Chapter 43

•**ADRIEN**•

We won.

Barely.

A last-minute goal saved us, and the stadium erupted like we’d just secured a championship—but all I felt was frustration boiling under my skin. My chest was tight, my head buzzing. Not from adrenaline. From pure, unfiltered aggravation.

I couldn’t even focus for half the game. Every time I skated past the glass, my eyes wandered to that front row seat where she sat. Kaia.

Her eyes. Her face. The way she leaned forward whenever something intense happened, or how she flinched when I slammed that guy into the boards. It was distracting as hell.

Maybe it had been a bad idea asking Amy to bring her tonight. I thought maybe seeing her outside campus would help me care less. That I could watch her from a distance and not feel anything.

But no. Instead, my head was a mess the entire game because she was there. She almost cost us the win.

Still… part of me was glad she came. She could’ve said no. She could’ve gone off with Callum instead. But she didn’t.

I changed out of my gear faster than usual, ignoring the locker room noise. I threw my jersey in my bag, slung it over my shoulder, grabbed my stick, and walked out to the back parking lot.

I spotted them standing under one of the streetlights—Amy and Kaia. Amy was grinning. Kaia looked good. Too good.

“Nice game, dork,” Amy said, giving me a quick hug.

I greeted her back, then looked at Kaia.

“I’m surprised. You finally left your dorm to interact with real people. I was starting to think you were glued to your bed.”

Amy gave me a warning look. “Adrien.”

Kaia narrowed her eyes. “You’re insufferable, you know that?”

I don’t know why, but I liked getting that reaction out of her. Something about the way her eyes flashed when she was pissed off—it did something to me.

Before she could clap back, we heard someone call her name.

We turned.

And just like that, my mood dropped.

Callum.

He strolled over like he owned the place, sounding casual as ever.

“Didn’t expect to see you out here tonight,” he said, eyes only on Kaia.

I stepped in. “I invited them. Figured they deserved front row seats.”

Callum glanced at me. “What? Ran out of fangirls to scream your name tonight Levont?”

I scoffed.

“Why do you care that Kaia came? It’s not like you own her.”

His jaw clenched. Mine did too.

It was about to get ugly, I could feel it.

But then Kaia stepped between us.

“Can we not do this here?” she said, placing a hand on Callum’s chest and gently pushing him back.

My stomach twisted. The way her hand lingered on him, how naturally he leaned into her—like they were something. Like her touch was suddenly everything to him..

She leaned in and whispered something to him. He calmed down almost instantly. Her touch, her voice—it worked on him. Like fucking magic.

I watched in silence, remembering what she told me the other night. About stopping Callum from ruining me in his own dirty ways. It sounded like she was trying to protect me or something. I didn’t understand it then, and I still didn’t now.

But watching them? It lit something inside me. Something dark.

Kaia turned back to us. “I’ll catch you both later, okay?”

Amy nodded. I didn’t say anything. I just stood there, watching her walk away with his arm slung around her shoulders.

Jealousy burned in my chest. I wanted to rip his arm off. I wanted to pull her back and ask her what the hell she was doing.

Amy sighed beside me. “Wow. Didn’t expect those two to hit it off that fast.”

I turned to her. “Do you even know how that happened?”

She shrugged. “Nope. I didn’t even know they were talking. It’s weird.”

I slammed my hand against the trunk of a random car, the sound sharp in the quiet lot.

Amy looked at me and scoffed.

“If Kaia’s dating Callum just to get back at you… then yeah, she’s definitely winning.”

She started walking away.

I stayed where I was, staring after her, unsure how to feel.

Was that really what this was? Was Kaia with him just to mess with me?

Because if she was—fuck—it was working.

•**KAIA**•

Callum didn’t say anything at first—just took my hand and pulled me along behind him, his grip tight. His car was parked far from the stadium, tucked into a dark corner of the lot away from all the noise and headlights.

I could feel the tension building with every step.

As soon as we got there, he stopped short in front of his car and turned on me, his voice sharp.

“Why the hell were you here to watch Adrien’s game?”

My stomach twisted. “Callum—”

“How do you even know him?” His tone was harsher now, laced with something possessive, like the idea of me and Adrien being in the same building was a personal insult.

I blinked, my nerves spiking as I tried to explain.

“Adrien’s sister is my roommate. That’s all. Amy invited me to come and watch the game with her tonight”

He scoffed, his jaw tightening.

“So you lied to me? That first night we met—when I asked if you knew Adrien—you said no.”

“I didn’t lie,” I said quickly. “I didn’t really know him then. Amy never told me they were siblings until later.”

Callum slammed both hands against the roof of his car and turned away from me, the sound making me flinch. He looked like he was trying to breathe through his anger, and I wasn’t sure what to say to distract him from what happened..

“Callum…” I called out softly, stepping closer. I reached out to touch his arm.

He spun around fast. I jumped back instinctively, but he was already closing the space between us.

“I don’t want to see you with him again,” he said, voice low but firm. “Do you understand me?”

I hesitated, caught completely off guard. My heart pounded in my ears.

“Y-Yeah,” I muttered. “Okay.”

“Good.” Then, without warning, he leaned in and kissed me.

It was rough. Demanding. His hand curled around the back of my neck as he pulled me against him, like he was staking a claim. My eyes stayed wide at first, shocked by the heat of it, the way it felt both overwhelming and urgent. Like he was pouring all his anger and fear into this one kiss.

And yet… there was something more beneath it too. Something desperate.

When he finally pulled back, his eyes locked onto mine.

“I don’t like sharing, Kaia,” he said, breathing heavily. “Adrien can try and beat me at everything. He can take the spotlight, take my spot, hell—he can try to take the whole damn world. But I’m not letting him take you.”

I froze. My heart skipped a beat.

He wasn’t done.

“I want you to be with me,” he said, his voice lowering. “And I promise you—Adrien or anyone else? They won’t even come close to thinking they have a chance with you. Because you’re already mine.”

I stared at him, completely thrown off guard.

I hadn’t expected this. Not from Callum.

And the worst part? His words—his conviction—hit me in a way I didn’t expect. I felt it. I felt the pull.

It was working.

It wasn’t quite what I felt for Adrien, no. But it was starting to come close. And that scared me more than anything else.

Because now I didn’t know what to feel. Or what to do. And how am I gonna finish this game without being completely attached to him.