Chapter 30: Chapter thirty

POV: Vivian

"Careful there Princess. You don't want to trip and hit your pretty head now do we?"

Kade said as he helped me up.

I just mumbled a thanks and walked away. My thoughts for him seemed to have doubled.

"Hey V, wait up." A voice sounded.

Huh?

Oh. It was Scott.

"Hey. What's up?" I asked, wanting to get this, whatever this was, over with.

"I was just wondering if you're still free tonight?"

I blinked, caught off guard.

I opened my mouth to say no. To tell Scott that tonight wasn’t a good time. That I wasn’t in the mood and I didn't really feel like dressing up and sitting in some uncomfortable diner and making a conversation.

But instead, I heard myself say, “Yeah. I’m free.”

His eyes lit up, just a flicker, and he gave me that easy, hopeful smile of his. “Cool. Thought maybe we could catch that new movie at Eden Square? Grab something after?”

I nodded, maybe a little too quickly. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

Because honestly, anything sounded good right now if it meant not thinking about Kade. Not thinking about the way he looked at me just before walking away. Possessively. A shiver ran through me.

Scott ran a hand through his hair, looking both relieved and slightly nervous. “Awesome. I’ll pick you up at seven?”

“Seven’s fine.”

And just like that, it was a date. Not the one I’d imagined, not the one I wanted, but maybe the one I needed.

At least for tonight.

★

I picked out a short blue summer dress.

It was lightweight cotton that hugged my waist and flowed just above my knees. The color reminded me of clear skies, and the delicate straps gave it an effortless kind of elegance. Simple, but just enough.

Scott picked me up right on time and drove us to a fancy restaurant downtown.

The kind of place with dim lighting, white tablecloths, and a wine list thicker than their menu. The air smelled like roasted garlic and aged wine, and soft jazz played somewhere in the background.

He pulled out my chair as I sat and we ordered wine.

Well he did. I wasn't sure I could even afford the salad.

Everything looked perfect.

“You’re still doing art, right?” he asked, scanning the menu.

“Yeah,” I said. “Sketches, mostly. They're a few paintings too but..... Yeah. Sketches."

“That’s cool. So, like, what kind of stuff do you paint?”

I paused. “It depends. People. Moments. Whatever gets stuck in my head."

He nodded like he got it. I don’t think he did.

I stirred the ice in my water and thought about Kade’s hand on my back last week, the way he traced that same spot under my shoulder blade like he was memorizing it.

Scott smiled at me. “Ever sold any of your stuff?”

“A few pieces.”

“That’s awesome. I’ve always wondered, can you actually make money from art?”

I forced a laugh. “Sometimes.”

He meant well. I knew that. He was nice, polite, sharp. He looked good in a blazer and said things like “sommeliers” and “profit margin” like he actually understood them.

But all I could think about was how Kade wore threadbare shirts while he worked out at the gym at home.

Scott kept talking. Something about internships. I nodded when it felt right, but my mind was already somewhere else.

Scott reached for the bread basket and smiled. “You okay?”

I blinked. “Yeah. Just thinking. But please do go on." I said forcing a smile.

Scott was still talking about his summer internship, something about branding and quarterly growth, but honesty, my mind was barely holding on.

I nodded, made the occasional “mm” sound, but the truth was........ My mind had gone back to that night with Kade.

The alley.

His fingers.

My breath catching in my throat as he pressed me up against the brick wall, his mouth at my ear, saying things I shouldn’t have liked but did.

My thighs shifted instinctively beneath the table.

I felt a warm flutter deep in my stomach, low and pulsing. The memory clung to my skin like heat.

God. Not now. Please not now.

I took a sip of water, cold and fast, trying to anchor myself.

“Are you feeling hot?” Scott asked, frowning slightly. “You look a little flushed.”

Shit. I was hoping he would just keep talking.

I forced a smile. “Yeah, maybe a little. I think I just need to use the bathroom.”

He stood halfway as I pushed back my chair. Always polite.

The hallway to the restrooms was dim and quiet. As soon as I closed the door behind me, I leaned against the sink, staring at my reflection.

My cheeks were pink. My pupils a little too wide.

I exhaled slowly, gripping the edge of the counter.

I could still feel him.

The way his fingers moved like he knew exactly what I needed, like he owned that part of me before I even gave it to him.

My legs pressed together on instinct, and I swallowed hard.

“This is insane,” I whispered to myself. “Get it together.”

Outside, Scott was probably scrolling through his phone, waiting, still thinking this was a normal date.

And here I was—panting over someone else’s hands.

I turned on the tap, splashed cool water on my wrists, and forced myself to breathe.

Just five more minutes. Then I could make an excuse, leave early. Or maybe go somewhere quiet and call the one person I shouldn’t.

My phone let out a ping from my purse, and I instinctively reached for it, my heart racing as I pulled it out. But when I saw the message on the screen, I suddenly felt frozen in place, as if a cold breeze had blown through me.

It was from Kade: “Waiting patiently. Don’t take too long, Princess.”

A chill danced down my spine, cutting through the cozy warmth that still lingered from the alleyway encounter we’d just had.

His words were like butter, smooth and inviting on the surface, but there was a sharpness beneath, almost dangerously precise. It felt like a silk glove hiding iron fingers, and that notion made my pulse race even faster.

I wiped my clammy, sweaty hands on a nearby paper towel, feeling the tension coiling inside me. My eyes darted back to his message.

“Waiting patiently?” I thought to myself, a knot tightening in my stomach. Was he out there somewhere, watching me? Or was he simply reminding me that he was always close by, mentally staking his claim? The thought sent a thousand little tremors through me.

Trying to compose myself, I hastily shoved my phone back into my purse, like I was trying to hide the evidence of a crime. I took a deep breath, reminding myself that I couldn’t stay in this moment of anxiety for too long. I needed to get away, to escape the weight of those words.

As I stepped back into the restaurant, Scott's cheerful smile immediately caught my eye, but it faltered a bit when he noticed my tense expression. “Everything okay?” he asked, his tone gentle and concerned.

I forced a calm smile, even though I felt more like running. “Yeah, just something urgent popped up. I… I really need to head out.”

His face turned serious, and he stood up quickly, a protective glint in his eye. “Do you want me to drive you? I can—”

“No, really, it’s fine. I’ll just grab a cab,” I replied, brushing past him before he could press the issue. I could feel him watching me closely, his brow furrowed in sincere concern, but I had to get out of there.

“If you change your mind, just call me, alright?” he said, and I could hear the worry laced in his voice.

“Thanks, Scott. I appreciate it,” I said, already reaching for the door, ready to slip out into the night and away from the tension building inside me.

Once outside, the night air greeted me with a refreshing coolness, but still, the warmth from Kade's text seemed to cling to my skin.

I shook my head, desperate to get out of this place.

I ordered a cab and in five minutes, it had arrived.

"Where are you headed?" He asked me and I gave him the address.