KAIDA’S POVCaleb, whom I assumed to be the youngest and also the guy who lifted Ember by the waist during the drama at the cafeteria, stretched his hand upward, signaling that he was ready to make an order.I walked past Maverick and two members of his team before getting to where Caleb was seated.“What would you like to have?” I asked, a clipped smile on my lips, indicating that I had no time to joke around, not with popular hockey players like them.“First of all, I never knew you work in a place like this,” Caleb grinned, looking around the VIP room like he was trying to picture the whole building in his head. “Don’t get me wrong. This place is cool. It is just surprising to me.”“I guess you’re not ready to order.” I muttered under my breath, ready to move to the next person, but before I could take a step, he stopped me. “Hey, hey, hey. Chill. I will order some Penrose.” He finally made his order known and I pen it down on the tab in my hand.“Who’s next?” I asked, my gaze shi
KAIDA’S POV“Are you heading to the bar right now?” Ember asked, seated on the sofa with her legs folded on each other while she watched a telenovela series.I nodded slowly, grabbing my bag and phone as I made to leave for my night shift. “Yes. I might be late. Don’t wait up.”Ember dragged her gaze from the TV and they fell on me, making me pause, while I stared right back at her in confusion. “You got something to say?” “You know I always wait for you. I can’t sleep knowing my best friend is out there, on the street of Rochester.”My heart warmed at her words but I did well in masking my expression.I didn’t deserve her.“Don’t wait up, Ember. I will return late. Today is Friday and the bar will be filled up,” I tried to make her see from my point. She has always waited for me since we began to stay in the same apartment, but I see no reason why she should wait for a friend who has once failed her and almost made her lose her life.“I will,” she insisted. “There’s no talking me o
KAIDA’S POV I could feel my fingers burning and twitching each time I tried to concentrate during my last class of the day.My head was so messed up that if I was asked what I had learnt from Mrs. Scotland’s lecture, I wouldn’t be able to say a word.I couldn’t concentrate and my mind wasn’t helping matters as it kept flashing back to the scene from five years ago. The one I tried so hard to erase and the slap from earlier.Ember had forgiven five years ago, but the guilt never stopped eating away at me and my punishment for leaving her behind like the coward that I was seemed incurable.The countless nightmares. The insomnia. The fear each time I go close to a pool or lake. It was terrifying.It took years to forget about it and I had been a bit better than I was when the incident happened, but when Maverick called me a coward right in my face, everything came crashing down.And it turned out to be a lie. I didn’t get better. I just tried to forget about it and move on, but when
MAVERICK’S POV I watched Kaida disappeared down the hallway and I couldn’t say exactly what I felt. I felt empty. Not the usual emptiness when one feels guilty, but an emptiness where one can’t feel any emotion or whatsoever. After she slapped me, it felt good, surprisingly. Which wasn’t supposed to. I was supposed to feel the stinging pain from the slap, anger and guilt for bringing back the past she tried so hard to erase. But I felt nothing. Absolutely nothing. I felt like an empty barrel with the loudest noise. Placing my hand where I had been slapped, I rubbed the cheek slowly, trying to filter out the emotions that was supposed to show after I got slapped, but unfortunately, it remained as it was. Empty. This has been going on all my life. I never felt emotions, even as a child, despite how strict my dad was, yet, that didn’t bring out any emotions in me. I could remember vividly well how my Mom cried always, each time she asked if I was happy with what she got m
KAIDA’S POVWho would have thought Liam would fall to the ground and pass out after his outrageous scream?He fell to the ground with a thud, his body limp and his eyes shut.Everyone paused afterwards, including Ember who kept thrashing around in Caleb’s arms.“What just happened?” Selena asked, her eyes widened as she reached out to touch Liam. She tapped his cheeks twice but there wasn’t any reaction from him, so she squatted and shook his limp body and still, there wasn’t any reaction.“He passed out,” she muttered, not believing her own words. “You!” She yelled, standing up with fury blaring in her eyes.“He passed out because of how hard you pulled his hair. He’s gone bald because of you!” She stomped her heels against the tiled floor.“He passed out because he deserves it. Even worse.” Ember replied as she walked towards where Liam passed out and placed the bunch of hair in her hands on his chest in a slow motion, like she didn’t want to get caught.“Girls!” Selena called, her
KAIDA’S POV I could pay millions just to watch the surprise look on Liam’s face, over and fucking over again.It was so hilarious that I almost burst out laughing.I haven’t felt this way before. Happy, satisfied, contented…. Wow, the feeling was amazing.“Bitch…” he drawled, his jaw clenched and his eyes red with anger. “How dare you lay your filthy hands on me?”I scoffed at his words, driving my fingers into my hair. “Filthy hands? Dude, If I was given another opportunity, I would love to break your bones with these filthy hands.” I replied, a wide, satisfied smile on my lips.I knew something was stopping Liam from hitting me and that was the wide entrance door in the cafeteria.We were literally standing at the front of the cafeteria, where everyone was watching, so he had no right to hit me.His image as the captain of the Runners team was important to him, and of course, he wouldn’t want to be benched, all because he hit a woman who happened to be his ex-girlfriend.“You!” He