Chapter 46
•**KAIA**•
By the time we reached the Coachella grounds, the sun was blazing and the entire place was buzzing with energy.
People were everywhere—dancing, laughing, drinking out of glittery cups, and dressed like they’d been planning their outfits for months.
The air smelled like sunscreen, sweet drinks, and the faint scent of something herbal lingering from nearby tents.
Music boomed from every direction, overlapping sounds from different stages creating a kind of beautiful chaos.
We were escorted past the main entrance and taken to this huge white tent that looked like something out of a luxury desert getaway.
Inside, it was spacious and air-conditioned, with mirrors lined up along one wall, makeup lights glowing, racks of accessories, and even refreshments laid out on a table.
Amy squealed and ran straight for one of the outfit racks while I just stood there, trying to take it all in.
She tossed me my outfit and slipped into hers. Amy wore a white draped hooded top that hung perfectly off her frame, paired with a faded mini denim skirt belted with a studded cream belt.
Her boots were olive green and had these chunky buckles that made her look effortlessly cool.
I pulled on my outfit next—an animal print halter with layered mesh detail that tied at the neck and showed just the right amount of skin, matched with high-waisted black leather shorts.
I accessorized with stacked gold bangles, hoop earrings, and knee-high black boots. When I looked at us in the mirror, I had to admit… we looked hot.
Once we met up with the guys outside the tent, their reactions said it all. Keith literally whistled. Callum didn’t even bother hiding the way his eyes trailed over me.
“You ready?” he asked, and before I could answer, he’d already grabbed my hand.
We started walking through the festival, exploring everything. Callum never let go of me—not even once. His hand stayed clasped around mine like it was natural, like we’d been doing this forever.
Honestly? It felt good.
Especially walking around with him and seeing people do double-takes like, wait… how did she pull him?
I mean, I’m not exactly invisible, but Callum? Callum’s out here looking like a hot Calvin Klein ad model.
It was just after three in the afternoon, so the vibe was still pretty chill. The main stage had people gathering around, waiting for the next performance.
We stopped when we saw Chappell Roan coming on stage, her signature glitter-drenched style catching the light.
Behind us, we could hear snippets of other sets: Bebe Rexha, Tate McRae, even a glimpse of Dominic Fike over at the smaller stage.
Amy handed her digital camera to Ian, who happily became our photographer for the moment.
He took pictures of all of us, switching to his phone at one point and snapping a few candid selfies while Amy and Keith made funny faces behind us.
Then Callum turned to Amy and said, “Get one of me and Kaia?”
He pulled me in close, his arm wrapping around my waist like it belonged there. I smiled at the camera just as he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to the side of my face. I felt the blush spread instantly.
Amy grinned behind the camera.
“Oh, that’s going on the photo dump.”
After that, we turned back to the stage as Chappell sang the chorus of her song. Callum moved behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist again, his chest against my back.
We swayed gently with the music, our bodies perfectly in sync with the beat and with each other. I didn’t say anything, didn’t even look back—I just let myself exist in that moment.
And for a second, I didn’t think about Adrien. Or about how confusing everything had been lately. I just thought about how warm Callum’s arms felt around me.
How right it all felt.
Maybe Coachella really would help me figure everything out. Maybe… it already had.
**OoO**
By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, the Coachella grounds transformed into a whole different world—lights flashing like stardust, music vibrating through the night air, and a warm breeze rolling through the desert.
We made our way back to our tent, laughing, exhausted, and a little buzzed off the energy of it all.
The guys had picked up a few drinks from the bar area on our way back—colorful cocktails in plastic cups that lit up from the base.
We settled into the lounge chairs just outside our tent, the glow of string lights making everything look almost magical. The drinks were sweet, cold, and dangerously easy to sip.
Somewhere between our second and third round, I found myself sitting sideways on Callum’s lap, my arm lazily slung around his shoulder while his hand rested on my thigh.
We were all laughing about something Ian said—probably about the guy in the pink furry boots who’d been voguing in the middle of the crowd like he owned the place.
Everything just felt light. Easy. Like maybe for once, things didn’t have to be complicated.
Amy was curled up next to Keith, sipping from her cup and snapping pictures of the sky above us, which was now a dark velvet canvas dusted with stars.
Ian was sprawled out on one of the beanbags, humming along to the muffled bass thudding in the distance.
Then we heard it.
“Amy?”
It cut through the laughter like a needle through fabric. We all turned at the same time, and standing just a few feet away from us was Nate—tall, tense, and flanked by a couple of guys and a girl in a glittery tube top who clung to his arm like she was auditioning to be his second skin.
Amy’s smile dropped in an instant. She slowly stood, brushing her hands over her skirt, her face tightening.
“Hey, Nate,” she said coolly.
Nate’s eyes flicked toward all of us—his gaze lingering just a second too long on Callum, Ian, and Keith.
“Didn’t expect to see you here,” he said, tone casual, but the way he stood screamed otherwise.
Amy shrugged.
“Our friends invited us. We just came to have some fun.”
Nate’s jaw twitched slightly.
“Does your brother know you’re here?”
Amy scoffed, tilting her head in disbelief.
“I don’t care what my brother knows.”
The words were sharp—cutting. Nate looked thrown off for a second, like he hadn’t expected her to bite back. Then Keith leaned forward, his voice dripping with attitude.
“Amy’s not exactly a baby. She doesn’t need to report everything to her brother.”
Nate’s head snapped toward Keith.
“You should shut the fuck up. No one invited you into this conversation.”
Keith shot up from his seat like a match to gasoline. Ian followed instantly, rising with that signature calm-before-the-storm look he always got.
Nate’s guys stepped in, squaring up beside him like they’d been waiting for a reason to throw hands.
And Callum—oh, he didn’t even hesitate. He shifted me gently off his lap and stood tall, eyes narrowed, fists already clenched.
I jumped to my feet, heart leaping into my throat.
“Guys—hey! Stop!” I shouted, trying to wedge myself between Callum and Nate’s crew.
But I was barely five-foot-five and definitely not built to break up a wall of testosterone-fueled six-foot-tall guys.
“Callum!” I grabbed his arm, tugging. “Stop, seriously—”
But everything was happening too fast. Voices clashed, shouting over each other, and before I knew it, Callum’s shoulder bumped into Nate, and that was all it took.
Chaos.
I was stuck between them, my head spinning from the drinks and the rising panic in my chest. I couldn’t breathe—too many bodies, too much heat, too much noise.
“Amy!” I yelled, twisting through the crowd, but I couldn’t see her anymore.
The glow from the string lights didn’t reach far, and the noise from nearby tents swallowed my voice.
I finally managed to slip out from the mess of guys, stumbling over a cooler as I ran, my boots digging into the dusty ground.
“Amy?!” I called again, circling one of the other tents, then another, heart hammering wildly.
My throat burned. My head felt heavy.
Then I collided with something solid. I let out a small yelp and staggered back, clutching my forehead.
Headlights from a parked golf cart nearby flicked on, and the beams washed over the face of the person I had just run into.
I froze.
My heart stopped.
Adrien.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”