Chapter 64

KAIA

I woke up with sunlight in my face and a dry mouth.

Blinking against the light, I sat up and looked around the room, heart pounding for a second before it all clicked into place. Sleek walls, that giant TV, the faint smell of coffee drifting through the air—Adrien's condo.

Right. I crashed here last night after we left the bar.

It was quiet, the kind of quiet that made me feel like I'd slept through half the day. I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and winced at the time—11:42 AM.

Thank God it was the weekend. If I had class right now, I'd be panicking.

I climbed out of bed, my hair a mess, mascara probably halfway down my face, and padded barefoot toward the kitchen. That's where I found him.

Adrien stood by the counter, shirtless in nothing but gray sweatpants, phone pressed to his ear, speaking low and smooth in a voice that made me pause in my tracks. The view wasn't bad either. His back muscles flexed slightly as he moved, and I couldn't help but smile, quietly taking a seat on one of the barstools.

He turned around just then, as if sensing me, and passed me a mug of coffee. Without missing a beat, he leaned in and placed a soft kiss on my forehead before turning back to his phone conversation.

I barely had time to say thanks when the words coming out of his mouth hit me like a splash of cold water.

He was speaking French. Fluent, confident, natural.

I choked on my coffee.

Adrien smirked at my reaction, still mid-conversation, casually walking around the kitchen like it was nothing. Meanwhile, I was frozen in place, watching him like I was seeing him for the first time. Finally, he ended the call and looked over at me with raised brows.

"What?" he asked.

I blinked at him. "You didn't tell me you could speak French."

He sipped from his own mug and leaned casually on the island.

"I'm French," he said with a shrug. "Of course, I speak my mother tongue."

Then he tilted his head and gave me that smug little look.

"Do you?"

I narrowed my eyes. "I do."

He arched a brow.

"Maybe just a bit," I mumbled, then took another sip of coffee.

Adrien laughed under his breath.

"Yeah, I totally believe you."

He leaned forward, resting his arms on the counter between us.

"By the way, I went out earlier and grabbed us breakfast."

My eyes lit up. "Thank God. I'm starving."

He reached into a paper bag and pulled out two Starbucks Bacon Gouda sandwiches and a couple of cake pops. I clapped my hands excitedly like a little kid, making him grin.

"I love that you smile over the smallest things," he said, watching me closely.

I rolled my eyes, biting into my sandwich.

"Don't get used to it."

Adrien just leaned in, eyes soft, watching me eat like I was the best part of his morning. I broke off little bites and fed them to him in between sips of coffee, the easy silence between us warm and comfortable.

Everything felt... nice. Simple.

Until my phone buzzed.

We both looked at the screen at the same time.

Callum.

And just like that, the air shifted.

I silenced it quickly and flipped the phone face down on the counter. Sighed. Didn't say anything.

Adrien pulled back, moving to lean against the sink, sipping his coffee. He didn't say anything at first, but I could feel the tension building.

Then finally—"Why's Callum still calling you?"

I exhaled, resting my elbow on the counter.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" His voice sharpened.

I looked up at him. "Maybe he wants to talk."

"Talk about what?" Adrien asked, eyes narrowing. "I thought you were done with him."

"I haven't gotten the chance to talk to him properly yet. To clear things up."

Adrien scoffed, setting his mug down with a bit too much force.

"So what, you're keeping your options open?"

My jaw clenched. "No. That's not what I'm doing."

"Then maybe let him know that," he snapped. "Because from the way he keeps blowing up your phone, he still thinks he's got a shot."

That hit a nerve.

I stood up a little straighter.

"You don't get to be mad about this."

He blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You haven't exactly made it clear that we're exclusive either," I said, my chest rising and falling. "So don't act like you've staked a claim on me."

There was a flicker of surprise in his eyes. Hurt, maybe. He opened his mouth, closed it, then ran a hand through his hair.

"Then maybe you need to make up your mind," he said quietly. "Do you want to end up with Callum or be here with me? Because right now, I don't know where the hell you stand."

I stared at him for a long moment, jaw tight.

"Isn't it obvious?"

Adrien just shrugged, tone clipped.

"If you're gonna end things with him, don't do it on my account. Do it because you want to. Otherwise, what's the point?"

It stung more than I expected.

I stared at him, words forming at the back of my throat—but I didn't say them. Instead, I grabbed my phone, shoved it in my bag, and slipped off the stool.

"Wow," I muttered under my breath as I walked past him.

He didn't stop me. Just stayed leaning on the counter like this conversation hadn't just gutted something between us.

I let myself out of his condo without looking back, the anger simmering in my chest. I hadn't expected his words to cut that deep. And I definitely didn't expect me to be the one walking away first.