Chapter 45

**•KAIA•**

I stared at my phone, thumb hovering over the screen for way too long, just blinking at the message like it might disappear if I looked away.

Callum: You free tomorrow night? Come with me to Coachella.

Coachella.

I read it again just to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating.

“Uh… Amy?” I called out.

She was lying on her bed, scrolling through TikTok with one leg thrown over the other, completely zoned out.

“Yeah?” she mumbled.

I cleared my throat. 

“Callum wants me to go to Coachella with him tomorrow.”

Amy sat up so fast, she nearly gave herself whiplash. 

“WHAT?!”

She launched herself across the room, snatched the phone out of my hand, read the text, and immediately screamed. 

“KAIA, YOU HAVE TO GO!”

I raised a brow. 

“What even happens at Coachella? Like… what do people do there?”

Amy blinked at me like I’d just asked her what a phone was. 

“Kaia. It’s Coachella. It’s music. It’s fashion. It’s influencers. It’s sweaty dancing in the desert. It’s the closest thing to heaven for hot people in flower crowns. How do you not know this?!”

I just stared.

She groaned dramatically, throwing herself back on the bed like she couldn’t believe she was friends with me.

Then I got an idea.

I grabbed my phone and typed back:

Me: Can I bring a friend?

Amy sat up so quick again I swore she gave herself a second neck sprain. 

“Wait. What are you doing?!”

Callum: Of course. Bring whoever you want.

I looked over at her and smiled. 

“Looks like we’re both going to our first Coachella this year.”

Amy screamed again, this time even louder, and lunged at me, wrapping her arms around my neck in an overly excited hug. 

“I LOVE YOU SO MUCH,*” she shouted into my ear before pulling back and gasping like she’d seen a ghost. “WAIT—WHAT ARE WE GONNA WEAR?!”

I blinked. “Um… clothes?”

She gave me a deadpan look. 

“Clothes? CLOTHES?! Kaia, this is COACHELLA, not gym class!”

She spun toward her closet in full meltdown mode, yanking hangers off the rack like her life depended on it. 

“Why didn’t Callum ask you like weeks ago? We don’t have any time to find something cute, we’re gonna look like absolute trash next to all the Insta models!”

I sat on the edge of my bed, watching her like she was on fire. 

“Is it really that big of a deal?”

She spun around and pointed at me. 

“YES. Yes, it is. It’s Coachella, Kaia. There are literal documentaries about the outfits people wear to Coachella.”

Before I could even open my mouth, she grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. 

“Come on. We’re going shopping. Right now.”

“But I don’t even have my—”

“Grab your wallet and phone!” she shouted over her shoulder while dragging me to the door like I was being kidnapped.

And just like that, I was on my way to prepare for the most unexpected event of my life.

**OoO**

The next morning, we were standing outside our dorm building with our travel bags at our feet, both of us still yawning and clutching iced coffees like lifelines. 

The sun was barely up, and the campus was quiet except for the occasional bird and Amy humming some Coachella playlist under her breath.

Then, right on time, a sleek black Mercedes Benz pulled up in front of us. I recognized it immediately—of course Callum would drive something that expensive and look like he stepped straight out of a movie while doing it.

He was in the front seat, wearing sunglasses even though the sun was barely out. In the back were two other guys, both looking vaguely familiar until it hit me—they were the ones from the bowling alley that night I first met Callum.

Ian was the first to jump out. 

“Ladies,” he greeted with a grin, pulling us both in for a hug like we were already old friends. “Ready for the wildest weekend of your lives?”

He grabbed our bags and tossed them into the trunk like it was nothing. Just as Amy was about to open the back door, Callum leaned over from the driver’s seat and called out, “Ian, switch with her. Kaia’s sitting with me.”

Amy raised an eyebrow at me, but before I could respond, she nudged me toward the passenger side and whispered, “Don’t look so nervous. I’ll happily sit between two hot guys.”

I rolled my eyes and slid into the front seat, my heart doing this weird flutter thing as Callum gave me a quick once-over and smirked.

Once everyone settled in, the engine purred to life and Callum pulled onto the road. The car filled with light music and sleepy conversation until Callum suddenly glanced at the rearview mirror and asked, “Hey, you’re Adrien Levont’s sister right?”

Amy leaned forward between the seats and said, “Yep. Unfortunately.”

Keith, who was sitting behind Callum, chuckled and said, “Well, you’re definitely the cuter sibling.”

Amy laughed and tossed her hair. 

“Obviously.”

I glanced at Callum. His jaw clenched just slightly, his fingers tightening around the steering wheel.

Without thinking, I reached out and touched his arm. His mood flipped like a switch—he glanced at me, smiled, and laced his fingers with mine, bringing the back of my hand to his lips and pressing a kiss there.

Of course, that earned us groans from the backseat.

“Ugh, get a room,” Keith muttered.

“Seriously,” Ian added. “We haven’t even hit the freeway and you two are already in rom-com mode.”

Callum and I just laughed it off, but inside, I was spiraling a little.

Because it kind of was starting to feel like a rom-com. Like something real.

And I wasn’t sure if we were officially a thing now or just floating in that gray area where feelings exist but no one says anything out loud. 

Callum hadn’t put a label on it, hadn’t even asked what we were doing, and I hadn’t exactly brought it up either.

Then there was Adrien.

That whole situation still had me twisted up inside, no matter how much I tried to shove it aside. Because if I was being honest with myself… I still felt something for him. 

And now I was heading to Coachella with the other guy who made my heart race for completely different reasons.

Hopefully the trip would help me figure it out. Maybe a change of scenery, some loud music, and a break from the chaos would help me finally make up my mind about who I really wanted.

Or maybe it’d just make things more complicated.

Either way… I was about to find out.