All Chapters of PAY TO BREAK ME: Chapter 151 - Chapter 160

AARON'S POVJack's thumb brushed lightly across the back of my hand as he turned it over again, his brows pulled together in a frown."Where?" he repeated, looking from my fingers to my palm. "Show me."I couldn't answer. It wasn't because the tea had burned me.It was because my brain had completely stopped working.His fingers were warm, and his touch was gentle, almost like he didn't want to hurt me.My stomach flipped."I..." My voice came out embarrassingly soft. "It didn't..."Jack looked up immediately. "What?""It..." I swallowed. "It didn't touch me."For a second, he simply stared at me. Then his eyes dropped back to my hand as though he needed to confirm it himself.He checked my fingers one more time before finally letting out a quiet breath. "It didn't?"I slowly shook my head.Silence.Jack didn't release my wrist immediately. His shoulders visibly relaxed, as if someone had taken a weight off them.Only then did he loosen his grip."Okay.” It was just a word but it cam

JACK'S POVThe music reached me as a distant pulse through the dressing room walls, muffled enough that it sounded more like a heartbeat than a crowd. Every now and then, a louder cheer slipped through before fading again, reminding me that the club was already filling up.I leaned back against the couch in front of the mirror, already dressed for tonight's performance, my red mask resting comfortably against my face. The dressing room lights reflected off the crimson fabric, making everything around me feel warm.I looked down a my phone screen for what felt like the umpteenth time since I got here.Aaron had booked.A stupid grin spread across my face before I could stop it."You're hopeless," I muttered to my own reflection.Maybe I was.In less than an hour, he would walk through those doors looking for Jay again, completely unaware that the man he kept choosing over and over was the same person he had spent the entire day trying to avoid but couldn't.The irony would've been funn

JACK'S POVHe didn't stop. The door opened. He rushed out and the door slammed shut behind him."Damn it..."I sat there for one second, listening. Even through the walls, I could still hear shouting from the club.My chest tightened.What if he gets hurt?What if…I couldn't stay here. Not while Aaron was out there.Ignoring the pain shooting through my back, I pushed myself to my feet.A sharp groan escaped me. "Fuck."One hand instinctively pressed against my lower back as I staggered toward the door.I had barely reached it when it suddenly swung open.Aaron rushed inside first. Right behind him was Maya.She carried an ice pack in one hand and a first-aid kit in the other.Relief hit me so hard that my knees almost gave out.Aaron was okay.My eyes swept over him immediately without thinking. His face, his arms, his clothes...No blood. No bruises. Nothing.Thank God."Fuck..." Aaron breathed the moment he saw me standing. His face twisted instantly. "Sit down."He reached me in

JACK'S POVHeavy silence stretched between us.Aaron didn't look away. His hand was still holding the ice pack against my back, his fingers steady despite the question he'd just asked."Why did you take the hit for me?"I stared at him for a long moment.There were a hundred answers fighting inside my head.Because seeing you get hurt terrifies me. Because I don't know how to stand there and watch something happen to you. Because I don't understand this strange feeling of always wanting to protect you.None of them could leave my mouth.So instead, I let out a quiet breath and asked the only thing that came to mind. "Would you rather it had hit you?"He blinked. "What?""If I hadn't pulled you away..." I held his gaze. "Would you rather that piece of wood had hit you instead?"His brows drew together as he stared at me. "That's not what I mean."I held his gaze. "Then what do you mean?"He lowered the ice pack slightly before carefully settling it back against my lower back."I..." He

AARON'S POVI forced myself to look away from the empty seat.Maybe I was just overthinking it. It was still early. Jack wasn't the type to miss school, but that didn't mean he couldn't be running late for once.Professor Williams had already begun writing across the whiteboard, his voice echoing through the silent classroom as he explained the first topic for the day.I lowered my eyes to my notebook and uncapped my pen.Focus.I copied the heading down. Then, the first two sentences.Somehow, my eyes kept drifting toward the back of the classroom.The seat was still empty.I immediately looked away again.Stop it. He's probably on his way.The first period crawled by. Then, the second.By the time the third lecturer walked in, I had convinced myself that Jack would stroll through the door at any moment with some lazy excuse that would somehow get every teacher to leave him alone.He never did.I hated how aware I was of it. Every time the classroom door creaked open, my head lifted