FAZER LOGINKen's POVWe were all already seated at one of the executive spaces where my dad and Ann had been waiting — and at least, it wasn't the exact spot where I had booked ‘Liam's and I’ reservation. Which meant there was a small chance; a slim one, that I could still salvage something of the evening I had planned. Maybe catch the manager on the way out, explain the situation, see if the booking could be rescheduled or something.It was probably not how these things worked. But I held onto it anyway, because it was the only version of tonight that didn't feel like a complete loss.The table was quiet in that particular way that happened when four people sat down together and at least two of them had things they were actively not saying. My dad was looking at the menu. Ann was sitting with that composed, settled energy she always had — the kind that came from someone who felt perfectly comfortable in whatever room they were in, regardless of whether they had been invited.Liam was beside me,
Ken's POVMy dad nodded right away after Ann suggested dinner together, all smiling in approval while Ann kept her arm looped through his, rubbing his upper arm in that slow and comfortable way that said she had already made herself at home in a space that didn't belong to her.I wasn't surprised. That was the honest truth of it. My dad and the word ‘no’ had not been on speaking terms since Ann arrived, and watching it happen in real time still sat in my chest the same way it always did — somewhere between frustration and something I didn't have a clean name for.I needed to say something. I could feel it — the window was right there, small and closing fast — where I could have turned to my dad and said, ‘actually, Liam and I had already made plans, maybe another time.' It could be something easy that didn't require explanation.But the problem was that pushing back on Ann's suggestion in front of my dad, at this moment, after what he may or may not have seen in that elevator — that w
Ken's POV"What are you two doing?"The question landed in the elevator like something solid.My dad's eyes were already fixed on both of us in a steady and firm manner, that my brain did the one thing it had absolutely no business doing at that moment…which was go completely blank.I had no idea how much he had seen. You know, that was the part I couldn't calculate fast enough. The doors had opened mid-kiss, which meant the angle, the timing, the exact second his eyes had found us — all of it was unknown information to me, and I was standing there trying to work out the answer with nothing to go on.I least expected him to be here in the first place. Of all the restaurants, of all the floors, of all the moments the elevator doors could have opened — it happened to be this one. That was a complete hard luck on me, for real.As if that was not enough… I noticed her.Ann was standing just slightly behind my dad, with one hand resting on the strap of her bag with that particular ease of
Liam's POVI was at the elevator with Ken, waiting with the others who had gotten in with us, for it to climb to the floor where we were all headed… as one thing or the other brought them here too.It was dinner night… just for the two of us.And honestly, I couldn't even hold the news long enough to wait until we were face to face. I had spilled everything to him over the phone that same night, and Ken; being exactly who Ken was, had sworn to make it something worth celebrating in a big way.Which I should have known meant he was not going to let me define what ‘big’ looked like.He had booked a full reservation at a five-star restaurant. Just the two of us. When all I had suggested was a simple date — something low-key, nothing that required a reservation or a dress code or any of the things that now applied.And the matching outfits. His was dark-tan brown, while mine was milk. Complementing colors, intentionally chosen, which was the part I wasn't going to say out loud but had not
Liam's POVI was still leaning against the door when my phone notification beeped.I didn't move immediately. Just stood there for a second with the sound of it cutting through the silence in the room, and then I pulled my phone from my pocket and scrolled it open.It was an email from Barbados University.I stared at the preview line for a moment before I opened it fully, because some part of me needed a second to prepare for whatever it said…whether good or not.‘Dear Liam, Congratulations! I am delighted to offer you admission to Barbados, class of 2026…’I read through it in seconds, the words moving fast under my eyes, until I got to the last paragraph.‘Congratulations again!’I looked up from the screen, and the
Ken's POV Liam and I stood at that spot, not able to move a spot.We still had our hands to our lips, not knowing what to say exactly, because I could see the disappointment on Liam mum's face clearly — and her tone had already told the rest of the story. The anger wasn't loud yet. Which meant it was the other kind; the kind that sat under the surface and had already made up its mind.And you know, that kind was always worse.I looked at Liam from the corner of my eye. His face had gone somewhere unreadable, which I had never seen on him before. Not once, in all the weeks I had known him. He always had an expression, even a controlled one but this was different. This was the face of someone who had just watched something they had been quietly dreading arrive exactly as they'd feared it would.*****Liam's POVI ruffled my hair in confusion, knowing the level of mess that I had gotten myself into.There was no version of this that didn't require damage control. And the honest part of
Liam's POVAt this point, it felt like I was losing control of myself and couldn't even help the thoughts going through my head.Ken wasn't helping matters either. He even brought his lips closer to mine. ‘What's with this vibe? Is he going to kiss me?’Because the way Ken had his eyes fixed on my
Author's POVKen stood under the shower with his head slightly tilted back, water kept running from the top of his head and trailing down every line of his body like it had somewhere important to be. His dark hair was soaked through and curling slightly at the ends from the heat, dripping in thin s
Ken's POV"It's actually none of your business."Liam said politely or let's say, with the tone of someone trying to be polite even though there was absolutely nothing polite about those words when you really listened to them. It was the kind of response that hit harder because it was calm. No shou
Steph's POVI was not going to pretend that tonight was just another event.I had put in the work as I ‘dressed to kill’ in a short black fitted dress that hit just above the knee, heels that added three inches and made every step count, hair down and styled the way I knew looked best under event l







