Arian

Arian's pov

Dress up.

Don't dress up.

Dress up.

Don't dress up.

This debate has been going on in my head for the past ten minutes. It is almost 9:00 but I don't know if I should dress up or not.

Why would he tell me to dress and get ready instead of helping me? Maybe he wants us to go somewhere or he wants me to meet someone that would help.

If that's the case, I should get ready before he gets here.

I picked a red and black flannel shirt, with a white round-neck top and a black jeans. I stared at myself in the mirror and I became conscious of my thick eyebrows. I've never had time to take care of it.

I took a sharp breath as I got ready and surprisingly, Kael showed up exactly at 9:00 PM. Not even a minute late.

When I stepped out and saw him leaning against his car, something shifted inside me. Something I shouldn't have felt, especially not for Kael.

He looked… different. He didn't look like that rich guy I saw when I was drenched in the rain. He didn't look like the guy who saved me from Luke and his friends.

This version of Kael was something else entirely, something dangerously magnetic, pulling me into his world.

He wore a baggy black t-shirt that hung effortlessly on his broad shoulders, the sleeves were short enough to expose his veined arms. His long hair, usually messy, was pulled back into a neat low ponytail that made his jawline look even sharper. A butterfly tattoo peeked out from his collarbone.

“I hadn't seen that before,” I mumbled as I stared at him.

“Pardon,” his voice was sharp.

“Nothing,” I said quickly, rubbing the back of my neck.

He knew I was checking him out but he didn't say anything. Instead, he smiled and nodded towards the car.

"Get in," he said casually, like this was just another normal night.

He gave no explanation. No hint of what he had in mind and I obeyed. Without questioning him, I slid into the passenger seat. He didn’t say a word as he got into the car. He pulled onto the road and began driving fast, purposeful, and quiet.

We left the city behind within minutes, the streetlights turning into shadows, and buildings giving way to trees and dark stretches of nothing. I started to panic internally.

Is he trying to kidnap me? Is he an organ trafficker or something similar? I couldn't have agreed to come with him, I could have stayed at home.

Now, I'm on a journey without knowing the final destination.

“Where are we going?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.

“You’ll see soon.”

“Just tell me where you are going, Kael. Enough of the suspense.”

“Why are you so short-tempered? You snap without second thoughts,” he said without looking at me.

“Maybe if I knew where we were heading, I wouldn't have snapped,” I said, fighting the urge to snap. “I asked for help, not a ride into the unknown.”

He didn't reply to me and I didn't say anything else.

I stared out the window, my heart still pounding. He wasn’t acting weird… but he also wasn’t acting normal.

That mysterious silence of his was frustrating that the ride to a mysterious place. And what's more frustrating is the fact that I caught him glancing at me with that unreadable look in his eyes.

After what felt like forever, we pulled into what looked like an abandoned stretch of land. The pounding in my heart increased until we turned a corner. Then I saw the lights.

Dozens of cars spread around the place. Neon lights shone under their chassis. Loud music boomed heavily and the crowds of people, most of them young, rebellious-looking, and wild.

“What the fuck is this place?” I breathed as my jaw dropped in awe.

Kael didn't answer. He parked smoothly, killing the engine.

“Is this a car race type of thing?” I asked, shocked.

“Underground races,” he corrected.

“Underground races?” I almost screamed. “Why would you bring me to an underground race? I asked if you could help me, not getting me into more trouble, Kael.”

“You wanted to know if I could help you. This is where it starts.”

“No, this is where trouble starts,” I said, shaking my head in disapproval.

“Get out, Arian,” he said calmly.

Before I could even respond, the driver’s door opened, and he stepped out. I mirrored his actions and followed him. I was nervous, in fact, nervous is an understatement.

As I trailed behind him, my sneakers crunched on gravel. My eyes darted around like I was seeing a completely different side of the universe.

The second he stepped closer to the crowd, two girls rushed up to him, squealing his name like groupies at a concert.

“Kael! You’re back!” one of them cried, literally bouncing on her toes.

“Yes, I'm back. You know how things get when the king comes back,” he said with the sexiest grin I've ever seen.

“Just so you know, I'm always here for the king,” she said, flipping her hair aside to expose her cleavages.

Another one hugged him from behind and whispered something in his ear that made him smirk. He sure was having the best time of his life.

Despite standing there like an outsider, I rolled my eyes to no one in particular. How did I forget that he looked like the typical playboy that has girls around all the time?

With the smirk on his face, I could tell he was enjoying the attention. He didn’t push them away and he didn’t even look uncomfortable. It looks like the whole scene was specifically made for him. The girls also belonged to him.

A stupid ache bloomed in my chest as I thought about him and the girls. I hated myself for building false hope.

What was I even thinking? Look at him. Look at the girls around him. He’s probably straight as a steel rod. And I’m just the charity case he rescued out of pity.

“Are you coming or just going to stand there looking lost?” Kael’s voice broke through my spiral.

I blinked and looked up. “Me?”

He was watching me now. The girls had stepped aside, pouting, and Kael’s eyes were back on me, intense and unreadable.

I took a deep breath and followed him into the chaos, pretending I didn’t care that girls were throwing themselves at him. Pretending I didn’t feel like I was falling for someone I could never have.