Share

36

Penulis: B . A Lumina
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-08-08 03:21:34
Kaya POV

The next morning the air is lighter, but my brain is turning in circles about the glitch with Flynn. I push my lab door open, and there’s already a thick white envelope sitting on my desk.

Cream cardstock. Gold trim. Embossed with the Lions’ logo at the center like it’s some royal decree. Of course it’s my father being extra.

I tear it open while holding my coffee and read the elegant script inside.

“The Lions Club requests your presence at the Annual Youth Foundation Charity Gala. Black tie.”

“Of course. A gala. Because apparently, sleep deprivation and existential dread aren’t glamorous enough.” I snort

I toss the envelope onto my desk, but curiosity gets the better of me when I see a similar one peeking out from Flynn’s locker. A matching one is pinned to Gerald’s corkboard too. Even Coach has one sitting half-open beside his thermos in the main office. So it’s not just for show. The whole team’s invited.

Great.

The locker room is already buzzing when I wa
Lanjutkan membaca buku ini secara gratis
Pindai kode untuk mengunduh Aplikasi
Bab Terkunci

Bab terbaru

  • Programmed the Quaterback Robot to Love   74

    Flynn POV The drive home from practice feels heavier than usual, in fact the last few hours have been quite unstable, anything could happen next. I keep replaying the moment Kaya walked right past me this morning without looking at me. She always tries to pretend she is not affected, but today she did not even try to hide it. She kept her eyes away from mine like she was avoiding a wound she did not want to touch. And somehow I felt it deep inside me, not in my circuits. In something else, it feels like a real ache. Her car was gone by the time practice ended. Completely burned out, melted into a black shell in the parking lot. Everyone kept whispering about it. Tom and Riley acted like they were strolling through the aftermath of a bonfire they built themselves. They stood behind us looking pleased with themselves, and Kaya nearly lunged at Riley before I pulled her back. The engine hums as I pull into my building garage. I grip the steering wheel, trying to understand why the

  • Programmed the Quaterback Robot to Love   73

    Riley POV The door to my office clicks shut behind us, and within seconds Tom has me backed against it. His mouth crashes against mine, hot and demanding. I smile against his lips, breathless, the thrill of earlier still pulsing through me like electricity. “God, that was incredible,” I whisper, tugging him closer by his collar. Tom kisses down my jaw, his breath rough with adrenaline. “You should have seen your face when the flames went up. You looked like you were watching art.” He laughs, low and amused. Because it was art. Kaya had stood there screaming like a little child who lost her toy. Flynn tried to hold her. She shoved him off. The entire thing was perfect. Every detail. Every reaction. And now, the priceless expression she wore when he tried to drive her home and she rejected him in front of everyone. That alone was worth getting ash under my nails. “I am still replaying it,” I say, pulling Tom back up to kiss me again. “The look in her eyes. And Flynn’s. It was almo

  • Programmed the Quaterback Robot to Love   72

    Kaya’s POV The moment Flynn and I step outside, a sharp burst of heat hits my face. For a second I don’t understand what I’m looking at, because my brain refuses to accept it. Then the flames roar higher, licking up the side of the dented blue hood, and my chest caves in. My car is on fire.The only thing I kept from Noah after he left. It was his car and he had given it to me to pick him up before we were going to run away, before he left me, but still it had sentimental value and I refused to give the car up and now? “No. No no no,” I gasp, stumbling forward. The crackling of flames drowns out everything else. A few teammates hover nearby, muttering, but no one dares get close. People film it instead of helping. Of course they would only film. “Help! Somebody get help!” My voice breaks as I shout, but no one moves. It’s already too late anyway. The fire is too strong. Flynn reaches for me. “Kaya, stop. It isn’t safe.” I shake him off, watching helplessly as the flames swallow

  • Programmed the Quaterback Robot to Love   71

    Flynn’s POV The water hits the back of my neck in steady, pounding waves, this is just another part of the morning routine I’ve done since I was activated. But my eyes close and immediately, the world shifts. I find myself on a rooftop with edges of a city skyline that doesn’t look like anything I’ve ever seen in this lifetime. The sun sets low so that it stains everything in warm gold. And then I hear laughter, Kaya’s, she sounds younger and softer. Then I hear a voice next, my own, but not my own. “Kaya, promise you won’t leave without me.” Her hair blows in the wind, long and dark, flying around her shoulders. She pushes it back as she laughs again and says something, something I can’t make out. But she’s smiling at me. At Noah. At the person I shouldn’t be remembering. “No…” My hand shoots out, slamming against the shower wall. The tile is cold despite the steam. My breath comes unevenly, if I can even call it breath. “Why do I see her like this?” The memory dissolves lik

  • Programmed the Quaterback Robot to Love   70

    Kaya Pov My lips are still tingling. It’s ridiculous… impossible… but Flynn’s kiss feels like it just cracked something open inside me, something I thought I had welded shut after Tom’s betrayal. For a few seconds, I actually let myself melt into him. I lean closer, my fingers clutching the lapel of his suit, my body hums like someone just turned a current on inside me. His mouth is warm and certain against mine, and I hate how good it feels, how natural it feels, like I am not kissing a robot I built, but someone I have known before. Someone I had loved before. The thought slams through me like a shockwave, and I jolt away from him so fast I nearly trip over the edge of the couch. “No—no, I can’t…” My voice is breathless and cracked. “I shouldn’t feel things for you.” Flynn freezes, “Kaya…” I shake my head, panic building. “This was…this was a mistake Flynn. I need to go.” He stands too, and when he steps toward me, something hopeful sparks in his eyes. “So you do feel som

  • Programmed the Quaterback Robot to Love   69

    Flynn’s POV Tom’s hand is still clamped on Kaya’s arm when I reach them. His face is too close to hers, his voice low as he tries to intimidate Kaya. Kaya’s eyes flick up toward me, wide and unsettled, and that’s all it takes. My body reacts before my mind does. I move in, sliding an arm around her waist and pulling her gently but firmly into my side. Her body fits against mine like it belongs there, and she gasps softly before leaning into the warmth of my hold. Tom jerks back. “Mind your business, Fetcher.” I give him a calm, almost bored look. “She is my business.” His jaw twitches. “You’re new here. Don’t get ahead of yourself.” I don’t take the bait. Instead, I look down at Kaya. She’s trying to mask her shaken state, but I can see the tension in her shoulders and the faint tremble in her fingers. “Are you alright?” I ask softly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. My thumb grazes her cheek, and she melts a fraction, just enough for me to catch it. “He didn’t hurt

Bab Lainnya
Jelajahi dan baca novel bagus secara gratis
Akses gratis ke berbagai novel bagus di aplikasi GoodNovel. Unduh buku yang kamu suka dan baca di mana saja & kapan saja.
Baca buku gratis di Aplikasi
Pindai kode untuk membaca di Aplikasi
DMCA.com Protection Status