SageFor a moment, I just stared at him, waiting for the punchline. When it didn’t come, my brain short-circuited. “You ownNovatech?”“Yes.”My mouth opened and closed several times before I managed to speak. “You—how—what—”He chuckled, clearly enjoying my reaction. “Surprised?”“That’s an understatement!” I exclaimed, still trying to wrap my head around it. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. “Because I wanted to see how much this opportunity meant to you. And now I know.”I slumped back in my chair, feeling like I’d just run a marathon. “This is insane.”I fell silent.What more could I possibly say?I have always wanted to work in Novatech so much that I never imagined I would hear the words.Hearing those words was like music to my ears, a melody I never wanted to end. I stared at River, my eyes wide with disbelief. Was this actually happening? Was I really about to work alongside the River Wilder, my lifelong idol?“You mean I
SageDinner with River was a dream come through, to say the least. He chose a casual diner near campus, one of those cozy places where students had soul food. Kaiden and I always come here because the food has an amazing taste.The place itself wasn’t fancy but it had a good view which helped calm my nerves.River sat across from me with his posture relaxed, a man completely at ease in his own skin. I, on the other hand, was fidgeting with the edge of my napkin, trying not to act like a complete fool in front of my idol.The waiter brought our food, I opted for something simple like a cheese burger. He chose a chicken salad.So…what’s been your favorite project so far? Like, the one you’re most proud of?” I asked.He set down his glass of water, his lips curling into a thoughtful smile. “That’s a tough question. Each project was something I was proud of, but if I had to choose, I’d say the Nexus Tower in Singapore.”My eyes lit up. “The one that integrates those vertical gardens? That
Sage“You’ve always been drawn to Novatech’s work, haven’t you?” He asked, his voice cutting through my thoughts.I nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! Their focus on innovation and functionality while still maintaining aesthetic appeal is something I’ve admired for years. I used to collect articles about their projects and pin them to my wall.” “That kind of passion will serve you well.”I beamed, so he said. I was not going to let him or myself down now that I have gotten this job. I was going to prove to him that I had what it took to be the next him.Just as I was starting to relax, he leaned forward slightly with his expression practically unreadable. “Sage, is it okay if I ask you something personal?”I blinked, caught off guard. “Uh, sure. What is it?”“Do you have a boyfriend?”I froze, the question surprising me more than finding out he took time to teach us. There was a sudden drop in temperature and I wasn’t sure I couldn’t handle this. Of all the things I expected him to ask,
KaidenI was fucking furious.I slammed my hand against the steering wheel,“Shit!” The anger in my chest made it so tight that I struggled to breath. I drove off, ignoring Sage’s frantic calls.My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I didn’t even have to check to know it was him. His name flashing on the screen only fueled my irritation. I shoved the phone into my jacket and focused on my destination.I didn’t know where I was going but I just needed to drive. My vision was tinted red from the rage. It was a miracle I made it out of there without exploding.By the time I parked in front of the sleek, modern building, I was practically vibrating with anger. I slammed the car door and stalked inside, my boots echoing against the polished floors as I made my way to the elevator. When I reached his door, I knocked aggressively,no, pounded.The door swung open, revealing River. He stood there, his expression calm, as if he wasn’t the source of my current misery.Yes, I came to his house. “Ka
KaidenThe moment I stepped into the house, I was greeted with chaos. A vase came hurtling toward me, and I barely managed to sidestep it as it shattered against the door. My heart stopped for a split second, then raced as I stared at Sage, who was standing in the middle of the living room, his chest heaving, his face red with anger.Which was comical because his face was the same color as his hair.“Sage, what the hell?” I blurted out as I tried to process the attack.“You!” he shouted, his hand came up and grabbed his hair, “I cannot fucking believe you, Kaiden. I just can’t believe you.”“What are you talking about?” I asked, holding up my hands defensively. “You’re acting insane right now!”“Oh, I’m insane?” he scoffed, then he chuckled, “he called me insane,” he mumbled to himself before he turned back to me, “You know who called me? River. Professor River. He told me my so-called best friend paid him a visit today. My best friend harassed him and told him to stay away from me.
SageThe next day, I dragged myself into the lecture hall, I still had to go to school. My phone had been buzzing non-stop since last night, but I ignored every call, every text. Kaiden could wait. Or maybe he couldn’t but I didn’t care. Not after the stunt he pulled.I kept asking myself if I overreacted or maybe, I acted just sane over someone I admire to my best friend but every part of me screamed that I was right. He shouldn’t have interfered with my career.I was so depressed that I didn’t want to come to school today but I managed it, and now, I was definitely regretting coming here since I couldn’t bring myself to focus.I sat in the middle row, my notebook open but I wasn’t writing anything down. Professor River’s voice drifted through the room as he explained some intricate engineering principle. It was probably fascinating, but I couldn’t focus on a single word. My thoughts kept circling back to Kaiden, from his jealous outburst, to the shame I felt when Professor River
SageBy the end of my lectures, I was practically bouncing in my seat. The morning had been slow probably because I was so mad at Kaiden. I tend not to focus on anything till we have made amends. I was feeling so much better now, not because the fight with Kaiden had magically resolved itself, no, that was still a mess but because I had something far more exciting to look forward to.Professor River was finally giving me a tour of Novatech. Nova-freaking-tech.Today was the day. I couldn’t believe I forgot. Damn that Kaiden. The message had popped up on my phone by the Novatech team, officially welcoming me to their company and how they couldn’t wait to meet me.I had almost let out a squeal in the middle of the lecture but I held my mouth. Since then, my mood has changed. It became lighter and it stayed like that till the end.I could barely keep my excitement contained as I made my way to his office. My feet carried me with a little skip, and the fight with Kaiden was pushed to th
SageThe tour was overwhelming. Every department seemed to be working on something extraordinary, and I couldn’t help but feel like a small fish in a huge ocean.What if I had nothing to offer here. I never once thought of that. I have always imagined working here but I forgot that my skills might pale in comparison to the others that work here.If they are as extraordinary as Professor River then I was barking up the wrong tree.He introduced me to various members of his team, and to my relief, they were all incredibly welcoming. His secretary, Clara, made a point to include me in their lunchtime plans.“You’ll be eating with us today,” she said with a grin.During lunch, I found myself at a large table surrounded by River’s team. They were friendly and curious, asking me about my studies and what I hoped to achieve during my internship. Clara filled me in on some of the office gossip, making me laugh with her dramatic reenactments of recent events.“You’ll fit in just fine,” she sai
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
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