LOGINMy phone remained clutched in my hand long after I read the messages.Who sent them?How did they know what I was researching?I looked around the room again, but everyone seemed occupied with the party.Nobody looked suspicious.Nobody looked like they knew anything about Rebecca George.A frustrated sigh pulled my attention away from my thoughts.The red-haired girl was walking back toward me.She didn't look nearly as confident as she had a few minutes ago.In fact, she looked annoyed.The group of girls I'd been talking to had already disappeared somewhere else, leaving only the two of us standing near the drinks table.I glanced at her."What happened?"She grabbed a drink from the table."Your brother's friend happened."I nearly smiled.Nearly."What did he do? I saw you smiling all through""What didn't he do?" she complained."He barely talks."I bit the inside of my cheek."Really?"She narrowed her eyes at me."Why are you smiling?"My smile disappeared immediately."I wasn
Birthdays were strange.When I was younger, I counted down the days weeks in advance, excited about presents, cake and whatever surprise Davis managed to convince everyone to help him plan.Now, at nineteen, I would have been perfectly happy spending the evening with a small group of friends and going to bed before midnight.Unfortunately, nobody seemed interested in what I wanted.Especially Davis.The party was already in full swing.Music drifted through the house, blending with conversations and laughter. Students from campus moved between rooms carrying drinks and snacks while others crowded around the dance floor that had somehow appeared in the living room.I still didn't know how Davis had managed to organize all this in less than a week.Actually, I did know.Money.The answer was money."Ava."I turned and found Mason approaching with a drink in his hand.He smiled when he reached me."You've been avoiding everyone.""I've been greeting people for almost two hours.""Exactly
The moment Stella and Davis started talking, I slipped away.Not completely.Just far enough that I didn't have to sit there watching Stella rediscover her crush.The balcony door was already open.Cool air drifted inside.And unfortunately, Christien was standing there.Of course he was.For a second, I considered turning around.Then I remembered I was still annoyed with him.So I stepped outside instead.Christien glanced over briefly.Then looked back toward the city.Neither of us spoke.The silence stretched.Awkward.Uncomfortable.Exactly the way things had been between us lately.Finally, I crossed my arms."I'm surprised you're helping with the party."His gaze remained on the view."Davis asked."That was it.No explanation.No elaborationSomething about the answer irritated me immediately."That's it?"He looked at me."What else would it be?"I laughed softly.Not because anything was funny.Because I couldn't believe him."You've spent the last week avoiding me."His ex
By the time I got home, my thoughts were still scattered.The newspaper article still sat at the back of my mind, but for a moment, I pushed it aside.Just for a moment.When I opened the door, I didn’t even step fully inside before I heard it.“Labubu!”I froze.Then my eyes widened.“No way…”“Surprise.”Davis appeared from the sitting room like he had always been there.For a second, I didn’t move.Then I ran.“Davis!”He caught me as I practically jumped into him.“Easy,” he said, laughing. “You’re still violent, I see.”“I missed you,” I said immediately.“I know.”That made me pause.He smiled slightly.“I missed you too.”I pulled back and looked at him properly.He looked the same.Maybe a bit more tired.But still Davis.Still my brother.“You didn’t tell me you were coming back,” I said.“I wanted it to be a surprise.”“It worked.”He sat back on the couch and pulled me down beside him like it was normal.Like he never left.Like nothing had changed.For a few seconds, it ac
AVA'S POVI woke up the next day and the first thing I thought of was Christien.Not the party.Not Mason.Christien.“Ughhh" I groaned into my pillow.This was exactly why I hated sleeping after emotionally exhausting nights.My brain always chose violence the next morning.The dance replayed immediately.His hand at my waist.The way he had avoided answering my questions.The way he'd looked at me right before I walked away.I buried my face deeper into the pillow."Pathetic."The word came out muffled.A knock sounded against the dorm room door.Then it opened before I could answer.Stella.I had slept in her dorm because it was late to go home from the venue.Maybe.Part of me was just tired of going to that house everyday ... .since christien no longer comes there.“Morning girl" she smiles.She dropped onto her bed dramatically."You look terrible.""Thank you.""You're welcome."I threw the pillow at her.She caught it easily.Then grinned.That grin immediately made me suspic
The drive home was quiet.No conversations…….i was expecting father’s call but he didn’t call.No unnecessary distractions.Just the city lights sliding past the tinted windows and the low hum of the engine beneath me.Normally, nights like this helped me think.Tonight they didn't.Because every time my thoughts settled, they returned to the same place.Ava.I looked out the window.Annoyed by the fact that I was still thinking about her.Annoyed by the fact that she had somehow managed to turn a simple business event into the only thing I could remember about the evening.The project with Richard Cole had gone well.The negotiations were progressing.The permits would be finalized next week.Everything had gone exactly as planned.Yet the only thing my mind insisted on replaying was a black dress and a stubborn girl refusing a ride home.Ridiculous.I loosened my tie slightly.The image returned anyway.Ava standing between Mason and me.Looking irritated.Refusing both of us.Order
For a moment, neither of us moved.Neither of us looked away.A week.Seven days.No calls.No texts.No explanations.And somehow the first thing he did when he saw me was pretend I didn't exist.The thought annoyed me more than it should have.Then Christien broke the eye contact.Just like that.
One Week later.“I swear this box is heavier than it looks,” Stella said, dragging it further into the dorm room.She was just getting her luggage after resuming.I didn’t look up from the clothes I was folding. “It’s not heavy. You’re just tired.”“I’m not tired. I’m adapting.”“Adapting to what?”
For a moment, neither of us spoke.Then Ava shook her head.The anger was still there.So was the disappointment."Fine."I said nothing."If that's what you want to believe, fine."She took a step back."Just stop acting like you're doing this for me."My jaw tightened.Before I could respond, she
I had almost reached the car when I heard her voice."Stop."I kept walking.The sound of footsteps came behind me."Christien, stop."I gripped the car key harder.If I got into the car, this conversation would end.If I turned around, it wouldn't.Unfortunately, Ava wasn't the type to give up.Sh







