Chapter 4 – The Morning After

Aria's POV

“Kael?” My voice came out rough after sleep and a night I could barely remember.

Silence. Only the faint hum of a fridge from somewhere in the house. My stomach tightened. What happened last night? I tried to piece together what I could remember. The music, the drinks, talking to Kael. And then… nothing.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed. I was still wearing the same clothes from last night, now crumpled and uncomfortable. I picked up my purse from the floor and checked my phone. No new messages from the blackmailer, thankfully. But the fear was still there.

I checked the time. Seven AM. Way too early for a Saturday. I needed to leave, needed to figure out what happened, needed to forget this whole messy situation. As I tiptoed towards the door, I heard footsteps approaching from the hallway. I froze, my hand on the doorknob.

Kael walked in, shirtless, and he was wearing sweatpants, a half-eaten banana in his hand. He stopped, his gaze flat, unreadable.

“You’re awake,” he said, his voice as steady as always. He didn’t sound surprised, or even like he cared much either way.

My shame flared. “Kael, what… what happened last night?”

He took another bite of his banana. “We, um, you passed out. So I brought you back here.” He gestured vaguely around the room. “You didn’t seem like you could make it home. Didn’t want you sleeping in a ditch.”

“Did we… did anything happen?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. The silence stretched, thick and heavy.

He finished his banana, tossing the peel into a small bin beside his desk. “No, Aria. Nothing happened. You were out cold.” He met my gaze then, his eyes holding no judgment, but no warmth either. “I already told my coach I’d be early for practice. Have to go.”

He walked past me, pulling open the bedroom door. “There’s water in the fridge if you need it. And the bus stop is a block down.”

And just like that, he was gone, leaving me standing alone in his silent room, my face burning. I wanted to yell at him, to demand more, but what? There was nothing to demand. He said nothing happened. He was leaving for practice. It was all so… final. So dismissive.

I rushed out of his apartment, the cool morning air doing little to extinguish the heat in my cheeks. Later that morning, after I was safely back in my own bed, I tried calling him. No answer. I texted: *Hey. Thanks for last night. Sorry for… everything.*

A few minutes later, three terse words popped up: *No problem. Don't worry.*

Don’t worry? Don’t worry about what? The fact that I had passed out in his bed? The fact that he didn’t even bother to wait until I woke up? The fact that he was acting like it was just another Tuesday morning? My annoyance simmered. I expected… something. A reaction. Anything.

The weekend crawled by in a blur of anxiety over the blackmailer and confusion over Kael. Monday morning, I walked into school feeling like I was wearing a mask. The hallway buzzed with the usual chatter as I headed towards the gym. I knew the hockey team had early practice. I needed to see Kael after what happened. I needed to understand him.

The heavy gym doors swung open and the team streamed out, hair still damp, hockey bags slung over shoulders. I spotted Kael almost immediately, taller than most, his dark hair still a little messy. He was in the middle of a group of teammates, laughing at something one of them said.

I took a deep breath, pushing down the familiar wave of nerves. “Kael!”

He turned, his smile fading when he saw me. His teammates glanced my way, then quickly looked away, sensing the shift in atmosphere.

“Hey,” I said, trying to sound casual, but my voice wavered slightly. “Can we talk? For a second?”

He hesitated, a muscle twitching in his jaw. “Yeah, I guess.” He stepped away from his friends.

“Look, about Saturday morning…” I began, wanting to sound calm, but the words tumbled out too fast. “I’m really sorry if I… if I caused any trouble. I don’t even remember most of it.”

He shrugged, unaffected. “It’s fine, Aria. Seriously. Let’s just forget about it.”

“Forget about it?” My voice rose, a flash of frustration burning through me. “You just want to forget it? I woke up in your bed and you just left! Like it was nothing!”

He ran a hand through his damp hair. “Because it *was* nothing. You were drunk. I brought you back. End of story.” His tone was cold, definitive.

“Nothing?” I stared at him, my jaw tight. He really was going to act like this? Like I was just some random girl he helped after a party? I expected him to be awkward, maybe a little embarrassed, but not this complete dismissal. It was infuriating. I opened my mouth to say something sharp, something cutting, anything to get a rise out of him, when my eyes flicked past him.

And then I saw him.

Damien.

He was standing by his locker, a few of his friends around him, but his gaze was fixed on me. And Kael. A strange, knowing smirk played on his lips. My stomach clenched. He was watching. He was *always* watching. The implication was clear: he was still paying attention to my life, still interested in everything I did, despite my firm rejections. The blackmailer’s threats, his confident denials, it all swirled together with the suffocating realization that Damien wouldn’t leave me alone. He wasn’t going to give up.

A surge of pure, unadulterated anger, mixed with a sudden, desperate impulse, washed over me. I needed to send a message. A clear, undeniable message. I needed to show Damien that he had no power over me, that I was moving on. And this was the only way I knew how.

Without another thought, I grabbed Kael’s arm, pulling him towards me. His eyes widened in surprise, but before he could react, my lips found his.

It was bold. It was impulsive. And it was exactly what I needed to do.

His lips were soft, cool from the morning air. The kiss was quick, but firm, meant to be seen. A gasp went up from someone nearby. Murmurs erupted around us. Kael pulled back slightly, his eyes still wide, a question in them.

But my gaze was locked on Damien.

His smirk had vanished. His jaw was clenched, his eyes narrowed, the confident arrogance that usually radiated from him suddenly diminished. This was it. This was the one thing that bothered him. Me with Kael.

Damien started walking, a determined, angry stride, cutting through the growing crowd of bewildered students.

“Aria, what the hell are you doing?” he growled, reaching for my arm.

But before his fingers could even brush my sleeve, Kael stepped squarely in front of me, blocking Damien’s path. He didn’t say anything at first, just stood there, tall and unyielding.

“Back off, Damien,” Kael said, his voice low and dangerous.

Damien scoffed. “Stay out of this, Volkov. This has nothing to do with you.”

Kael’s eyes glittered. “She’s not yours anymore.”

The words hung in the air, a declaration amplified by the sudden hush in the hall. Everyone was staring. Everyone was listening. Whispers started almost immediately, spreading like wildfire. *Aria and Kael? Since when?* *They’re together.*

A strange sense of triumph mixed with a dawning realization pulsed through me. This wasn’t part of my carefully constructed plan. I hadn’t meant to drag Kael into this. But seeing Damien’s face, seeing him actually bothered, genuinely shaken… it was worth it. For the first time in weeks, he looked like he might actually back down.

Later that day, after school, I found Kael by the back entrance, waiting for his ride. The hallway was almost empty.

“Kael, we need to talk.”

He turned, his expression guarded. “Yeah, I figured. What was that back there, Aria?” His voice was even, but I could hear the edge of frustration.

I took a deep breath. “I need your help.”

He raised an eyebrow. “My help? What, you need me to kiss you again to make someone disappear?”

My cheeks flushed. “No. I mean, yes, kind of. Look, Damien won’t leave me alone. He’s been… bothering me. Ever since the breakup. He thinks he can just walk back into my life whenever he wants.” I omitted the details of the blackmail, the video. He didn’t need to know that yet. “He’s been relentless. I’ve tried everything, but he just won’t give up.”

Kael crossed his arms, his posture stiff. “And this involves me how, exactly?”

“I need you to pretend to date me,” I blurted out, the words tumbling out before I could censor them. “Just for a little while. Until he gets the message. He respects you. He hates you, but he respects you. If he thinks I’m with you, he’ll back off. He has to.”

Kael stared at me, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. “You want me to fake a relationship with you? After you used me back there?” He shook his head. “No, Aria. Not a chance. I don’t trust you. You’re just trying to get rid of Damien and you’re using me to do it. Again. I already told you what I think of that kind of game.”

My heart sank. He was right. I *was* using him. But I was desperate. “Kael, please. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.” I racked my brain for something, anything, he cared about. Something I could offer that he needed. And then it hit me.

“I heard about your grades,” I said, quietly.

He flinched, his eyes narrowing further. “What about them?”

“I can help you,” I pressed, feeling a surge of renewed hope. “I can tutor you. Your grades are slipping, aren’t they? You could lose your spot on the team. I’m good at this, Kael. I can get your grades up. I’ll make sure you keep your scholarship. I’ll make sure you don’t lose everything you’ve worked for.”

He remained silent, his gaze unwavering, studying me intently. The silence stretched, tense and heavy. I held my breath, waiting. This was it. My last shot.