Chapter 33: Boston Nights

Aveline’s POV

We were interrupted by Daphne. The expression on her face said everything before she even spoke. Her eyes moved between Kieran and me too quickly, clearly piecing together the wrong conclusion in her head. The tension inside the locker room shifted instantly.

“What's going on here?”

Her voice cut sharply through the silence.

Then she faced Kieran directly.

“Must you always prove how mighty you are beneath people? Stay away from Asher.”

Kieran’s expression hardened slightly at her tone, but before he could respond, I stood up immediately.

“You’re clearly misunderstanding the whole situation,” I said quickly. “He was just attending to my wounds.”

Daphne still looked unconvinced. The atmosphere remained awkward for a few uncomfortable seconds before Kieran finally picked up the medical kit and walked out of the locker room without another word.

Daphne watched him leave carefully, Then she turned back toward me. Her eyes dropped briefly toward the bandage around my hand before lifting again. I could already tell she was overthinking everything.

Thankfully she didn’t continue questioning me because, honestly, I didn’t even know how to explain whatever tension had existed inside that locker room myself.

An hour later, the entire team arrived at a crowded nightbar somewhere in downtown Boston to celebrate the win.

The place was insane; flashing lights moved wildly across packed bodies, while loud music vibrated through the floor, hard enough to feel inside my ears. Expensive alcohol filled nearly every table, and the atmosphere carried that reckless post-victory energy that only comes after big wins.

Crestwood players blended into the chaos easily.

Everyone looked relaxed for the first time all day Even Coach Hale had disappeared somewhere after reminding the team not to embarrass the school publicly and have a mild celebration clearly he didn't see the mild celebration

The girls were everywhere dancing and drinking. Most hanging around the hockey players like tonight determined relationship rankings.

I stayed near the VIP section with Daphne while trying not to think too much about Kieran.

Unfortunately, that became difficult quickly. Because Percy stayed beside him almost the entire night.

She sat close enough that their shoulders constantly touched while talking. Sometimes she leaned into him laughing at things I couldn’t hear over the music.

And every single time I accidentally looked toward them, something unpleasant twisted inside my chest.

Which annoyed me more than anything else I wasn’t supposed to care Kieran Hampton was still the same arrogant hockey captain I came to Crestwood planning to destroy.

Nothing about that had changed.

So why did seeing Percy near him feel this irritating?

The answer made me uncomfortable enough that I avoided thinking about it completely.

Then Milo suddenly shouted over the music.

“Let’s play a game.”

Several people immediately reacted while others groaned already expecting disaster.

“Truth or dare,” another voice yelled.

The group agreed almost instantly.

Apparently, hockey players completely lost common sense after a few shots. Everyone gathered loosely around the large VIP booth area while drinks were passed around carelessly.

Landon ended up going first. He was dared to pick a girl and kiss her for at least fifteen minutes.

The entire group immediately started shouting loudly waiting for his answer But Landon only rolled his eyes before taking one of the shots instead.

“You are no fun,” Milo complained dramatically.

Laughter spread across the booth area before the attention shifted again.

Then Milo turned toward Percy.

“Pick a guy you’re feeling,” he told her. “Take him somewhere dark and do whatever you want.”

The reactions around the table immediately became louder. Percy smiled slowly before scanning the room.

Then her eyes landed directly on Kieran He sat lazily against the couch holding a drink in one hand while watching her approach.

The second she grabbed his wrist and pulled him up, several people started cheering loudly.

And just like that, the game ended, or at least nobody cared enough to continue after that.

The music became louder again while people returned to dancing and drinking around the club.

I stayed seated for a while pretending none of it bothered me But my chest already felt tight.

The entire atmosphere suddenly became suffocating and loud.

Eventually, I leaned toward Daphne slightly.

“I’m coming.”

She nodded distractedly while talking to someone beside her.

I left the VIP section quickly and started walking through one of the darker hallways leading away from the main crowd.

The music sounded distant there, Blue lights lined the hallway walls softly while security guards stood near the doorway further ahead.

Then I saw them.

Percy had Kieran pressed against the hallway wall, Her hands gripped his shirt tightly while her mouth shoved against his. The kissing looked intense, Messy. Kieran’s hands rested against her waist while she pushed herself closer against him beneath the dim hallway lights.

Everything inside me stopped painfully My chest tightened so suddenly it almost hurt. I couldn’t even explain the feeling properly.

Crushed, Betrayed, Suffocated, like something heavy had lodged itself directly inside my heart.

And the worst part?

I had absolutely no right to feel any of it.

Kieran owed me nothing, He could kiss whoever he wanted So why did it feel this terrible watching it happen?

I didn’t even stay there long enough for them to notice me. I turned immediately and walked away before the scene could burn itself deeper into my memory.

The music inside the club suddenly felt unbearable.

Every laugh irritated me, every flashing light made my headache worse. I pushed through the crowd quickly before storming outside into the cold Boston night air.

The freezing wind hit my face immediately, but it didn’t calm me down. I kept walking angrily down the sidewalk while trying to control the emotions building dangerously inside me.

My eyes burned unexpectedly. Tears blurred my vision slightly before I blinked them back aggressively.

I was supposed to hate Kieran, not stand outside a nightbar feeling miserable because I saw him kissing another girl And definitely not cry over him.

I stopped walking only when I felt a hand touch my shoulder gently.

I turned sharply.

Daphne stood there looking concerned. “You love Kieran, don’t you?”

The question hit so directly that my entire body froze for a second.

She stared at me carefully. “I thought you were straight.”

The words twisted painfully inside my chest. Because she was looking at me like she genuinely believed I was a boy struggling with feelings for another boy.

And I couldn’t tell her the truth.

I couldn’t tell her she was loving the wrong person, Looking at her then filled me with emotions I couldn’t even properly explain.

I forced myself to speak anyway.

“I don’t love Kieran,” I replied carefully. “And I’m straighter than a ruler.”

Daphne immediately relaxed slightly.

Then she raised both hands onto my shoulders.

“That was a close call,” she admitted. “I thought you were angry over seeing Kieran and Percy make out.”

I forced out a weak laugh pretending that was ridiculous.

Then suddenly her expression changed completely And before I could process it properly, she said the absolute last thing I expected to hear.

“I love you, Asher.” “Let’s date.”