CHAPTER TWO - Watch your back, Raveni.

Ezren:

I don't want to lose myself in all of these, but how do you play a game where the only safe choice is the one you hate?

Kiss or Kill?

~~~

I blinked slowly, trying to adjust to the harsh light above me.

It hurt.

My head throbbed with every breath, like someone had taken a sledgehammer to the inside of my skull.

The smell of antiseptic, the low humming of machines, and the faint murmur of voices just beyond the door told me where I was.

A hospital.

What the hell happened?

My eyes darted around the bland room until they landed on a figure sitting in the corner, elbows on knees, a designer jacket tossed over the chair like it belonged there.

“You fainted,” Eli said quietly.

He looked tired but still maintained looking polished, rich, and annoyingly breathtaking. His dark turtleneck clung to his frame, and the Cartier bracelet on his wrist sparkled against the dull hospital walls

The scent of his expensive cologne reached me when he stepped closer and I tried to sit up, but he gently pushed me back down.

“Don’t. You hit your head on the damn pavement.. be still.” He gently parted a strand of hair that had fallen in my eyes, his expression softening for a moment before he masked it with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. “You scared the shit outta me last night.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but the words got stuck in my throat. Closed it. Then, finally, “Wha-what happened?”

He sat on the edge of the bed, a familiar pose that reminded me of the countless times he'd sat beside me in his luxurious penthouse, where I'd found myself living with him. It was a strange arrangement, one I hadn't exactly chosen, but the privacy it afforded me had been a lifesaver.

“You fainted. Probably from stress? dehydration? I don’t know. Maybe the shocking realization that you kissed my step-brother?” he said sarcastically.

Right! That.

It came back in flashes, the bar, the crowd, the stupid game, Eli's totally wasted birthday face and then… him.

His stupid smug face. That smug face after I kissed him in front of everyone.

I groaned, dragging a hand down my face. “I didn’t know it was him.”

“Would it have changed anything if you did?”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“What was it then? Some charity kiss? Or did he make you feel something you’ve never felt from any of your precious ‘straight’ labels?”

“I did it to save you, Eli.”

“You kissed HIM.”

“I kissed the nearest stranger,” I muttered. “I didn’t know he was your step-brother. How was I supposed to know that the guy who looked like he walked off a Milan runway was related to you?”

I watched him closely, seeing the pain and anger warring in his eyes. I could see it in the way his eyes wouldn’t meet mine, the tightness in his mouth. He wasn’t mad because I kissed someone. He was mad because it could have been anyone but his step-brother. The realization stung, and I wished I could take it back, but it was too late now.

“You’re not gay, right?” he asked quietly.

My throat dried. “What? No! You were drunk, barely able to stand, and they were about to shove you into that dare. I took the damn kiss so they’d leave you alone.”

“Hell, would it have killed you to kiss me instead, Ezren? You kissed HIM.”

“I told you why already, Eli. You were drunk. I didn’t mean for it to happen, it was just a kiss.”

He gave a dry laugh. “Right. Just a kiss. You fainted over just a kiss.”

He then stood, taking a step back. His hand dragged through his perfectly styled curls, messing them up. “You say you’re not gay, you kissed my brother, but you fainted afterwards? Why? Guilt? Or something else entirely?”

I didn't answer. I was avoiding eye contact to escape the pain I knew I'd see in his eyes. I couldn't bear to see that pain again, not after last night's emotional turmoil.

“I don’t care if you’re gay. Or confused. Or whatever the hell you think this is, but don’t stand there and act like none of this matters because it does. It can be anyone, Ez. Anyone at all. Just… not him. Please.”

I swallowed and finally met his glassy, red-rimmed eyes, “Lucky for you, I’m straight. So this… it won’t happen again.”

He didn’t move. Just stared, like he was trying to memorize the version of me that he could still remember.

“I never meant to hurt you, Eli.” I said it more to myself than to him. I wasn’t even sure he heard me.

But it was true. Eli’s all I have left. The only thing close to family I’ve got. And if he’s hurting, then so am I.

I can’t afford to break him.

Not when I already feel like I’m in pieces.

He shook his head, still looking at me, and said, “Your discharge papers are signed already. The doctor said you shouldn’t be alone for the next twenty-four hours. You’re not allowed to walk around or go to school today.”

“What? But I'm okay now. You aren't staying?” I asked quickly, almost begging.

“I can’t.” His voice was thick. “I’ve got that final showcase at the academy this morning. If I miss it, I lose my whole semester. And... he’s already outside.”

“He?”

He nodded grimly. “Yeah. Knox.”

My heart dropped. “And you’re sending me off with him?”

“I hate it,” he muttered. “..but the doctor insisted you needed supervision, and unless I clone myself, I can’t be in two places at once.”

“But..”

“Don’t worry,” he added, turning toward the door. “I told him not to talk to you unless you wanted to. But knowing him… Just don’t let him get in your head,” he glanced back, “He’s good at that.”

Then he grabbed his jacket and I watched him leave the room. I should be worried about the classes I’d have to skip, just like he was, but all I could think about was HIM.. and the terrifying reason Ricco knew the name of a game that should’ve died with my brother.

Now, I was stuck with a choice: share a ride home with his step-brother, Knox – the guy I had kissed, hated instantly, and didn't want to be near.

Or, take a three-mile walk home, which seemed like the better option.

~~~~

IN THE CAR

The car smelled like leather, peppermint gum, and expensive attitude. I shifted in my seat, adjusting the hospital wristband like it might suddenly become less itchy.

The man beside me remained silent, his gaze fixed on the road ahead. I stole a sideways glance, taking in his refined features.

He didn't seem like the type to drive himself - not in that obsidian beast of a car, certainly not in that tailored coat that probably cost more than my entire year at Villeybale.

His tattooed hand resting on the wheel, the other flashing a silver ring that caught the light just enough to annoy me. His ginger curls were a little unruly, tousled like he hadn’t tried, but you knew he had.

It is brighter and more golden than Eli’s darker shade.

And those damn eyes - sharp, cold, a shade of blue that shouldn’t exist outside of nightmares or dreams.

I hated that he looked good. Worse still, I hated that I cared

"Thanks," I muttered, just to break the silence.

He didn't glance my way. “Didn’t do it for you.”

Right. Of-fuckin'-course he didn’t.

I cleared my throat. “So... you’re Eli’s step-brother.”

“Wrong. He’s my step-brother. Big difference.”

His voice had that low, calm chill that prickled the skin. Deep and refined. Like someone who didn’t need to raise his voice to make you shut up.

I fought the urge to squirm in my seat. “Why-why are you driving me home?”

He didn't answer. He then made a turn, smooth as hell. Of course he drove like that. I bit back my frustration. He didn't seem to care about my questions, and it was starting to get under my skin.

Maybe I should try being more direct?

“What do you want from me?”

He gave a dark chuckle, “You kissed me, I should be asking that.”

I felt my eyes widen as I struggled to respond, my words tumbling out in a desperate bid to defend myself. “I did not KISS you.”

“I stood still and you grabbed my face.”

“It was a stupid game. You were the only one who hadn’t been picked and Eli was—"

“Wasted. Yeah, I saw.” His gaze flicked to me, and for a heart-stopping moment, our eyes locked. I felt a flutter in my chest before he turned back to the road. “So, to save your drunk best friend from kissing someone, you decided to French his step-brother instead?”

I stared at him. “I didn’t know who you were.”

“But you knew I was a man.”

I hesitated, sensing a trap, but my curiosity got the better of me. “What does that have to do with—?”

He smiled again, this time darker. “Nothing. Just checking what you’re willing to lie about.”

I fell silent and my heart just wouldn’t sit still. I hated the way he spoke. Like he already knew how I’d respond before I opened my mouth.

He made another turn, slower this time, and the penthouse came into view - high glass walls gleaming like it belonged in another country.

We rolled to a stop.

Before I could reach for the door, he spoke.

“Six years, one month, one week… and two hours.”

My head turned slowly toward him.

His fingers tapped once on the wheel. “That’s how long it’s been since my boyfriend took his last breath. Since you vanished and left me with nothing but a funeral and a fucking question mark.”

“…What the hell are you talking about? Are you..”

“Do you remember him?” he interrupted. “His voice? His laugh? Because I do. I remember the exact sound he made the last time he said your name.”

“I-I don’t know you or whoever you're talking about,” I said, my voice a little thinner than I wanted.

“No. But I know you, Raveni.”

My entire spine locked at the sound of my last name.

“You—” I swallowed. “How do you know my name?”

He watched the fear reach me, then finally gave a cold smile.

“You should be more careful. About the names you bury and about the people you pretend never existed.”

Then he leaned in just a little closer, his voice dropping into a whisper that felt colder than ice.

“Watch your back, Raveni. I'm here to shatter your control, wreck that shiny golden-boy act you cling to like a lifeline, fuckin’ drag your perfectly stacked world into the dirt, and watch you choke on the chaos. I’m not here for closure. I'm here to ruin everything you still love. Call it karma. With teeth!”