SageI stood outside Kaiden’s apartment, gripping my spare key so tightly that the metal bit into my palm. I couldn’t sleep at all last night, I kept turning and tossing.Wondering why my mind was still stuck on Kaiden. He was still my best friend and I couldn’t give up on him. My anger had faded away to something more realistic.Loneliness.I didn’t have anyone to rely on and it made me so fucking lonely. The professor was out of my life and so was Kaiden, that one not by choice.The worst part was that I missed both of them so much that it hurt me everytime the thought of them came up.I decided that if there was any time to make peace with Kaiden then it would be now. He was still angry but he wouldn’t turn me away.My parents’ words still echoed in my head, Let it go if you want your best friend back.Easier said than done.I was so hurt that he would do something like that to me, whatever the reason may be.Kaiden and I had been through so much. The fights, the betrayals, the dis
SageI woke up to the steady beeping of a heart monitor, the sterile scent of antiseptic filling my nose. My entire body ached, a dull, pulsing pain that reminded me exactly why I was here.The attack.The masked men.Kaiden.The moment my brain caught up, I heard a familiar voice, loud, agitated."What do you mean ‘soon’? Define soon!" Kaiden’s voice carried through the hospital room. He was pacing furiously, his arms crossed tightly over his chest as he glared at the doctor standing in front of him."Mr. Kaiden, I understand your concern, but his body needed time to recover. He experienced significant trauma. His vitals are stable now, and as you can see—"I coughed, my throat dry and raw.Kaiden’s head snapped toward me in an instant. His pacing stopped, his blue eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made my stomach tighten.He marched to my bedside, his expression filled with anger and a part of me hoped that it was worry that I could see on his face. "What the fuck were y
Kaiden Walking into my apartment felt like stepping into a crime scene. The door creaked open, revealing a space that had been utterly torn apart. My couch was flipped over, my shelves emptied, their contents shattered across the floor. The kitchen drawers were pulled out, their contents spilled as if someone had been searching for something specific. A muscle ticked in my jaw as I stepped inside, the crunch of broken glass beneath my boots making my stomach tighten. It was as if they were looking for something. I was ticked. I hated it when people went through my stuff like they had every right to. I hated it in every sense of the word. I have never acted rashly with anyone and I doubt it anyone was out for me seeing as I didn’t have the time to go around looking for trouble. I clenched my fists, my breath coming out in sharp exhales as I forced myself to calm down. Getting angry wouldn’t fix anything. I needed to clean up. I didn’t even know where to start. I left the hous
Sage For the first time in years, I felt like I was truly alone. Kaiden didn’t come. Not when I woke up in the hospital, not when I was struggling to sit up without wincing in pain, not even when the doctor signed my discharge papers. Three days had passed, and he hadn’t so much as texted. I tried calling him but he didn’t pick neither did he return my calls which seem to be a usual thing for him since he fucked up. I guess I got my answer. He was done with me. I should have expected it, but the finality of it still left a hollow ache in my chest. It is something I struggled to accept but I couldn’t. Whenever Kaiden and I fight, I always imagine that it wouldn’t last. We would get back to bickering after a day or two, latest three days. But this blowout made us grow further apart like we had been fighting for decades. I was dead to him. Instead of going back to his place, where everything reminded me of him, I went home. My real home. The apartment was too quiet
SageI had days to myself in my house, barely gotten used to the quiet of my apartment. I keep having nightmares about the same people coming for me in my own house. But when I remind myself that I have nothing to do with them and they didn’t know where I lived.So I attended school, avoided the professor with care by the way and went back home. The typical life of a loner which I was sometimes okay with.The other times, I cried when I remembered that I was all alone with nobody to talk to. It really was like he didn’t care about me.Yes, I was still thinking about the professor. I had hoped he would try to corner me again to talk to me. I would have given him a listening ear this time.I shook my head with a smile and just rested my head when the peace shattered.It started with a knock at the door, and I froze. A warning bell went off in my head, but I ignored it. I wasn’t expecting anyone, but after the week I’d had, I figured it was someone from school or even my dad checking i
KaidenThe phone hung up and I stared at it in fury.“What the hell was that?” He asked.“It’s nothing,” I shrugged.“That didn’t sound like nothing. What was that?” He asked again through gritted teeth.“Okay, long story short. The people that attacked us earlier, they attacked Sage when he was in my house and he had to be rushed to the hospital. He is fine now and he went back home but he is back in the hospital. That was them over the phone.”I heard nothing, just the faint sound of movement. I expected him to make a huge deal of it but he said nothing so I looked up.The professor’s eyes burned with fury as he stood in front of me, arms crossed tightly over his chest. His usual calm, composed demeanor had shattered, and what remained was a man filled with contempt—for me.“What the fuck? Sage was attacked?”I nodded.“Take me to him.”I wanted to argue but something told me he wasn’t in the mood to play the checkers game with me. I could argue with him and end up with a bruised ch
KaidenA dull, throbbing pain spread through my skull as I came to. My limbs felt like lead, my throat dry and sore. The air was thick with the scent of disinfectant, and the bed beneath me was softer than I expected.Where the hell was I?I forced my eyes open, blinking against the harsh light spilling in from a nearby window. The room was familiar, too familiar. Clean, precise, without a single thing out of place. My stomach twisted.The professor’s house.How did I even end up back here? I thought I made the big show of packing up and leaving?Memories crashed into me. The party. The drink. The dizziness. The attack. A hit to the back of my head.Fuck, I should call Martin and ask him what the party was all about. Did he even properly investigate before putting me there?Fuck!I shot up, a sharp pain lancing through my skull. My vision swam, and I groaned, pressing my fingers to my temples.The world was still spinning around in circles and I held my head to try and steady it. It f
SageI woke up the next day having rested my body. The first person I saw was the kind doctor who had treated me the last time. “We have got to stop meeting like this,”I looked at him, he was young and extremely handsome, I smiled. “I am sorry, I can’t help it.”His face turned serious, “what happened this time, Sage?”I sighed, how would I even explain it so he would hear it? That I was a klutz or this was the second time someone intentionally put me in the hospital? I couldn’t say anything that wouldn’t put me in trouble. I had no idea what I was even dealing with.“You have to be more careful from now. The bruises you got this time were much worse. You cannot keep coming back here.”“I understand, doctor.” I said.There was nothing else to say but that. He must think that I am an idiot. Coming into the hospital like a bruised punching bag. I brought this upon myself.He was still crossing things off his record when the professor entered. He took one look at me and frowned.“What
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
KaidenI stared at the silver-trimmed envelope resting on the counter between the professor and me like it was some kind of explosive. The award ceremony. My name was on the guest list, of course. It had to be. I was the damn honoree.“I have my own invite, thanks to my connections,” the professor said casually, leaning against the kitchen counter. He swirled his coffee slowly, watching the dark liquid spiral. “But I think Sage should go with you.”Sage, sitting cross-legged on the couch and peeling a tangerine, looked up with a sheepish smile. “Would that be okay with you?”I didn’t even think about it before I answered. “No.”Their expressions changed almost instantly, surprise flickered across the professor’s features and Sage’s smile faltered.“It’s enough that Sage’s already in the spotlight,” I said, trying to keep my voice even, my words reasonable. “With the way everyone’s been talking and taking photos, I don’t want to put him in harm’s way, more than I already have. If you
Kaiden The clock on the bedside read 3:12 a.m. I rolled onto my side, confused by the soft glow seeping under the bedroom door. I blinked the sleep from my eyes, and when I looked over, Sage was still fast asleep beside me, his breathing steady and rhythmic. I reached out, touched his hair lightly, then slid out of bed. The hallway was silent except for the distant hum of the fridge and the occasional rustle of the wind brushing the windows. I padded barefoot across the wood floor, and as I neared the living room, the scent of whiskey hit me first. That, and the sound of papers being shuffled with irritation more than purpose. The soft overhead light in the corner cast a gold sheen across the professor’s back. He was hunched over the coffee table, glass of whiskey in one hand, papers spread out like an autopsy, calm chaos wrapped in tension. He didn’t look up when I entered. “You’re still awake?” I asked, keeping my voice low. “I have work to do,” he said, not looking at me. His
KaidenI watched Sage’s chest rise and fall steadily, his breathing finally even and calm after a long, exhausting day. The faint hum of the heater filled the small apartment as the evening air drifted colder through the windows. He looked peaceful in sleep, peaceful in a way that didn’t match anything we’d been living through lately. It was a lie his body told, one I was grateful for, even if I knew it wouldn’t last. The last thing I needed was for him to keep worrying about the unknown.Today took a toll on him.I sat at the edge of the couch, elbows resting on my knees, hands folded, but my thoughts weren’t still. They kept drifting back to the question he asked earlier about whether we’d ever go back to how things were. And now I knew for certain: we couldn’t. Not with this storm closing in around us, not when every time I let my guard down, something tried to take Sage from me.I haven’t even figured out how to apologize to the professor, it took me a lot of thinking to realize
SageThe next morning, Kaiden and I walked to school in silence. The meal we shared was so brief and he stayed with me. The professor didn’t come home and when I called him, he said he was working late and we should enjoy ourselves.I knew it was because he didn’t want to spend time with Kaiden. After their argument, they have been tense with each other.I didn’t want to Interfere in their problems as it could escalate into something I wouldn’t be able to control.I looked at Kaiden, I know we have already talked about this but I was so curious.I wanted to ask him again about where he’d really been that day, but the tension in his jaw warned me off. Still, I couldn’t help myself. “So,” I started, kicking a loose pebble on the sidewalk, “you never really told me where you went. Like, actually went.” His steps didn’t falter, but his grip tightened around the strap of his backpack. “I told you. I needed to clear my head.” “Yeah, but that could mean anything,” I pressed. “You just
SageI stood just outside the hospital’s main entrance, staring at the parking lot like it was a war zone. The discharge papers were crumpled slightly in my grip. I could feel my fingers tremble, but I didn’t loosen them. The sun was bright, the day clear, but I felt like I was standing in the middle of a fog, one that hadn’t lifted since I was attacked.Kaiden mentioned he would come and pick me up, hence the hesitation. I felt like if he wasn’t here to do that, I wouldn’t go. “Ready?” His voice pulled me out of my head.I turned toward him. He had one hand in his pocket, the other adjusting the strap of my duffel bag slung over his shoulder. His hair was a little messy, like he hadn’t even bothered with a brush this morning, and his hoodie looked slept in. But his eyes, his eyes were alert. “I don’t know if ready’s the word I’d use,” I admitted. My voice sounded too thin to my own ears. “I feel like I’m being pushed out of safety and right back into the middle of whatever this me
KaidenI slept at my place after the detective dropped me off. He was looking at me like he had a lot to say about what happened but I didn’t.Yes, I overreacted but I couldn’t go back there. I felt suffocated and the only thing I needed was freedom. I needed to find my answers and not let it extend to my relationship.I decided to go see Detective Bryan. The man in charge of narcotics. The one who might know what the hell was really going on. I hadn’t told Sage or the professor anything. Not yet. I couldn’t, not until I had something real. Something more than just paranoia and late-night shadows tailing me.I sat hunched over my laptop in a dingy little café two blocks from my apartment, the place reeking of burnt espresso and desperation. I typed in “Detective Bryan, Narcotics Division, city PD” and hit search. A few articles came up. He was decorated, involved in several high-profile raids. One article had a photo, square jaw, stern face, early forties. Not someone you’d expect to
SageI woke to silence. Not the peaceful kind, the kind that sets your skin crawling with dread, like the air itself is holding its breath. The clock on the wall read a little past 3am and I could see the shadows stretched along the floor, motionless. I looked around and noticed with a slight disappointment that Kaiden wasn’t here. I blinked twice and turned my head toward the small couch across the room. No professor either.My heart sank.They were gone. Both of them.I have never felt so alone. I thought they would both stay with me so I won’t be scared. But I was a big boy and could handle myself.I sat up slowly, the sheets slipping off my chest as I scanned the dim room. Maybe they went for a walk. Maybe Kaiden needed air and the professor tagged along. Maybe I was being paranoid.Or maybe something was very, very wrong.I was about to slide out of bed when the doorknob turned.I froze.The door creaked open, and the harsh fluorescent light from the hallway spilled into the r
KaidenI left the hospital with a gnawing unease in my gut. I hadn’t told Sage or the Professor the full truth, that I needed to test Raines myself, to see if he was really on our side or if he was playing us. If I had voiced my suspicions, the professor would have warned me against it, and Sage… well, Sage would have insisted on coming with me, injuries be damned. But this was something I had to do alone. I couldn’t pretend for the life of me. If the detective wasn’t on our side then I needed to know now, to save myself the trouble of finding out later.I know that the professor was just trying to be cautious but the detective was kind of my friend so I needed to give him the benefit of the doubt.I stared at my phone for a long moment before making the call, my thumb hovering over his contact. This was a gamble, if he was dirty, I might be tipping my hand. But if he was clean... I needed to know. Taking a steadying breath, I hit dial. He answered on the third ring. "Kaiden?"