I know I’ve said it before, but having Drew as my teacher is the best gift Zayne could have ever given me.The weeks that followed blurred into lesson after lesson, each one more demanding than the last. Drew never let me coast. If my walk faltered, he had me circle the room again until my calves burned. If my posture dipped, he’d flick my shoulder with a manicured finger and declare, “Darling, slump once and you’re dead to the camera.”But it wasn’t just the walking. He tested me everywhere.One night, he whisked me to a fine dining restaurant, clicking his tongue when I reached for the wrong fork.“Pause,” he said, catching my wrist mid-air. He leaned in, his eyes sharp, voice playful but strict. “The outer fork is for the salad, the inner for the main. Dessert? That tiny one at the top.”I groaned, swapping forks, and he grinned like a proud parent.“And wine?” He lifted the glass, tilting it toward me. “Hold by the stem. Never the bowl. This isn’t juice at a picnic. You swirl gent
The next morning, Drew didn’t even let me sit before announcing the theme of the day.“Today,” he said, his eyes sweeping over me with mock severity, “we’re tackling emotions. Or, in your case, how not to wear your broken little heart all over your face.”I blinked at him. “Excuse me?”He flicked his wrist, dramatic as ever. “Darling, you walked in here with heartbreak stamped across your face like a tabloid cover. In this industry? That’s a rookie mistake. Everyone’s watching– the paparazzi, the agents, the critics. And they don’t nudge, they strike. The moment they spot the smallest crack?” He mimed a slow cut across his throat, his eyes glittering.“They’ll slick you into pieces and auction off every fragment.”I couldn't help laughing, shaking my head. “You’re so extra.”“Extra keeps you alive out there,” Drew shot back. He paced the room like it was a runway. “You can cry in the bathroom. You can scream in your car. But the moment you step into the studio, the casting room, the r
Zayne noticed the way my body tensed, then followed my line of sight to Cade standing by his car. He didn’t react, not even a flicker of surprise.Instead, his lips curved faintly. “Make sure I don’t have to text you again like today.”I managed a smile. “It won’t get to that.”“Good.” His eyes shifted toward Cade. “And you, start answering my calls.” With that, he opened his car door, got in, and drove off, leaving me alone with Cade.Neither of us spoke. Cade just stared at me. For a heartbeat, I let myself look back, taking him in like a memory I’d been starving for. God, I had missed him. A part of me, the part that still loved him, ached to close the distance, to fall into his arms and pretend nothing had changed.But another part of me refused. That part remembered the wounds, and the lies.So I walked inside.He followed, shutting the door behind him.I sat on the couch. He sat beside me. The silence was unbearable until he finally broke it, shattering whatever hope I’d held on
With Jesse at school, the apartment felt too quiet. Nothing else to distract me, I grabbed my laptop, balanced it on my knees, and scrolled through job postings. I might be needing one soon. The reality of yesterday hit hard: I’d fought with Clara, my supposed tutor, and maybe my modeling career was over before it had even begun.Halfway through another vacancy listing, my phone buzzed against the bed.Zayne: Why are you late for class today?I frowned at the screen. Class? With who? I typed back quickly.His reply came almost instantly. Didn’t you give me two solutions yesterday? I picked one.Which one?Come over and find out.That text was all it took. I launched myself into the shower like the future of my life depended on how fast I scrubbed shampoo out of my hair. Ten minutes later, dressed and still catching my breath, I locked up the house and rushed outside.---Marie opened the door, her smile warm as always. “Well, look who finally decided to show up.” Her tone was light, t
“What exactly is going on here?”Zayne stepped fully into the room, his voice calm but weighted, pulling every ounce of attention toward him.Clara stiffened. I froze. Neither of us answered.Zayne’s gaze passed over us once, his face giving nothing away, before he made the decision himself. “Fine. Since no one feels like talking, today’s class is over.”His gaze flicked to Clara. “You can leave now. I’ll call you when I need you.”Clara’s lips pressed thin. She stood, but not without a final glare tossed in my direction. I made sure to return it. For just a second, I thought I saw the corner of Zayne’s mouth twitch, as if he’d caught the exchange and almost found it amusing.“Follow me, Mira,” he said.I trailed him into his study, nerves prickling under my skin with every step. He moved behind the desk and sat, then gestured for me to take the chair opposite. I stayed on my feet a moment too long before finally lowering myself onto the seat.He remained quiet, but the way he watched
After Clara made that comment, she sat on the couch and started scrolling through her phone. I kept standing, waiting for what would come next.At first, I assumed she was reading something important, maybe preparing notes for whatever lesson Zayne wanted her to start with. But then the corner of her mouth curved, her thumbs moving fast across the screen, and I realized she was chatting.I shifted on my feet, irritation sparking hot. “I’m still standing here, you know.”That finally got her attention. Clara lifted her gaze, slowly. “So?”The single word dripped with disdain.“Are we starting, or are you just going to sit there?”Her lips twitched, the faintest curl of a smile that wasn’t a smile at all. “Do you want to be the teacher instead?”“No,” I replied.“Exactly. So don’t tell me what to do.”She went back to her phone, ignoring me until she grew bored of whatever conversation she was having. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed it onto the couch and stood.“Walk,” she ordered