I steadied myself as he walked into the balcony, a glass of whiskey in his hands and his steps a bit wobbled. I gazed at his eyes and they were bit unfocused so I figured he was well on his way to drunkenness.“I didn’t know you were looking for me” I said back, a tad bit timid and holding tightly to the beer can in my hand. A soft wind swept by, blowing my hair in my face and causing goosebumps on my exposed laps and arms, but apart from all that it was the soft glow on light shining on Aiden’s face, there was this distant sad look in his eyes as he kept his gaze on me, I could almost read his mind. I knew what he was thinking about, the shocking revelation that had been thrown on our faces.“Are you okay?” I said immediately after “I mean drinking is cool to forget, but you’re just going to wake up with a wicked hangover and reality slapping you in the face”He chuckled, leaning with his back on the railings while I kept my back on the wall, a few inches away from him. I didn’t thin
I was pretty shocked when Tobias picked me. It felt like a drunken choice, though, because I had always thought Tobias and Pearl were a thing. But now it seemed like they were this toxic, on-and-off couple that did things to spite each other. I glanced at Pearl, and either she was a really good pretender, or my assumptions were wrong.I was drunk too, and this was the first time in my whole twenty-five years of living that I had been picked to play Truth or Dare—or, in this case, Drink or Dare. Aside from the minor rush pumping through my head, I couldn't help but think how great it would be to kiss Tobias in front of Aiden. Not that it would matter to him anyway. Anika was right there, throwing herself at him, and she was hot. I didn’t think I ran circles in his mind the way he did in mine.“So, Cheryl—are you going to drink or—” Tobias’s voice drifted into my head, pulling me out of my drunken thoughts. I offered him a lopsided smile.“I’ll do it. I don’t want to be a prude,” I said
The next morning, when my eyes fluttered open, I was startled to find Aiden standing over my bed with an unreadable expression on his face. His figure was silhouetted against the light streaming in from my window, making it difficult to make out the details of his features.“Aiden?” I asked, my voice groggy and confused as I sat up, trying to make sense of why he was in my room. My brain felt foggy, still swimming in the remnants of last night’s drinks, and coherent thoughts seemed far out of reach.“I couldn’t sleep all night, Tiny. You’ve been running circles in my head,” he said softly, his voice carrying a strange mix of exasperation and something else I couldn’t quite name. My brows furrowed, and I shot him a questioning look.“What?” I asked, utterly taken aback by his words.Before I could piece together what was happening, he sat down hurriedly on my bed, gripping my shoulders. His eyes bore into mine, intense and searching. “I haven’t been able to sleep a wink since that kiss
“You – you own the place?” I nearly choke on my own words when we reached the parking lot, and I had finally recovered from my shock and found my voice.Damon chuckled at my shocked response “Oh don’t act humble now, I’m not going to fire you”“It’s not that” I interjected “You’re my boss literally, and – and I can’t date my boss. I’m sure it’s against the code of ethics or something”Damon chuckled again “What code of ethics?”“I – I – “ I was suddenly at loss for words“Get into the car Cheryl” he grunted as he held out the door for me. It was a sleek BMW and I was immediately engulfed in the new leather smell of the car, shiny leather glistening under the sun but there was something immediately comforting and equally uneasy about the sleek interiors of Damon’s car. Now Damon’s presence inside the car immediately shifted the whole dynamic. I became so aware that I was in the car with a man, and not just a man – the owner of the company I worked for and I just couldn’t seem to get p
“So I’d assume the whole roomie thing didn’t work out, because I’d figured when he kissed you, you guys were actually a thing”I froze on the spot, my hands freezing mid-air, my eyes flicked up to Damon’s for a mere second and his expression mirrored mine.“Oops” Marty’s annoying voice cut through the thick tension in the air “I swear, that slipped right out of my mouth” it was fake guilt and I could see right through it. In as much as I could barely stand Marty’s face, I didn’t think I could sit in front of Damon. I felt a wave of embarrassment blast my face so hard that it nearly knocked me out of my seat.“Excuse me” I pushed my chair back, picked up my bag and walked right out of there.Yea, I was never coming back to this restaurant and I also needed to find a new job. Just as I stepped out of the restaurant, I could hear Damon’s heavy footsteps echoing behind me and before I could hit the streets, his heavy pair of hands grabbed my arms and turned me around.I didn’t give him a
DAMON’S POVHer lips on mine—soft, warm, and utterly unexpected.It was like the air had been sucked out of my lungs, leaving me suspended in a moment I didn’t see coming but had been craving since the moment I walked into the casino, my casino. But she was sitting right there, a novice expression on her face. I had never seen her before, was she a new hire or had I never taken note of the people that worked at my company? No, I’d have definitely noticed her. The innocence in her eyes could never go unnoticed, it shook something in me, something primal and beastly. I wanted her, but she wasn’t making it easy….. she had this way of flipping the script.She fell into my arms that very same night, drunk on something more than the tequila I’m sure she had sworn she could handle. And I knew then that she wasn’t just another passing fascination. No, she was the kind of woman who wormed her way under your skin and settled there.And now, she’d kissed me.Her hands were firm but tender on eit
CHERYL’S POVThe air around me stilled as my eyes locked on Aiden. It was as if the world had slowed down, leaving just the two of us in this unbearable tension. He stood there, stiff yet poised, his arm resting lightly on Anika’s, but his gaze… his gaze pinned me in place. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.I should’ve looked away. I really should’ve, but there was something in those dark eyes that held me captive, something unreadable that twisted a knot deep in my chest.“Come on,” Damon’s voice cut through the haze, his hand resting on the small of my back. He urged me forward, but the weight of Aiden’s stare clung to me like a second skin.We stepped closer, and suddenly, there was no avoiding it. We met halfway. Aiden and Anika stopped just a few feet away, and the air felt like it was crackling, charged with tension so thick I could’ve sliced through it with a butter knife.Anika’s face lit up the moment she saw me, though her smile wasn’t the least bit friendly. Her eyes flitt
AIDEN’S POVThe roar of paparazzi made me turn instinctively, my curiosity piqued. It wasn’t unusual for these events to get loud, but the sudden eruption had an edge to it, a frenzy that caught my attention. I scanned the crowd, trying to figure out what the ruckus was about—and that’s when I saw her.Cheryl.And not just Cheryl. Cheryl pressed against that guy she’d been gushing about for days, her lips locked with his in what could only be described as a very public display of affection. Damon Bass.For a second, my brain short-circuited. It wasn’t supposed to affect me. It’s Cheryl, I told myself. The same Cheryl I shared an apartment with, the same girl I used to torment in high school because she was ditsy and awkward and too easy to tease. She wasn’t supposed to matter like this.But she did.My jaw tightened as I watched them. Something twisted in my chest, unfamiliar and unwelcome. Why the hell did it feel weird watching her kiss that guy? Was she trying to make me jealous? I
CHERYLMy heart slammed against my ribs so loudly I could hear it—like it was trying to speak before I could.Aiden’s voice still rang in my ears, soft but firm. “Come with me. I'll explain everything, I'll tell you everything.”And then Damon’s—darker, lower. “Don’t move.”I stood between them like the axis of some cruel universe, their opposing gravities tugging at my ribs. The silence that fell wasn’t peaceful. It was the kind that howled beneath your skin. The kind you find just before a car crashes or a gun fires.My feet didn’t move. But everything inside me did.Aiden was looking at me like I was salvation, or maybe a last chance. And Damon? Damon’s face was unreadable—except for his eyes. His eyes were sharp and cold, yet… pleading.That was the worst part. Damon never pleaded.My gaze dropped to his chest, to the white bandage stark against his olive skin, to the dried blood that clung stubbornly to the edge of his open shirt.I did that. I shot him.He should hate me. But in
AIDENI should’ve known the address Damon sent wasn’t neutral ground. I mean I did recognise the address but I didn't think she'd be there too.The moment I stepped into the sleek, modern living room, the temperature dropped ten degrees. Not because of the air-conditioning, but because of her—Cheryl, sitting on one of those black leather chairs like she belonged there, and Damon, standing behind her with that arrogant smirk and a half-drunk glass of whiskey in his hand.The sight stopped me mid-step.I hadn’t prepared for this—hadn’t prepared to see her again in his space. The last time I’d seen her, she was shaking, holding a gun, her hands stained with fear and guilt. And now? Now she looked too calm, too collected, like she hadn’t just watched me disappear into the shadows of chaos.But what got me the most… was that she didn’t look surprised, maybe she did, I wasn't particularly looking at her. I was staring daggers into Damon's eyes“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I said,
CHERYL'S POVThe sky hung heavy and gray above me as I drove, casting the entire town in a muted haze. It was the kind of weather that whispered secrets and warned of storms—fitting for the place I was heading. Damon’s house. Or, more accurately, the house Damon bought for me. My grip on the steering wheel tightened as I turned onto the long, winding driveway. The structure loomed into view like a forgotten secret—modern, cold, and elegant. It hadn’t changed. White concrete walls, dark paneling, glass edges that reflected the world but let no one in. It was still as breathtaking and lonely as the man who owned it.I parked and stepped out slowly, gravel crunching underfoot. The keypad beside the tall black door blinked awake as I approached. I didn’t hesitate—my fingers moved by memory, punching in the code he had set using my birthday. There was a soft click, and then the door opened with a sigh, as if the house had been holding its breath all this time.Silence met me inside.Thick
Cheryl’s POVI stared at the phone on my dresser for longer than I should have, the contact name glowing like it knew too much — like it was mocking me.Damon.I didn't even know what I wanted to say. What did you say to a man you shot? To a man you might've killed — who might still be bleeding out in some forgotten room?Still, my fingers moved on their own, like muscle memory. I tapped the call button before I could talk myself out of it. I held my breath as the dial tone started.Once.Twice.Three times.He’s not going to pick up, I told myself. Maybe that was a good thing. Maybe—Click.His voice, low and gruff, filled my ears like smoke curling under a door."What a pleasant surprise," he said.I froze. My throat clenched, mouth suddenly dry."...You're okay," I managed. My voice sounded far away, like someone else had spoken for me."For the most part," he said, and I could almost hear the smirk beneath his words. "But my heart is still broken. Wasn’t expecting the woman I’m in
Cheryl’s POVThe morning light streamed through the pale curtains, brushing my room in gold, but it only made the pounding guilt in my head stronger.I sat up slowly, rubbing my arms, feeling the faint bruises of last night's chaos beneath my skin. It was almost absurd how normal everything looked. The smell of bacon frying downstairs, the creak of the old wood floors in my aunt’s house, the chirping of birds outside.But inside me?Nothing felt normal.Every time I closed my eyes, the gunshot echoed in my brain — loud, sharp, deadly. My fingers twitched at the memory, and I recoiled, wrapping my arms around my knees like they could somehow hold me together.I had shot someone.Not just anyone. Damon.I hadn't meant to — God, I hadn't meant to. It was instinct, pure reflex. I had seen the gun pressed to Aiden’s head and I hadn’t thought — I had acted.Like some wild animal, desperate to protect.But the more I thought about it… the more I realized the sinking truth:I wasn’t sure I ha
Cheryl’s POVThe moment I felt his arms wrap around me, I thought everything would be okay. For a single, fleeting second, the chaos quieted. But then I looked down. My eyes found Damon’s body lying limp on the cold, cracked earth, blood blooming beneath him like ink spilled from a broken pen.That’s when it hit me.I had shot someone.I had taken a life. Maybe not completely yet, but I could see the way his chest rose in stuttered breaths, each one weaker than the last. His blood... his blood was on me.I stepped out of Aiden’s embrace like I was in a daze, my body numb, the gun suddenly burning hot in my hands. I dropped it. It clattered to the ground like it had fulfilled its purpose.“We need to call someone,” I breathed. “911. We have to call for help.”Aiden’s voice was firm but low. “We need to get the hell out of here, Cheryl. Now. Before Alejandro realizes what’s happening.”“No!” I snapped, shaking my head. My voice cracked. “No, we can’t just leave him like that. I shot him
Damon’s POVHe always knew it would come to this.The moment he saw Cheryl for the first time — in that slinky red dress at that bar, soft curls falling over her shoulders like poetry in motion — he knew he'd never stand a chance. Not when Aiden was involved. Aiden always got what he wanted, he looked like a guy that got everything he wanted. The girls. The glory. The forgiveness. Even after everything.But not this time.Not anymore.Damon lit a cigarette and took a long drag, leaning against the black Impala parked under the sickly orange glow of a dying streetlamp. The road out here was cracked, half-swallowed by overgrown weeds. The silence of the place clawed at the back of his neck, broken only by the distant echo of a rusted windmill creaking with each breeze.The warehouse ahead of him stood like a tomb — abandoned, graffitied, the scent of oil and mildew bleeding from its rusted frame. It used to be a car assembly plant, once. Now, it was the kind of place nightmares came to
Cheryl’s POVThe room was dimly lit—too dim to tell if the red smears on the floor were wine or something far worse.The air smelled of rusted metal, sweat, and something faintly floral—like someone had tried to mask the decay with cheap perfume, or maybe it was my own perfume turned cheap from the deathliness of this place. A single lightbulb swung lazily from the ceiling above me, casting long, flickering shadows that danced across the concrete walls like ghosts.My hands were still untied and free when my eyes popped again to the strangeness of this place, but they still ached from the pressure of the zip ties. My legs were numb, folded underneath me on the cold stone floor. I didn’t know how long I’d been here—minutes, hours—it all bled together in this silent, chilling purgatory.Until the door opened.It didn’t creak or groan. It glided open smoothly, almost soundlessly, like it had been waiting for this moment. And when I looked up—he was there.The boss - or so I assumed becau
Cheryl’s POVThe first thing I felt was the cold. It seeped through my skin like tiny shards of ice, making it impossible to stay asleep. Then came the pain—an aching throb behind my eyes, the sore sting in my wrists, the bruised thump of my knees. My body felt like it had been tossed like trash into the back of a car.I opened my eyes to darkness. Not complete darkness, but the dim, flickering kind—the kind that hummed from a dying fluorescent bulb overhead.My heart pounded. My breathing stuttered.Where the hell am I?I sat up slowly, the thin mattress beneath me crunching with old springs. My hands were free, but the bruises around my wrists told me they hadn’t always been. I looked around. Four walls. One metal door. No windows. A chair in the corner. A bucket near the wall that made my stomach turn.This was not a misunderstanding.This was not a mistake.I had been kidnapped.My fingers clenched into fists as panic began to crawl up my throat. And then… Aiden. His name crashed