOGINTHEA ASHFORD°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:・The study was lit only by the soft light of the TV screen playing some quiet action movie Gage had picked out that neither of us was really watching. I was curled into the corner of the deep leather couch, one leg tucked under me, while the other stretched out across the cushions. Micah had passed out halfway through the film. His dark head rested heavy on my thigh, one small hand fisted in the hem of my oversized sweater. He smelled like strawberry shampoo and the chocolate chip cookies Mrs. Harlan had snuck him after dinner. I stroked his hair absently.Gage sat beside me, one arm draped along the back of the couch, fingers lazily tracing patterns on my shoulder. His other hand rested on my knee, thumb brushing slow circles the way it always did when he was content. Ten years of marriage, and that touch still sent little sparks through me.“She tried so hard not to show it,” I murmured, breaking the silence. “You should’ve seen her face when Tyler complim
My palm cracked hard across his cheek, the sound echoing through the empty parking lot. His head snapped to the side, eyes wide with shock as the sting exploded across my hand.But that didn’t make me feel better so I slapped him again, harder this time, the second crack louder than the first. My hand burned, and he stumbled back a step, his face already turning red where my fingers had left their mark.My hand was still stinging from the second slap, but I still drew it back anyway, ready to hit him a third time but before my palm could connect, an arm wrapped around me from behind, pinning my elbows to my sides.“Saraphina—stop, stop,” Lia’s voice was right in my ear, breathless and urgent. “Breathe. Just breathe, okay? He’s not worth it.”I struggled against her for half a second, tears still pouring down my face, chest heaving so hard it hurt. Tyler stood there frozen, one hand pressed to his reddening cheek, eyes wide like he couldn’t believe any of this was happening.Lia didn’t
I gathered my dress in both fists and ran, the tiara tilting sideways on my head, the “Prom Queen” sash flapping like a cruel joke across my chest. My heels clattered down the wooden steps, nearly tripping me twice, but I didn’t stop. The crowd parted around me like I was contagious—some people staring in shock, others grinning, a few still holding their phones up like this was the best entertainment they’d ever seen. “Saraphina!” Lia’s voice cut through the noise but I couldn’t look at her. At that moment, I couldn’t even look at anyone. I shoved through the heavy ballroom doors, the cool hallway air hitting my tear-streaked face like another slap. My chest heaved as I kept running—past confused teachers calling my name, past clusters of kids lingering by the snack tables, past the giant sparkling “PROM 2026” banner that had made my stomach flip with excitement just hours ago. I burst out the main hotel doors into the night, the cool evening wind whipping my hair and tangling
Should I have argued more? Pushed him until he actually heard me instead of brushing it off with that easy grin? Probably. The words were right there on my tongue but the song was still playing, the lights were soft and romantic, and I could already feel the night tilting if I made this a thing. I didn’t want to ruin it so I just let it go and forced a smile instead, rested my head back on his shoulder, and letting the music carry us. “Okay,” I murmured. “Whatever.”Tyler’s arms tightened around me like that settled everything, and we swayed through the rest of the slow song in silence. After a while the track faded out, the lights brightened a little, and the DJ’s voice came over the speakers again.“Alright, everybody, can I have your attention please?” The spotlight cut through the ballroom, sweeping across the crowd until it landed on the stage at the far end. “It’s that time! Will all prom king and queen nominees please make your way to the stage for a grand entrance? Let’s gi
Lia's eyes flicked past me to where Tyler and his friends were still laughing by the punch table, and I could see the way her jaw tightened. She’d seen the whole thing. But she didn’t say a word about it.Instead she pulled me into a hug that felt a tiny bit too tight, like she was trying to squeeze the awkwardness out of the air between us. “You look insane,” she complemented. “That dress is even better in person. Seriously, Saraphina, you’re glowing.”I hugged her back, breathing in the familiar coconut scent of her hair spray, and laughed. “You’re one to talk. Yellow is definitely your color.”She pulled away and grinned, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes the way it usually did. She glanced over my shoulder again, quick, then back to me. “So… Tyler seems… excited tonight,” she said, keeping her tone light, neutral, like she was commenting on the weather instead of the fact that my date had just publicly grabbed my ass in front of half the lacrosse team.I shrugged, twisting the
Tyler’s grin widened, and he offered me his arm like we were in some old-school drama. “Ready to make an entrance, Saraphina?” “Absolutely,” I said, looping my arm through his and letting him lead me down the front steps toward his car parked at the end of the circular driveway. It was a sleek black sedan—nothing flashy, but clean and shiny. He opened the passenger door for me with a little flourish, and I slid in, the emerald fabric of my dress pooling around my legs. He jogged around to the driver’s side, started the engine, and pulled away from the mansion. The house lights faded in the rearview mirror, along with the faint sound of Micah yelling something about “breaking my promise” from the front door. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding and sank back into the leather seat. Tyler reached over and turned the music up just enough. “You really do look incredible,” he said again, glancing sideways at me as we rolled through the neighborhood gates. I laughed, t
°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:・ The morning light sliced through the penthouse windows like a hangover headache, unforgiving, and way too bright. I’d gotten back sometime after three, showered off the night’s residue, and collapsed into bed still tasting sweat, and Amelia’s fear. Sleep had been shallow, fractured b
°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:・ The drive home was quiet, but not the awkward kind. Gage’s hand stayed on my thigh the entire time, thumb tracing slow, absent patterns through my jeans. Every once in a while he’d squeeze lightly, a silent reminder that he was thinking about me. I stared out the window, watching the
NOAH°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:・I stumbled out of Mia’s apartment building, the door slamming shut behind me like a final fuck-you from the universe. The cold air hit me like a brick wall, slicing through my coat and straight into my bones, but I barely felt it. Honestly? I don’t feel a fucking thing anymore.The
Ellis nodded like that explained everything. “Ah. The classic Noah limbo. Women hate that shit, bro. They want labels, clarity, whatever. Me? I stay single for a reason. Girls are complicated as hell. One minute they’re cool with casual, next minute they’re crying because you didn’t text back fast







