CHAPTER NINETY — LOYAL BOYFRIEND

LUCIAN’S POVThe truth was, I hadn’t needed a minute that night. I’d need considerably longer than that.I stood in the cold shower for nearly twenty minutes after leaving Ezran downstairs, my breath ragged, as I tried to will my body back into some semblance of control. It had been a single kiss. A single, unhurried and achingly soft kiss, and somehow it had undone the composure I’d spent years perfecting.Ezran had that effect on me. He always had, since the very first time he snapped at me in that hallway, chin raised, eyes blazing with a defiance that shouldn’t have been attractive and yet completely was.I wasn’t proud of fleeing up the stairs like some inexperienced teenager, but I also wasn’t entirely ashamed of it either. Ezran wasn’t ready, at least, not yet, and the last thing I intended to do was rush him toward something he needed to arrive at on his own terms, at his own pace.Even if my own restraint was rapidly becoming a genuine inconvenience.….The flight to Russia w

CHAPTER NINETY ONE — TOGETHER IN CLOUD NINE

EZRAN’S POV The air seemed to tense as I locked gazes with Lucian.“Ezran, I can’t…” his voice trailed off.My eyes dimmed slightly and I raised my voice a bit louder. “You can’t or you don’t want to.”“I want to, but—”“Then no buts.”His eyes fixed on mine deeper as if he were trying to search for answers in my eyes.“Are you sure you want this?” he asked, taking slow strides toward me.“Mhm,” I nodded.“Are you scared?”“No.” I mumbled, my eyes dancing on the marble floor.God, I was scared but I didn’t want to show it. What if he was too large? What if I couldn’t walk after tomorrow? What if mom found out I was screwing her stepson?“Little sweetheart,” Lucian called as he stood right in front of me, stroking my head. “I can smell the fear in you.”Damn. He caught me—like always.“Are you that nervous?”I nodded and bit my bottom lip. He smiled softly and lifted my chin up, kissing me hard.Gawwwwd! I could feel butterflies dancing in my belly. Lucian Banks was kissing me—no, he

CHAPTER NINETY TWO — THE MORNING AFTER

EZRAN’S POVI woke up to sunlight, the dull ache radiating from my lower back, and the distinct, horrifying realization that I could not move my legs without wincing.“Oh my God,” I groaned into the pillow. “Oh my actual God.”A low chuckle sounded from somewhere beside me, and I turned my head just enough to glare at Lucian, who was propped up on one elbow, looking undoubtedly well-rested and pleased with himself.“Good morning, little sweetheart” he said.“Hmm.” I stifled an answer.“Are you… okay?” He asked as his gaze moved from my face, downwards to the sheets.“No idea,” I shrugged. “I might actually need a wheelchair.”“I did warn you.”“You didn’t warn me it would feel like this.”He laughed properly then, reaching over to brush my sticky and messy curls away from my face, his expression softening into something far gentler than the smugness from a moment ago. “How are you feeling? Actually feeling, not the exaggerated version.”I considered the question honestly, shifting sli

CHAPTER NINETY THREE — ALMOST CAUGHT SOFTENING

EZRAN’S POVThe afternoon slipped by slowly and I lazily curled up against Lucian on the couch.“Open it.” he said, pushing a box towards me.I sat up properly, ignoring the lingering ache in my back, and carefully opened the box. Inside sat a slim silver bracelet, delicate and understated, a small shiny star dangling from the clasp.“Lucian…” I let out a soft gasp.“I know we already have matching pieces,” he said, something almost bashful in his tone, which was rare enough that I nearly forgot to breathe. “But I wanted you to have something just for you. Something that’s entirely yours, not paired to mine.”I turned the bracelet over in my palm, cracking up slightly. “A star?”“Because in my eyes, you glitter like the stars,” he said quietly. “I thought it was fitting.”I didn’t trust my voice for a moment, so I simply held my wrist out to him instead, letting him fasten the clasp with careful, practiced fingers.“It’s so beautiful.”“Not as beautiful as you.”I almost laughed. “Bea

CHAPTER NINETY FOUR — EXPECTATIONS

EZRAN’S POV“Who is kissing who, Ezran?” Mom asked the third time, stepping further into the room, arms crossed.My brain short-circuited entirely for a solid three seconds, phone still lying face-up on the mattress where it had fallen, Erik’s muffled laughter still faintly audible from the speaker.“Erik was talking about a movie,” I blurted out, snatching the phone up and pressing it against my chest like that would somehow muffle the evidence. “A really dramatic one with a lot of kissing in it. The protagonist later died.”Mom raised a brow, entirely unconvinced. “A tragedy movie?”“Mm-hm.”“With kissing?”“Yeah, lots of it.”From the phone, I heard Erik’s voice pipe up faintly. “Wait, what movie are we talking about?”I hung up immediately and tossed the phone aside, cold sweat breaking out on my forehead.Fuck you, Erik Anderson.Mom studied me for a long moment and I itched my nape in discomfort. Eventually, she let out a small sigh and shook her head, apparently deciding the in

CHAPTER NINETY FIVE — HOLIDAY TRIP

EZRAN’S POVResults were posted online at exactly nine in the morning, and I nearly dropped my phone twice trying to refresh the portal fast enough.“Come on, come on, come on,” I muttered, thumb hovering over the screen.The page finally loaded, and my name appeared at the top of the list, High Distinctions displayed in bold beside it. I stared at the number for a solid five seconds before letting out a loud whoop.“I aced it,” I said, mostly to myself, grinning like an idiot at my own screen. “I actually aced it.”My phone buzzed almost immediately. It was probably a text from Erik to ask about my result.[Erik: DID YOU SEE YOUR RESULTS?]Just like I expected. I grinned widely, typing very fast.[Me: Yeah. Did you see yours??][Erik: Mm-hm. High Distinctions across the board.]Well, that was the exact thing I got. I was number one on the list, the President of the Programming Club of Melbourne who was also our course mate, was number two, while Erik was number three.[Me: You’re numb