What have I done?
The question echoed in my mind louder than the music from the live artist's performance. My lips still tingled where Adrian’s had been, and yet my stomach twisted like I’d swallowed fire. I couldn’t help it when I ran. It was the only thing I could think of.
I stopped, my feet coming to a sudden halt. I turned, and Adrian was still where we had just kissed. His face filled with shock as he looked at me, stunned. I walked back, slowly, my steps measured.
Adrian’s dark brows were furrowed, his breath uneven like mine. He didn’t say anything, maybe he couldn’t, or he wouldn’t.
I stepped closer. The weight of what happened crashed over me, drowning me in a wave of panic.
“We shouldn’t have done that,” I whispered, backing away like the distance could erase it.
His eyes searched mine, but I couldn’t meet them, and suddenly I was pulled, gently.
“Kim—”
“I’m sorry,” I said, more to myself than to him. “It was a mistake.”
Adrian ran a hand through his hair, stepping toward me. “Kim, wait—”
“No,” I cut in again, forcing my voice steady. “We pretend it didn’t happen. You go back to your table, and you look at Gen the way you’ve always done. Like you never even saw me.”
His jaw clenched. “I can’t do that. I’m sorry, I can’t.”
“You must.”
“But I can’t, and I won’t,” he smiled. “Kim. That kiss was the best thing that’s happened this evening, and the person I just kissed was more than an angel. A wish comes true. I can’t ever pretend like that didn’t happen. I’m sorry, but I can’t forget it.”
I turned, my arms folded. Adrian walked closer to me, his hands on my shoulder, rubbing me softly.
“You don’t have to hold yourself back from this. I know you want this more than I do,” he chuckled. “I could feel it from the way you kissed me back.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. That was my first kiss,” I said as I turned to face him.
He raised both his hands up as a sign of surrender. “Alright, if you say so.”
“Yeah.’
His hands were now in his pockets. “Well, it certainly won’t be the last. That I assure you.”
“What are you assuring her?” Gen’s voice cut in.
Her sudden appearance behind me causes me to freeze.
“It’s an inside joke,” Adrian said as he smiled and walked past me.
“An inside joke? Adrian?” Gen called, but Adrian didn’t answer. “Kim?”
“Yes, Gen,” I answered, slowly turning towards her.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Nothing,” I answered, my voice shaky.
“Are you okay?” she asked again. “Your dress is messed up, Kim. Are you sure you’re okay?
“Yes, I’m fine,” I answered again, my voice steady this time. “And the dress is fine. Besides, no one will notice the stain this late.”
She sighed. “Mum and Dad sent me to look for you. I don’t know why you snuck out after your performance, are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes. I just needed a time alone from the crowd and noise,” I answered.
“An alone time with Adrian?” she asked almost sarcastically.
“He interrupted it just like you did,” I answered before storming out.
“I was just teasing you,” she said.
I returned to my family table. There sat Mum and Dad, my Grandparents, Gen and Adrian. The only seat left was in-between my grandma and Adrian, but no matter how hard I tried to look away from him, I couldn’t.
“Kim, darling,” Mum called as I sat down beside Adrian. “Where were you?”
“I was just on the other side,” I pointed at the other side of the garden. “I needed some time alone.”
“You were marvelous, darling,” Grandma said, patting my hand. “You always make the piano sound like it's speaking.”
“Thank you,” I murmured, heart still steadying.
Adrian’s posture beside me was casual, his smile effortless as he nodded along to grandpa’s story about a yacht trip in ‘89. His hand rested on his thigh, close enough to mine to stir nerves. Then, without warning, his fingers shifted.
Slowly, they slid across the fabric of my dress, grazing the side of my leg before resting against my thigh. My breath caught. My eyes darted to his face, but he was still focused on the conversation, laughing at something Gen said like nothing had changed. Like he wasn’t touching me under the table at a family event surrounded by many people, including her.
My throat tightened, and I should’ve pulled away. But I didn’t. His hands moved again, slow strokes over the silk of my dress, light touches. But to me, every touch was fire. I pressed my knees together instinctively, but I still didn’t stop him.
I didn’t want to. Not anymore.
I’d been pretending for long, pretending not to notice the way he looked at me when Gen wasn’t watching, or how my pulse picked up when our fingers brushed accidentally. But this wasn’t accidental, and I let it happen.
I smiled through it all. I have always liked Adrian secretly and wished we were together, but he noticed my sister and not me. If this is the only way I can be with him, then I don’t care. I will let him touch me, I will let him kiss me, and maybe... just maybe, I’ll become his.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
The party had died down hours ago.
Adrian winked at me before Gen swooped in and offered to see him off. I lay on my bed, still in my dress with my makeup slightly smudged, my hair loosened and pinned back. I should’ve been exhausted, but my mind wouldn’t stop racing.
I could still feel his touch, I could still feel his fingers against my thighs. I pressed my hand against the spot, my eyes closed as I bit my lips fantasizing about what would have happened if we had snuck away from the party.
He is Gen’s boyfriend, and yet he touched me like he wasn’t, like it was me he wanted. And God, I wanted him to, I wanted more.
I turned on my side, burying my face into the pillow, guilt wrapping itself around me. Thoughts of Adrian got me aroused. The soft tingling feeling between my legs caused me to wrap myself. I kept turning, soft moans escaping my lips. My toes curled as my body trembled like I was cold, but I wasn’t.
My breathing became unsteady as I bit my lips and slowly slid my fingers under my dress and paused on the fabric of my soaked panties. I rubbed on my panties, gently pressing my cl*t while my other hand squeezed my hard nipples.
“Adrian,” I whispered softly. “I—I want you here. I want you touching me, I want you, Adrian. I want you.”
I managed to control myself and stop. As much as I enjoyed pleasuring myself, I wondered how it would feel if it was Adrian doing it himself, and I wanted that more than anything else. So, I promised myself that I won’t touch my body sensually any longer, unless it is Adrian.
I never thought I’d end up hiding inside Alexander’s house. But that’s exactly what it had become for me. The footage Sloane released had spread like wildfire, and even though Alexander had scrambled immediately to pull every string he could to erase it from the campus blog, the damage was done. But Alexander wasn’t letting me fight this alone. He had gathered everything. Sever logs, hidden IP traces, timestamps. I sat on the edge of his couch, hugging my knees while he worked at his multiple monitors. His face was illuminated by the cold blue light. “She didn’t even bother to mask her trail,” he muttered, pulling up another window. “That’s arrogance for you. She thought no one would touch her. She must’ve forgotten who I am.” “Can we really prove it’s her?” Alexander swiveled in his chair, meeting my eyes. “Kim... we already did. Look.” He turned the screen toward me. A string of numbers and letters I didn’t understand glared back at me. “That’s her login. Her device. The files w
I walked past Sloane as I entered the living room. My hands tightened at my sides. “Sloane,” I said again. “What are you doing here? How do you even know where she lives? Why are you here, Sloane?” She flinched slightly, her hand brushing over her arm. “Kim, it’s not that deep—” “Not that deep?” I cut her off, my voice pitching louder. “You’re in my sister's apartment. And I don’t even know you were close enough to her to be here.” My chest rose and fell in shaky bursts. “When exactly did that happen, huh? When did you get close to her behind my back?” Her eyes flicked away, and she let out a nervous laugh. “It’s not... Look, it’s complicated.” “Complicated?” I repeated, stepping closer. “How long have you two been—whatever this is? Friends? How long have you been going behind my back?” She sighed dramatically, like I was exhausting her. “Kim, don’t make this bigger than it is—” “Bigger than it is?” My throat burned. “This is my sister. And none of this makes sense! You kept thi
Alexander was on me instantly. His arm swept around my shoulders, pulling me tightly against him. “Don’t look at it. Don’t, please.” “My sister...” The words barely broke past my lips. “Everyone... the whole school.” Alexander pressed my face into his chest, his palm shielding my head. “Don’t look,” he repeated. Across from us, Adrian still hadn’t moved. His eyes were locked on this phone. “Adrian,” Alexander barked, but there was no response. Adrian’s lips moved, muttering curses under his breath, but he didn’t look up. He was transfixed, as though the footage had him nailed to the couch. I was trembling, tears streaming freely down my face as I clung to Alexander’s shirt. Alexander shifted, keeping me shielded as he bent to pick my phone up from the floor with his free hand. He locked it without glancing at the screen and shoved it into his pocket. “We’re leaving,” Alexander said flatly as he turned to Adrian. Adrian didn’t move. His gaze was still glued to his phone screen,
I blinked, the room spinning slightly. “What did you say?” Adrian nodded. “Genevieve is the anonymous mailer. That’s what we were fighting about today in the lot.” He exhaled harshly, dragging a hand through his hair. “She found out. And then she—” His voice faltered. “She broke up with me.” I stood there, frozen, every nerve in my body ringing with shock. I slowly went back to Alexander and sat down beside him. Adrian sank into the couch opposite us, his hands dragging down his face. He looked tired. He leaned back, staring at the ceiling, then exhaled sharply. “Fine,” he finally said. “I won’t lie about it. Yes, the mail came from my house. From my network and probably from my own computer.” My heart lurched, and I gripped the edge of the couch where Alexander and I sat, my nails digging into the fabric. But before I could form words, Adrian tilted his head back toward me, his expression almost pleading. “But it wasn’t me,” he continued, voice breaking through my panic. “Believ
“Kim,” Alexander said slowly. “With Tessa’s cooperation, I managed to narrow everything down. I traced the mail. Every IP, every reroute. It wasn’t easy, but I got the exact place it was sent from.” My chest tightened. “And?” He turned his head toward me, then his eyes got dark, almost apologetic. “Promise me you won’t overreact to what I’m about to say.” “I’ll be calm. Just tell me.” He inhaled deeply. “The mail was sent from Adrian’s address, his apartment.” I froze in place. My body went still, and I could barely breathe. He kept talking, watching me carefully. “I know it’s his place since I’ve been there. When we were at his apartment, I tapped on his network for this particular purpose. And this mail came from that network. I recognize it. I triple checked it before I even called you down here. It wasn’t some mistake, Kim. It came from his house, so it’s him.” My ears rang. I stared at Alexander, but my mind was somewhere else. I couldn’t believe Adrian could betray me lik
As we entered our dorm room, I dropped my bag on the floor and exhaled sharply, pressing my back against the wall for a second as though I needed it to hold me up. Sloane stretched lazily, kicking off her shoes as if she hadn’t just witnessed me nearly bolt out of the car to my sister’s defense. She ran her finger through her hair, and she spoke in a light tone. “I hope you’re not worried about your sister and her relationship.” I turned my head toward her, narrowing my eyes. “I’m not even thinking about that,” I said flatly. She paused, one eyebrow arching as she was clearly intrigued. “Oh?” She took a few steps closer, folding her arms across her chest. “Then, what are you thinking about, Kim?” I pushed off the wall and walked toward my desk, sliding into the chair just to put some space between us. I fiddled with a pen, my eyes on it instead of her. “I met with Tessa.” Sloane’s body stilled. “You what?” she asked. “I met with her,” I repeated, still not meeting her eyes. Sh