KaidenStep two of my plan was one that made me look like a deranged idiot but I didn’t mind.I bought his favorite flowers, daisies and went to his place. Since I didn’t have a key, I stayed In front where I could see him when he came.Unfortunately, the rain decided to come down this time. It soaked through my clothes, turning me and my bouquet of daisies into a sad drooping mess. I was cold, I was shivering but I stayed rooted to the spot. Sure, the rain was unexpected but it added a dramatic flair to my apology. It made me look pitiful, apologetic and weak. I needed all the help I could get at this point.He wouldn’t ignore a soaking wet fool like me, he has a good heart.The bright headlights of a car pierced the downpour as it rolled to a stop a few feet away. My grip tightened on the flowers when I saw who stepped out of the car. Him. Professor Rivers.He popped open an umbrella, walking Sage to the building’s entrance like some perfect gentleman. I clenched my jaw so hard it
KaidenThe next morning, I woke up with a fresh plan. I wasn’t going to let Sage slip through my fingers, not to the professor or to anyone else. If Sage thought I was being ridiculous, fine. But I’d prove to him that I wasn’t just being paranoid.Thankfully, we had reconciled and I don’t think we would be fighting again. So I had the free reign to do whatever I wanted.I ran out in the morning, very early so I could go get a change of clothes and also coffee. Nothing like a good peace offering to start the day.When I arrived back at his place to pick him up, he looked surprised to see me. His hair was still damp, sticking to his forehead, and he had that slightly disheveled, barely-awake look that he always wore in the mornings. I handed him a cup of coffee.“Morning,” I said casually, leaning against the doorframe.“What are you doing? Where did you go so early in the morning?” he asked, rubbing his eyes and reaching for the coffee.“Thought I’d drop you off at school. Consider it
SageThe professor left without me, with no notice or anything at all. I was busy with lectures all through the day so it was best he left for work early.I hitched a ride to the company and thank goodness I wasn’t late or it would have been so awkward.“Sage, thank goodness you are here. I need you to grab the files on my desk and give it to the boss,” Chad said.“Sure,”Phew, at least I wasn’t reprimanded for coming now.I went to his desk and grabbed all the files I could find there. I didn’t even check if they were the right ones. I was feeling a little blue.I walked through the main corridor, balancing a stack of files in my hands as I made my way to Professor Rivers’ office. It was strange how quickly this place had started to feel comfortable, I was so eager to get here and sometimes, I feel it’s because I would be working with the professor or because I was closer to having my career path set.I knocked lightly on his door before stepping inside. The professor looked up from
KaidenSilence.The room was so quiet I could hear the sound of the refrigerator in the kitchen. The vehicles passing outside, I could hear them too. It was that quiet in the room.Sage stood frozen, staring at me like I had just told him I murdered his dog. His lips thinned with every passing second, his hands trembling at his sides. I was sure he hadn’t even heard the words I’d said, or if he had, they were ricocheting in his mind. He was probably trying to decipher what I had said because I could see the fury building in his eyes.I shifted awkwardly, opening my mouth to say something, anything that might help me plead my case because it took me half a second after I said that to realize that I made a huge mistake but before I could get a word out, he moved.His hands grabbed the base beside him and he threw it.The vase flew past my head, shattering against the wall behind me.“You bastard!” he yelled, his voice cracking with rage.I flinched, more from the sheer force of his ton
KaidenThe tension between Sage and me was as deadly as sin when I picked him up from his house. He sat in the passenger seat, arms crossed and staring out the window, his lips set in a firm line. He hadn’t spoken a word to me because of yesterday’s argument. I wasn’t going to push him, though. I had said my piece, and whether or not he wanted to talk to me was his choice.But one thing was clear, I was not dropping out of school not even if he begged. I was going to attend every single class with him and see for myself if my suspicions about Professor Rivers held any merit.He would thank me later when he sees that I was doing all of this just for him. When we arrived at the campus and slipped into class, Professor Rivers was already mid-lecture. His voice was smooth and commanding, the kind that could hold an entire room in rapt attention. Despite myself, I couldn’t help but grudgingly admit he was good at what he did. The students hung on to his every word like he was the second
KaidenWe knocked on his office door, “Come in,” he said curtly, He didn’t offer us seats or even tried to make us comfortable so we just stood there. His eyes flickered to the both of us and his expression remained stoic.It was beginning to scare me how professional he was. I was expecting him to start scolding us the moment we stepped inside the room but he said nothing and just waited.When he was sure he had made us very uncomfortable, he started.“I don’t appreciate disruptions in my class,” he began, his voice calm but firm. “Especially not... performativedisruptions.”I opened my mouth to defend myself, but he held up a hand to stop me.“This isn’t about you, Kaiden. This is about Sage, whom I recognize as my student.”Sage straightened, his cheeks still tinged with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, Professor. It won’t happen again.”The professor sighed, leaning back in his chair. “Sage, you’re one of the best students. You have potential, real potential. But distractions like thi
SageI have ever been more unsure of myself as I felt right now in this car. Sure, he picked me up and drove me normally but he has not spoken to me.Not even the usual smile that he normally gives me whenever he sees me. It was like I was dealing with the stoic version of my boss. While I brought it on myself, I thought we would be able to resolve it before we got to the company.If I had known it would be like this, I would have created an ultimatum for Kaiden not to attend the classes. He had caused trouble for me and now, I am left to pick up the pieces.It was unfair and frankly, annoying for me right now. Thank goodness for the music in the car because it saved me a lot.When we got to the company, he still had not spoken to me. He was on a call and I followed a few steps behind, clutching my notepad like a lifeline, my cheeks still burning from the embarrassment of earlier.It’s like he didn’t want to hear me out.I wanted to explain myself, to assure him that the incident in c
SageWhen the supposed clients arrived, I was more than surprised to see none other than the minister of foreign affairs walking into the office. He moved with the kind of effortless confidence that only someone in his position could pull off, shaking hands firmly with Professor Rivers.His entourage hung back in the reception while we moved to the meeting to the conference room. I was surprised why we didn’t use his office.“Julian, it’s been far too long,” the minister greeted.Wait, Julian? The professor’s middle name was Julian? I didn't even know that.“Too long, indeed,” Rivers replied, a rare smile lighting up his face. “I’m glad we could finally meet. Let’s get down to business, shall we?”I remained at the edge of the room, my notepad ready to capture details. It was strange to see the Professor so relaxed and casual, as though he and the minister were old friends catching up over coffee. My pen moved across the page as they started discussing the project, a building the mini
KaidenThe first thing I noticed was the cold. It was so freezing that it not only made me shiver, it seeped inside my bones, pried it open and lived there.I was so numb to my feet? I was momentarily disoriented. My skin prickled against the damp air, and my wrists ached from the rope that cut into them. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t scream. Could barely think over the pounding in my skull.Where the fuck am I?The basement was dimly lit, but even in the low light, I saw machines, tall, humming monstrosities with pipes, valves, and containers, all reeking of chemicals. I didn’t need to be told what this place was. I’d seen enough of this world to know. A lab. A drug operation. But why was I here?I was naked. Tied to a chair. Exposed and humiliated.Fear didn’t come in a wave. It oozed in slowly, like smoke curling under a locked door.Footsteps echoed.I lifted my head, as much as I could, my neck stiff and sore. Desmond walked in like he owned the room, he actually did.I must have be
SageThe words the professor had spoken stayed with me like the aftertaste of something bitter I couldn’t spit out. He wanted to involve the police. He wanted to bring Raines into this. It was as if he didn’t hear a single thing I said, that he couldn’t accept what was right in front of him. Kaiden had left.Again.We stood in the middle of his living room, the air thick with the kind of tension that always came before something broke.I still felt like I needed to say something to him. He had spent the entire car ride grumbling.He didn’t say anything out loud but it was pretty obvious with the way he was clenching his hands on the steering wheel.The second we got home, I cornered him.“You should take it,” I said finally, crossing my arms.He stared at me, baffled. “Take what?”“The truth. Take it. Accept that he’s gone. That this isn’t some elaborate kidnapping or some villain from a noir film dragging him off. Kaiden left. He chose to. You seem to be mad at me for voicing out the
SageThe car ride was dead silent. The only sound was the quiet hum of the engine and the occasional click of the blinker as the professor followed Kaiden’s manager through the streets. I sat in the passenger seat, my legs bouncing, nerves coiling tighter with every turn the black car ahead of us made.The professor’s knuckles were white against the steering wheel. He hadn’t spoken since we pulled out of the parking lot, and I didn’t try to break the silence. It was thick with tension, too thick to cut through with words that didn’t feel entirely useless right now.And I didn’t know what to say to him. Finally, the black car pulled into the driveway of a large, modern townhouse on the outskirts of the city. The place was all sharp edges and sterile lighting. A place for people who wanted to look rich, not feel anything.I knew Kaiden was making money for his manager but I didn’t think it was to this extent.Wow.The professor parked across the street, cut the engine, and stepped out
SageI woke up with a tight knot sitting right in the middle of my chest. The apartment was quiet. No sign of Kaiden, and the sun had already climbed halfway through the sky.The sheets beside me were cold. He hadn’t come home last night.Rubbing sleep from my eyes, I wandered out into the living room, expecting maybe a note, maybe Kaiden sitting on the couch eating cereal out of the box like he did when he was too tired to pretend to be put together. But it wasn’t Kaiden I found.The professor sat there, hunched on the edge of the couch, elbows resting on his knees, fingers loosely interlocked. He didn’t even glance at me when I entered.“You’re up early,” I said cautiously, voice still raspy with sleep.His eyes lifted to me. They looked tired, more than tired. Hollow. “Did Kaiden come home last night?”I shook my head. “No. I thought he went to see you. He got your message, didn’t he?”His lips pressed into a line. “I went to his condo. He wasn’t there. I waited. His car was gone.
KaidenMy phone buzzed again.I glanced down at the screen through the strobing lights of the after-party. The text was from the professor. “Are you home?” Something about him checking up tugged at my heartstrings. My chest tightened and I wanted to go home even more.Being here was challenging for me. I wasn’t home. I was at the kind of party that used to thrill me. A rooftop venue in the city, neon lights flickering against polished glasses, expensive perfume clouding the air, and beautiful people, too many beautiful people. Some I recognized from the runway. Others from TV. All of them orbiting around free liquor and someone else’s fame.I would have been delighted to have all these people around me,But none of them looked like Sage.None of them carried themselves like the professor.I leaned against the balcony railing, letting the air hit my face. I didn’t belong here. Not really. Not tonight.Months ago, I would have been thrilled to be here but right now, I wanted to be hom
KaidenThe clink of glassware and soft instrumental music floated through the private dining room, but I barely noticed any of it. My attention was locked on the man seated across from me, Desmond, the so-called sponsor, though I knew better now. He wasn’t just another businessman looking to capitalize on talent. He was the distributor. The puppeteer behind the chaos circling my life.Martin couldn’t stop talking. “You know, this whole thing… it’s a damn miracle. The sponsor paid for the new condo in full. Quietly. No credit checks, no delays. Even Sage’s outfit, hell, the professor’s tux too, he took care of it all. Who does that?”He kept saying all the things that I didn’t want to hear. Didn’t he know that I was terrified?I kept my gaze fixed on Desmond. He smiled faintly, swirling his wine like he had all the time in the world. I didn't trust that smile. It was too smooth, too practiced like everything about him.I was skeptical to be here even though I had no choice. I didn’t w
KaidenWhen we got home, Sage was still trembling in my arms.I guided him gently to the living room couch and sat with him, wrapping the throw blanket from the armrest over his shoulders. He hadn't spoken much since we left the boutique. The only sounds were the occasional hitch in his breath and the way his fingers clutched the fabric of my shirt like he needed something solid to anchor him.He really was scared, I can’t imagine how terrified he must have been. Hearing that so close to him must have pushed him off the edge. I hated seeing him that way.“I’ve got you,” I murmured. “You’re safe now.”He leaned into me, his body slowly relaxing as he drew warmth from my presence.“Kaiden,” he whispered, eyes fluttering. “I don’t understand why this is happening. Why me?”“Because you matter,” I said. “More than you know. And I swear, whoever’s behind this won’t get close to you. Not while I’m breathing.”Eventually, his head dropped to my shoulder, and his breathing slowed. I held him
SageIt was entirely unfair for someone like Amir to be real. Tall, lean, with chiseled features that looked like they belonged on a movie poster rather than in a security file, and a voice that dripped with smooth, practiced calm. He was the kind of handsome that made your thoughts scatter just a little if you looked at him for too long.And I was doing exactly that.“Mr. Amir, right?” I asked, extending a hand, hoping my voice didn’t tremble like my fingers did. “I’m Sage.”He nodded, his grip firm but not overbearing. “I know. It’s a pleasure.”He smiled and I don’t mean the empty kind people give when they’re on duty. It was warm. Polite. And it made my stomach flip in a way I hadn’t expected.But as he turned toward the room, I caught sight of Kaiden and the professor.Both of them were glaring.I blinked.Kaiden’s jaw was tight, eyes narrowed like he was assessing a threat he didn’t like the look of. The professor, arms crossed, stood with the energy of a man who’d already decid
KaidenWhen Martin dropped me in front of the professor’s house. I barely waited for him to drive off before I dug out my phone. My fingers hovered over the screen for a moment before I hit Bryan’s name.He was the only one who was making an attempt to help me right now. He answered on the second ring, his voice calm and clipped, like always.“Kaiden?”“Yeah, it’s me.” I moved to the far side of the room, away from the windows, and lowered my voice. “Something weird’s going on. I need to tell you about it.”“What kind of weird?” His tone sharpened immediately.I told him everything. The prepaid boutiques. The law firm. The condo being bought out. The way no one could or would tell me who was behind it. I could practically hear him frowning on the other end of the line.“You think it’s Sage?” he asked quietly.“No,” I said quickly, too quickly. “I don’t know. I mean—I don’t want to think that. And it’s not the professor either. I know that much. They would tell me if they are trying