Chapter Ten: When Control Slips

I shouldn’t have been here.

I knew that the moment I saw them.

Aire. Marcus. Laughing like the world belonged to them. Comfortable. Close. Too close.

The sight twisted my chest in a way I hadn’t felt before. Jealousy, anger, frustration, and… fear.

Fear that I was losing her.

I parked a few blocks away, pretending I had some “errand.” My fingers tightened around the steering wheel like I could claw back control through sheer force of will.

It wasn’t fair. None of this was fair.

She had been mine. At least, that’s what I told myself. And now? Now she was choosing someone else. Someone older, someone untouchable.

I drove closer, circling the block again, trying to convince myself I was just… curious. Concerned.

But I wasn’t.

I was furious.

---

When I finally walked up to the apartment, I saw them through the glass door:

Aire, leaning against Marcus as he adjusted her jacket after a playful slip. She was laughing, and my stomach flipped.

I wanted to yell. To storm in. To tear her away from him and remind her who she belonged to.

Instead, I stood frozen, watching, teeth clenched.

This wasn’t the first time I’d felt jealous. But it was the first time it felt like it was crushing me from the inside.

---

I pushed the door open, and they both turned immediately. Aire’s smile faltered.

“Jalen—” she started.

“Don’t,” I snapped. “Don’t even try to explain.”

Marcus straightened, calm as always. “Jalen—”

“I don’t care,” I said, cutting him off. “I just—how can you be so calm? You have no idea what this looks like from my perspective.”

Aire’s eyes filled with hurt. “You know the rules now.”

“The rules?” I laughed bitterly. “Rules? Don’t tell me it’s about rules. You’re testing boundaries! Laughing! Touching!”

Marcus’s jaw tightened slightly, a rare break in his composure. “I’m not touching her inappropriately.”

“Yet it still hurts!” I shouted. “Every laugh. Every glance. Every time she leans into you—it’s like you’re rubbing it in my face!”

Aire stepped forward, pleading. “Jalen, calm down—”

“No! I’m done calming down!” I said. “I’ve held my tongue for too long, and now… now you all get to live in this perfect little arrangement, and I’m left standing here watching!”

I took a step back, chest heaving, trying to breathe through the whirlwind inside me.

And then it hit.

---

Outside, a car door slammed.

I froze, recognizing the sound instantly.

A dark SUV, tinted windows, pulled to a stop across the street. Two men stepped out. One of them—tall, broad, eyes cold and calculating—paused, scanning the building. The other stayed by the car, watching the street.

Aire’s head turned toward the window. Marcus’s hand subtly moved toward the doorframe, but he didn’t approach them.

I followed their gaze and felt my stomach drop.

It wasn’t just jealousy anymore.

It was danger.

---

Aire’s voice was soft but firm. “Jalen… stay inside.”

I wanted to argue. Wanted to storm out and confront them.

But my gut said otherwise. Something primal told me that stepping forward without knowing what we were up against would be stupid.

The tall man stepped closer, reaching for something inside his jacket.

Marcus moved, now fully alert. Aire clutched his arm. My blood ran cold.

My hand shot to my phone. I needed backup. I needed help. I needed—

Then the first shot rang.

Not at us. Not yet. But close.

Windows shattered. Glass flew across the sidewalk.

I ducked instinctively, heart pounding, adrenaline surging.

And then I realized: this wasn’t about age. Not about rules. Not about who Aire loved.

This was bigger.

And none of us were prepared.

---

The moment stretched, the city noise falling away as every second slowed.

Aire’s eyes met mine, wide and terrified, but still trusting.

Marcus whispered sharply, “Get inside. Now.”

I didn’t move.

Because for the first time, I understood:

This wasn’t a fight I could control.

And it wasn’t a love I could claim—at least not yet.

Outside, the men advanced.

And I knew… the real danger had just begun.