SageThe next day at school started like any other day. There was no Kaiden to bother me and even at that, I didn’t have the professor’s class today, so I threw myself into my other lectures with a sense of relief. It gave me time to think without the distraction of his piercing eyes or the lingering tension from last night. It was all I could think about in my head. My morning passed smoothly, and I actually felt lighter, as though nothing could touch me except my inner monologue.That was, of course, until the seniors cornered me again.I was leaving my last class, heading to grab a quick bite, when they appeared out of nowhere. The same group that Kaiden had chased off the other day. Their smug grins and predatory eyes told me everything I needed to know, they weren’t happy about their last encounter, and this time, Kaiden wasn’t here to save me.I was fucking doomed. I knew I shouldn’t have come to school today without Kaiden, who would protect me from these hoodlums now. They a
SageKaiden finally got a day off from his endless shoots, and the first place he decided to come to was my apartment. I didn’t have any lectures that day, so when I opened the door to find him standing there with his trademark grin and a bag of takeout, I was genuinely happy to see him.Food solves everything if you must know.“Miss me?” he asked, stepping inside and placing the bag on my counter without waiting for an answer.“Of course,” I said, shutting the door behind him. “It’s been two weeks? Thought you’d forgotten all about me.”He rolled his eyes and gave me a playful shove. “Don’t be dramatic. You know I’ve been busy. But hey, I’ve got the night free. Let’s do something fun.”I raised an eyebrow. “Define ‘fun.’”His face lit up. “The club. My friends are already meeting us there. Come on, Sage, it’ll be good for you to get out and let loose for a bit.”I hesitated. Clubs weren’t really my scene, and Kaiden knew that. But the look on his face, the excitement and eagerness to
SageThe next day, I didn’t waste time stewing in my thoughts. I had decided that confronting Professor Rivers was the only way I’d get the clarity I desperately needed. Did I do something wrong? Well, I was about to find out. After his final lecture, I waited outside his office, my pulse quickening with each passing second. As the last student trickled out of the hallway, I stepped inside.He looked up immediately, a small, polite smile spreading across his face. “Sage? What brings you here? I thought Novatech didn’t need you today.”“I know,” I said, closing the door behind me. “I came because I need to ask you something.”His smile softened, and he gestured toward the chair opposite his desk. “Ask away.”I sat down, clasping my hands together tightly in my lap. “I saw you last night. Downtown, near the club. I waved at you, but…” I trailed off, unsure how to phrase the rest without sounding pathetic.His expression didn’t falter. He leaned back in his chair, fingers laced togethe
KaidenI shook my head as I slipped into my car, gripping the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white. Not today, I told myself.Not today. Sage was clearly trying to pick a fight with me, pushing me away like it was some kind of sport. But I wouldn’t let him. I knew him too well to fall for that nonsense.I know I neglected him for a while but it was because of work. I hardly texted and I got that he was lonely for a while but that was no reason to act the way he did.Still, his words echoed in my head, prickling like needles under my skin. He had hit the nail on the head. Yeah, it might have looked like I was having fun with my friends but we were working.I was going to ask him what that performance back there was? Embarrassing himself in front of the professor? Was he that thirsty for the guy’s attention?I didn’t want to make it a big issue because I was already hanging on by a short thread because of the girl that was hitting on him.The thought made my jaw tighten as
SageI couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t think, I couldn’t breathe. My mind continuously worked, stealing any chance I had for rest. Every attempt to close my eyes only brought more loud thoughts into my head. I was confused and it felt like everything was slipping out of my control.The one release I wanted was the fight with Kaiden but even he gave up on me. I knew I was being a brat but fighting with him would have given me the satisfaction I wanted. I wanted to beat myself up, I was so frustrated by what the professor said to me that I was going to say hurtful things to my best friend.It made me a bad person because in that instant, I didn’t care about him or his feelings. I care about feeling better. I was selfish.I hated what the professor said to me, it was hurtful and harsh. It made my chest so tight and it was difficult to breathe. All the times that we have spent together meant so little to him? I meant so little to him? I thought he was doing all of that because he liked me bu
KaidenHeartbreak. All through my life, I haven’t experienced what this was. Not even with the people around me. My model friends too have way too much time on their hands than to be tied down to one person, their words not mine.While I valued myself to be the type of person who can’t feel anything, I know what I was feeling right now was heartbreak.I also know it isn’t supposed to feel like this. It isn’t supposed to be so wrenching so much that I thought my heart would snap into two. I was so riddled with guilt that I sought out the one person I needed to talk to. I didn’t want to spend my free days fighting with him when his company was the only one I could tolerate.The moment I left the bar, I had one goal in mind, to make peace with him. The fight earlier had been stupid. I’d let my insecurities and jealousy push me into lashing out, and I couldn’t stand the thought of leaving things unresolved. He mattered too much to me.When I arrived at his house, the lights were off.
Sage For three days, I stayed holed up in my apartment. I couldn’t bear the thought of facing the professor after what I had done. I had embarrassed myself and made a fool of myself at the same time. I was nothing more than a fool who had bitten more than he could chew. It’s been days after that but I still couldn’t forget how desperate I was begging him to fuck me. I mean I could have just laid on his feet and plead because what in the hell was that? What the hell had I been thinking? Marching over to his place in the middle of the night, pouring my heart out, only to be met with that cold, infuriating response. I’d practically thrown myself at him like some lovesick fool and yet, nothing moved him. I groaned, pressing my hands against my face as I lay sprawled on the couch. My phone sat on the coffee table, lifeless, its screen dark. I’d called Kaiden more times than I could count, but he wasn’t answering. It was as though he had vanished off the face of the earth. So becau
SageHe broke the kiss off and pinned me with a gaze, « whatever you are thinking right now doesn’t matter. This is what you wanted right? »« I know it’s what I wanted but I want to be sure that it’s what you want. »« Shut up, Sage. »I nodded and he grabbed my neck, pulling me closer to him with his gaze pinned on me.« The first time I saw you, I wanted to shove my cock in your mouth just to see how those eyes would water for me. You think you have liked me from the start? Mine is the worst. »His words should have sent me running to the hills or even rethinking this but my mouth watered. I was so happy to have been the object of his fantasy for so long.He has liked me from the start, is that why he gave me a job? So he would have to see me everyday?I was so filled with happiness that I took initiative."I want to taste your cock" I said, and dropped to my knees, I carefully zipped down his pants and my eyes widened from the size of his cock.I thought Kaiden’s was huge but this
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