Chapter 47
•**KAIA**•
My brain couldn’t catch up with what my eyes were seeing.
Adrien.
Out of all people.
For a second, I honestly thought I was hallucinating—but no, he was right there, standing in front of me like some cruel twist of fate.
My heart thudded painfully against my ribs, and I stared at him, wide-eyed and stunned.
But then… it made sense. Nate was here. His friends were too. Of course Adrien would be here. Why wouldn’t he be?
His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked me over. Not just looked—stared. His gaze dropped to what I was wearing, and suddenly I felt hyper-aware of everything—the way my top clung to me, how short my shorts felt, how flushed and messy I probably looked from the drinks and the heat.
His jaw flexed. He didn’t say anything.
But then we both heard it—the loud clash of voices, yelling, something crashing in the distance back where the tents were. Adrien broke eye contact, head snapping in that direction.
“Stay here,” he said quickly. “Don’t move.”
And just like that, he was gone, disappearing into the chaos.
I blinked after him, but the world spun slightly. The music in the distance was thudding louder, my ears ringing, my head fuzzy from whatever fruity drink I'd overindulged in earlier.
I stumbled back and leaned against the side of a nearby RV, sliding down slowly until I was kneeling on the cool dirt.
I closed my eyes and pressed the heel of my hand to my temple, trying to breathe, trying to just think.
I didn’t even realize how much time had passed until I felt a hand wrap around my arm gently.
“Come on,” Adrien’s voice said, low and firm. “We gotta go.”
He pulled me up like I weighed nothing and wrapped his arm securely around my waist, steadying me as I wobbled slightly on my feet.
I leaned into him instinctively, caught between the haze and the way his body felt warm and solid against mine. He guided me away from the tents, weaving us through the edge of the crowd.
Some girl called out behind us, “Adrien!”
He didn’t even pause—just called over his shoulder, “Be right back!”
And suddenly we were out of the chaos and standing in the quiet, dimly lit parking lot.
He led me to the back of a sleek black Hilux, popped the tailgate down, and gently helped me sit on it.
He didn’t say a word as he went around, opened the backseat, and pulled out a soft-looking blanket.
He wrapped it around my shoulders like muscle memory, like he’d done it before. Then he handed me a water bottle.
I drank half of it in one go, my throat dry and scratchy. My breathing slowed, and I looked at him, still half-dazed.
He was watching me.
Hard.
I blinked.
“I didn’t know you were gonna be here.”
“Same,” he replied shortly.
There was a long pause. The kind that sat between us like an invisible weight.
Then he asked, “Did you come with Callum?”
I nodded slowly, brushing my hair behind my ear. His jaw ticked.
“And Amy?”
“She’s here too.”
He nodded once, like that answer meant more than he was letting on. Then his gaze flicked back to mine, softer this time.
“You feeling better?”
I gave him a tired smile.
“Yeah. A little bit.”
Another nod. His eyes didn’t leave mine.
“Who are you here with?” I asked after a second.
He hesitated.
“Nate… and some of the guys from the team. Evelyn tagged along too.”
Something about the way he said her name made my stomach twist. Evelyn.
Of course she did.
I remembered her—the same girl I’d caught calling him that day in the hallway. The same one he used to have a thing for. For a long time.
A sharp little spark of jealousy lit in my chest before I could stop it.
God. Get it together, Kaia.
I came here with Callum. I literally sat on his lap an hour ago like it was no big deal. Adrien and I—whatever this was—we hadn’t even defined it. We hadn’t said anything real.
Still… it burned.
He looked back at me.
“You having fun?”
I let out a small laugh. “Yeah. I guess.”
He tilted his head. “And Callum?”
I raised an eyebrow. “What about him?”
Adrien gave me a long stare.
“Did you have fun being here with him?”
There was something tight in his tone—something hard to ignore.
I blinked at him.
“Why do you wanna know?”
He shrugged, but there was no real casualness in it.
“Callum’s actually in there getting questioned by the cops for almost starting a fight. So… I can’t really imagine how fun that must’ve been for you.”
I scoffed, shaking my head.
“Well, I also can’t imagine it’s that fun for Evelyn either, considering you’re out here with me instead of enjoying Coachella with her. So I guess we’re both not having that much fun, huh?”
His jaw tightened. He didn’t reply right away.
He just looked at me.
Long and hard.
The air between us shifted—something tense, charged, and impossible to ignore.
Like maybe we were both asking the same questions neither of us wanted to answer.
Adrien let out a quiet scoff and glanced down at the ground, one hand flexing at his side.
“Well,” he muttered, voice low and edged with something sharp, “Evelyn’s not exactly my type of fun.”
That made me raise an eyebrow, a small smirk playing on my lips.
“Oh yeah? Then what is your type?”
He lifted his head slowly, and when our eyes met, everything around us stilled. His stare was nothing like before—there was no teasing, no pretense. Just heat. Intensity. Focus.
The way he was looking at me made my stomach flip and my skin buzz like I’d touched something electric.
My chest rose and fell with shallow breaths, and the moment stretched too long, too loud in my chest.
I looked away, panicked at how hot I suddenly felt.
“I should… I should go find Amy.”
I tried to slide off the tailgate, my hands gripping the edge—but Adrien moved before I could.
He stepped forward, standing right in front of my knees, blocking me from going anywhere. I froze, sucking in a sharp breath and slowly lifting my gaze to meet his.
The streetlamp overhead cast a glow across his face, outlining his strong jaw, the shadows beneath his cheekbones, the storm brewing in his dark eyes. I didn’t breathe.
Then his gaze dropped—to my lips.
“I could show you my type of fun,” he said quietly, “better than I can tell you.”