Ten.

Jhelani's POV:

My ears were blazing and all I could see in my vision was red as I stormed off, heading back home.

Those brothers were giving tough time, distracting me from my purpose of coming here but I wouldn't let them the space to step in my life any further.

But it seems I was lying to myself. My mind still wandered to the feel of having his warmth radiating into my body when he leaned closer to me, his slender fingers effortlessly wrapping around both of my wrists.

Hell, I could smell his cologne. It smelt so musculin and expensive. Did I miss the word seductive too?

Yet, I didn't dare to show it. I could only inhale quietly, basking in it.

I snapped my eyes open, realization dawning on me.

"What are you thinking, Jhelani? You are not so stupid to fall for little stuffs like this. You hate him and his brothers, remember?" I muttered to myself.

I don't like him. I only liked having him close back then because of the cold. He was the only one keeping me warmed up from the freezing weather and that's it. I told myself, yet the dark angel in my head told me blunt to my face that I was lying and I had to shut her out.

She can't even keep shut for a while and let me believe whatever I had planned to blackmail myself into believing.

I shook my head, shaking off all the thoughts that was bottled up in my mind then took out my phone to check through the notifications that has been sent to my phone.

One of the messages was from Lisa and it read.

Lisa: Sorry for leaving you out like that when the brawl between rival clubs came up. We didn't mean to. No, I take the blame for running off without you. I was the host of the gathering and the one who brought up the idea to meet up at the club. I shouldn't have chosen such a place and I wouldn't have done so if I knew something as dangerous as that would come up. I am sorry once again. I can treat you to a place of your choice if you don't mind.

The text read with a red heart at the end.

I sighed, then texted out a message.

Me: It's fine. I didn't hold you accountable for anything. My mind never went back there to be sincere. And don't bother about it. I am perfectly fine staying back at home. Thanks for checking up.

I texted back then inserted my phone into my back pocket before taking the last stairs to my door on the top floor and I was surprised to see who I found standing there.

It was the guy from this morning, standing there like he’d been knocking.

“Hey,” I greeted, forcing a smile and giving a small wave. He turned, clearly surprised to see me coming up behind him.

“Oh—hey! I didn’t know you were out,” he said, extending his hand. I shook it.

“Yeah, I was. Looks like you’ve been here for a while.”

He shook his head quickly. “No, no, I just got here. Barely a minute. Haha.” He laughed awkwardly, then scratched his jaw. “Actually, I came to see if you had a lighter. Mine’s dead, and the old lady who owns the shop down the block hasn’t opened all day. She usually opens early, but… nothing.”

“Oh. That’s strange.” I unlocked my door. “She’s old, and the weather hasn’t been kind lately. Maybe she’s just resting.”

He muttered something under his breath, too low for me to catch.

“Sorry—what did you say?”

“Nothing,” he chuckled. “So… do you have one?”

I almost asked why he hadn’t tried the neighbors downstairs but thought better of it. Maybe he had and they didn't have one to lend out.

“I think I’ve got a spare. Come in, I’ll check.” I stepped aside, holding the door open.

“Thanks—”

“Jhelani. Jhelani Snowfire,” I introduced with a smile.

He raised a brow. “That’s… honestly the coolest name I’ve ever heard. I’m Kayden Kendrick, by the way. You can call me Kay. Or Ken.”

“Yours is just as cool,” I said with a laugh, heading into the kitchen. I rummaged through the drawers but came up empty. Then I pulled open the counter drawer and spotted a matchbox.

“This’ll have to do,” I muttered, closing it with a snap.

Returning to the living room, I handed it to him. “Couldn’t find the lighter, but I found this. Hopefully it works for now.”

“Perfect. Anything that sparks a flame to my cooker and gets food in my belly is good enough for me.”

I laughed at his easy humor, "You're so funny "

“Thanks, Lani,” he said, smiling warmly as we head back to the door.

“I’m glad I could help,” I replied, opening the door but he stopped before heading out. I raised an eyebrow, still smiling. "Did you forget something?"

"No, I didn't, but I think the least I could do for you as a good neighbor is to give you a clear warning, Lani," he said, his green eyes drifting and somehow tense. I don't know maybe I was the reading too much into it.

My brows furrowed, "Warnings from what?"

"Against the guy I saw you with earlier this morning. His name is Kian. I don't know what relationship you guys have together but from what I've heard about him and his brothers—they are the bad news that you should keep off if you don't want to get into a sticky situation in this Town. And once you're in, there's no turning back out."

What he said made a shiver crawl down my spine. If I hadn't known them then I would be thoroughly terrified. But I did and I knew he was right. They've always been bad news and I am not scared of them.

"I appreciate your piece of advice and warning, but I am not scared of them. They can do whatever and I wouldn't flinch. Also, I have absolutely nothing to do with them so you don't have to worry," I smiled and he gave me a subtle nod before leaving.

I shut my door behind me, my back pressed to it and my eyes closed tight for a while.

Things are happening so fast that I can't seem to keep up.

I wonder what trouble they were all warning me about. Is it the trouble that comes with living in my hometown or being with the brother's?

****

I knew spending day and night rotting in bed and scrolling through tiktok wouldn't help my soul.

Soon my savings would be slashed because I've been eating and eating without working.

I've been spending money on a lot of food stuffs to fill up the kitchen while I'm still here doing nothing. I needed to find a job to cover up for all my spendings or else one day I might end up going door to door begging. Although I knew that would never happen because I knew myself. Dying from hunger would seem like a much better option to take.

Thankfully I brought my CV and many other documents that I could use to apply for a job and I did.

I applied for a job at the a hospital that bustles a lot in Town. They were in search of some nurses so I was pretty sure they would accept me soon because they could hide the impression they had about me from their faces after going through my CV and the answers I responded with to their questions. They were impressed, that I could tell.

I applied and they said they would get back to me soon. The only thing stressing me out is that I didn't know how soon. I needed a source of income. Even if it's going to be a daily wage or something.

So I thought of applying for a job in one of the small shops on the road sides, but sadly many of the shops were either already full of workers or didn't want to hire someone who would work for a little while then quit.

They wanted a full time worker who would be getting paid monthly and that wasn't what I planned.

The last places I haven't submitted an application letter to was the coffee shop Kian took me to against my will the last time and the club to work as a waitress at the bar section.

I didn't want to take the risk of coming across those brothers again, remembering Kian telling me it was a good spot to get a cup of coffee. That simply means he usually went there for a coffee. Although I wasn't sure how true that is.

But the club? I was so damn sure they would be there, that's why I took the better option which was the coffee shop.

"Are you good? You seem lost," I heard a voice say to me and my gaze flew to the face.

It was the red haired girl from days ago. She looked concern, holding a tray of coffee cups before me.

"Y-yeah. I'm good," I smiled.

"Alright. My madame said I should let you know that you've been approved. You can start working now. There's an extra apron hung on the wall in the kitchen. Go now. I will be back soon," she said, giving me a funny wink before leaving, making me laugh a bit as I shook my head then headed straight for the kitchen.