Chapter 61

KAIA

The next morning, I sat in the back of the lecture hall, half-listening as my professor droned on about the upcoming exams. My pen moved on autopilot, scribbling notes I wasn’t sure I’d even remember later, but I was trying—I really was.

“…And the final will cover all chapters from Units Five through Ten,” he said just as the familiar campus siren blared, signaling the end of class.

Chairs scraped against the floor as everyone started packing up. I tossed my notebook into my bag, slung it over my shoulder, and made my way outside.

The moment I stepped out into the sunlight, I paused and tilted my head back, letting the warmth soak into my skin. The sky was bright, blue, and cloudless—like the universe was giving me a fresh start. I closed my eyes and let the light ground me.

For the first time in a while, I felt like maybe—just maybe—my life was starting to fall back into place.

I crossed the quad slowly, taking my time to enjoy the walk back to the dorm. When I finally pushed open the door to our suite, I found Amy sitting on the floor in the middle of what looked like a tornado made of paper.

She looked up and grinned. “Hey, you.”

“Hey,” I said, smiling as I closed the door behind me. “What’s all this?”

Amy glanced at the chaos surrounding her.

“Just prepping my portfolio for my class assignment. I’ve got a critique next week, so I need to make it perfect.”

I laughed softly and shook my head.

“Looks intense,” I said as I started toward my room.

But before I could reach the hallway, someone knocked on the door.

“I’ll get it,” I called to Amy as I turned around.

I opened the door—and blinked in surprise. Adrien stood on the other side, a little out of breath, holding something in his hand.

“Hi,” he said, his voice low, eyes flicking up to meet mine.

“Hey,” I echoed, feeling that awkward tension stretch between us like a wire pulled too tight. “What are you doing here?”

He held up my wallet.

“You left this at my place. Thought you might need it.”

My cheeks flushed as I reached out and took it.

“Oh—thanks. I didn’t even realize.”

“No problem,” he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Before the awkward silence could settle in too deep, Amy’s voice cut through the room.

“What place?”

We both froze. Slowly—like we were in some kind of slow-motion movie scene—we turned to face her.

Amy was still seated on the floor, a pencil in one hand and a confused look painted all over her face.

“You mean your condo?” she asked, her brows lifting just slightly.

Yup. There it was.

I knew that look. The one that said spill it, bitch. Amy was never going to let this go.

I sighed and turned to her.

“I can explain.”

Adrien stepped back and glanced at the time on his phone.

“I’m late for hockey practice,” he said quickly. “I’ll, uh… leave you guys to it.”

He gave me a small nod, then turned and disappeared down the hallway.

I closed the door behind him and turned to find Amy already staring at me with one eyebrow raised and her arms folded across her chest like the freaking FBI.

“Well?” she asked, voice laced with pure curiosity and a little too much excitement. “I’m waiting.”

She already knew. Or at least, she suspected. And now it was time to come clean.

Amy and I sat across from each other on the couch. Her arms were folded tightly, brows drawn together as she studied me like I was some kind of puzzle she couldn’t quite figure out.

The air between us felt dense—thick with unspoken questions and the weight of truths I hadn’t yet told her.

I took a deep breath.

“Okay… do you remember when I told you I was out of town last week visiting family?”

Amy raised an eyebrow, her expression wary.

“Yeah?”

I hesitated for a beat before forcing the words out.

“I wasn’t exactly out of town. I was… staying over at Adrien’s condo.”

Her face contorted with confusion and shock. Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. I could almost see her brain buffering.

“Wait—hold on.” She let out a short, disbelieving laugh. “Let me get this straight… You lied to me—your best friend—and you were spending time with my brother?”

I shifted uncomfortably, my fingers fumbling with the hem of my sweater.

“I wasn’t really spending time with Adrien like that… He was just helping me. Helping me get over what happened.”

Amy narrowed her eyes. “What happened?”

I exhaled deeply and stared at the floor for a moment, gathering the courage to say it aloud.

“At the party Callum took me to… something happened that night. Some guy named Tyler tried to force himself on me.”

Her eyes flew open wider, and she sat up straight, her whole body rigid.

“What?!”

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat.

“I managed to push him off and get away. I called Adrien. He came and picked me up, and… I didn’t want to come back here. I didn’t feel safe. He let me crash at his place for a few days.”

Amy stared at me in stunned silence, her expression softening instantly. Then she stood up and walked around the coffee table to sit beside me. Her hand rested gently on my back.

“Kaia… I’m so sorry that happened to you. Are you okay?”

I gave her a small, sad smile and nodded.

“Yeah. I’m okay now.”

Her hand stilled. Then her entire body tensed again, and suddenly I could feel the rage rolling off her in waves.

“That fucking scumbag Tyler,” she muttered. “I swear, if I ever meet the son of a bitch one day, I’m going to rip his balls off. And Callum? That coward can go to hell too for even bringing you there—”

I let out a half-laugh and placed a hand on hers.

“Amy. Breathe. Please. You’re getting carried away.”

She rolled her eyes but smiled at me, letting her anger cool.

“Sorry. But I’m still confused as hell right now.”

I nodded slowly.

“I know. I feel kinda bad that I didn’t come to you first.”

She tilted her head at me, her expression softening, but then she narrowed her eyes again.

“That being said… I do have one question, and I need you to answer honestly.”

My stomach flipped. “Okay…”

The tension was back again—heavier now. Amy stared at me, voice dead serious.

“Are you fucking Adrien?”

I blinked at her, completely thrown off.

“What?! No! Oh my God, no—” I started laughing awkwardly, shaking my head. “No! We’re just friends. Right now.”

Amy raised a brow, clearly not convinced.

“Are you sure?”

I gave her a long, exasperated stare before sighing again.

Her lips curled into a smirk.

“I knew something was going on between you two. And you know what? I’m not even mad about it.”

I blinked. “Wait, seriously?”

“Yeah,” she said with a shrug. “It all makes sense now. Especially after Adrien came over that day to talk about me and Nate. I asked him what the catch was and he told me…” She paused dramatically. “‘If he end up dating one of my friends, I need to stay out of it.’”

My jaw dropped. “He said that?”

Amy nodded proudly.

“I agreed to it too. And now I get it. My brother likes you. He actually likes you. Enough to break his own dumb ‘off-limits’ rule.”

I smiled, warmth blooming in my chest.

“We’re not even dating. It’s all just… complicated.”

Amy gave me a look. “Girl, how?”

I frowned, letting my head fall back against the couch.

“There’s Callum too…”

She scoffed.

“I thought you were just using Callum to piss Adrien off. You mean that was real?”

I didn’t respond. The silence said enough.

Amy gasped.

“You caught feelings for him, didn’t you?”

I closed my eyes and nodded slowly.

She groaned, then laughed.

“This is great. You’re officially stuck in a love triangle.”

I groaned and shoved her shoulder lightly.

“Don’t remind me.”

We sat there in silence, the kind that didn’t need to be filled, until Amy leaned against me, resting her head on my shoulder. I felt her exhale beside me.

“As your best friend, I just want you to be happy. You deserve someone who makes you laugh and smile like an idiot. I see that with Callum.”

I didn’t move.

“But as Adrien’s sister…” she added softly, “I also know that he could be that person too. Yeah, he’s a pain in the ass every once in a while. But he’s a good guy, Kaia. He’d be a good choice.”

I let her words sink in as I stared at the wall, picturing Adrien’s face—his smile, that look in his eyes when he looks at me, how much softer he’d become lately, especially when we were alone. He wasn’t the same cold arrogant guy I met all those months ago.

I smiled to myself, leaning my head gently on top of Amy’s.

“If I pick Adrien…” I whispered, “I won’t regret it.”

Because deep down, I already knew—

He was the one I wanted to pick anyway.