Chapter 45 Chapter 45

Chapter 45 Chapter 45
Kaelani POV

When we get to Mitzy's, I move straight to the biggest booth they have. The last thing I want to think about is glowing hands, jealous exes, or boys who seem determined to complicate my life. Right now, a banana milkshake sounds like the best solution to all of my problems. Liam and Kaia slide in behind me just as Melissa spots us and smiles before walking over.
"Hey, girls. I see your group has expanded. Ready to order?" she asks.
"No, not yet. We're going to wait for the rest of our friends. I do need a banana milkshake please," I say.
"Make that two," Liam says.
I glance at him.
"I want to see what the hype is," he says, shrugging.
Kaia grins. "Smart choice. If you're going to come here, you might as well start with the best thing on the menu."
"I've been saying that all week," I say.
"You've also mentioned it at least five times," Kaia teases.
"I was making recommendations."
"You were obsessed."
I roll my eyes, making Liam chuckle.
For a few seconds, the conversation is easy. Nobody brings up school. Nobody mentions the obstacle course. It's exactly the distraction I didn't realize I needed.
About ten minutes later, Kieran and Zaire walk in.
Both of them immediately spot us and make their way over. I can tell by the way they look at me that they're trying to figure out whether I'm still upset. Good. They should be wondering.
Kieran slides in next to me.
Zaire takes the seat beside him.
Neither of them says anything right away, and the silence between us feels heavier than it should.
A few minutes later, Felix and his friends walk in and sit in the booth two tables down from us.
I notice him out of the corner of my eye, but this time he doesn't look over. He falls into conversation with his friends like nothing unusual happened this afternoon. Somehow, that only makes me more curious.
"So," Kaia says, looking between Kieran and Zaire. "Did you guys handle your problems for real this time?"
They both glare at her.
"I don't even know anymore," Kieran says.
He sounds exhausted instead of annoyed, and I almost feel bad for him. Almost.
I look at Zaire.
"When did you sleep with Stephanie?" I ask.
Every conversation at our table dies instantly. Even Liam, who had been reaching for a menu, slowly lowers it back onto the table.
Zaire visibly stills.
He clears his throat.
"Who told you that?" he asks, his voice tight.
"Answer the question."
"Kaelani..."
"No." I hold his gaze, refusing to let him dodge it. "Answer the question."
His jaw tightens, and I watch him hesitate. That's all the answer I need to know I'm not going to like whatever comes next.
"When?" I ask. "First day, second, the night you kissed me at the party?"
He doesn't answer me.
The silence stretches until it becomes suffocating. I can hear glasses clinking somewhere across the diner and laughter coming from another booth, but at our table nobody moves. Nobody even looks at each other. They're all waiting for him to answer.
"Zaire," I say quietly.
"Can we talk privately?" he asks.
My stomach twists. If the truth wasn't going to hurt, he wouldn't be trying so hard to avoid saying it in front of everyone.
"No. Answer the question," I say again.
"After the party on Friday," he says quietly.
Kaia gasps.
The sound barely registers over the ringing that suddenly fills my ears.
My heart shatters.
My breathing becomes shallow, and my hands begin to shake.
Every conversation we've had since that night flashes through my mind at once. The kiss. The flirting. The stolen glances. All of it crashes together until I can't tell which memories are real and which ones I imagined into meaning more than they actually did.
Before I know what's happening, the tables around us begin shaking, and everything on top of ours starts floating into the air.
Glasses rattle against the tabletop. Silverware lifts a few inches before spinning lazily through the air. My milkshake trembles so violently that it tips over, splattering across the table as people at nearby booths jump back in surprise.
People start screaming.
"Kaelani, you have to calm down," Zaire says.
I look at him, and his eyes go wide.
His expression changes so quickly that it makes my stomach sink even further. He's not looking at me anymore. He's looking at what's happening around me.
He taps Kieran's arm.
"You need to get up. NOW."
Kieran looks at me before his eyes go wide too.
Neither of them looks angry. They look scared.
"Am I just another girl to you?" I ask.
"No, Shorty, you’re not. I swear."
"Shut up!" I shout.
The words echo through the diner louder than I intended, making every head turn toward us.
He doesn't argue.
He just watches me with an expression I've never seen on his face before.
"You kissed me and then slept with someone that same night," I say more softly.
Saying the words out loud somehow hurts even more than hearing the answer.
"Breathe, Lani," Nyra says gently. "We need to calm down before we hurt someone."
I don't even realize my fists are clenched until my nails dig painfully into my palms.
I close my eyes and place both hands flat on the table.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Again.
I take multiple deep breaths until the air starts feeling less charged.
One by one, the floating glasses settle back onto the table. The silverware clatters against the wood, and the shaking beneath my hands slowly comes to a stop. The terrified whispers around us don't.
"I need to get out of here," I say.
Liam immediately steps closer, taking my hand.
His grip is steady, grounding me without trying to pull me anywhere before I'm ready.
"Come on, Mama. Let's go," he says gently.
I nod, unable to trust my voice. Right now, if I say anything else, I'm afraid I'll lose control all over again.
I move out of the booth, and Zaire starts toward me.
"No. I don't want to see you right now. For now, I need space. Real space, Zaire. I will work separately with Kieran, then you two can meet up to discuss. And in class just act like I'm not there," I say before looking at Kieran.
"I don't want to go to the tree today. I'm just going to go home. I hope you fixed your problem. I don't want to be mad at both of you."
Kieran opens his mouth like he wants to argue, but the words never come. He simply nods, and somehow that hurts almost as much as everything else. Neither of them tries to stop me this time.
I turn and walk toward the door.
Every pair of eyes in the diner seems to follow me. Some people are whispering. Others are pretending not to stare while holding their phones just low enough to make it obvious they recorded everything. My face burns with embarrassment. As if today couldn't get any worse, half the academy will probably see this before I even make it home.
People look at me as I pass, and Felix steps in front of me.
"Hey, you okay?" he asks.
His voice is quieter than everyone else's had been tonight. There's no curiosity in it. No gossip. Just a simple question.
I wince because I realize the entire diner witnessed my meltdown.
Some even got it on camera.
Just fucking great.
More attention.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Talk later?" I ask.
"Sure. Respond to my message?"
"Maybe."
I hear growls behind me.
I turn and glare at both of them.
"Shut the hell up. Both of you. Deal with your female drama before you growl at someone else," I snap.
Neither of them says a word. For once, they actually listen.
I turn back to Felix.
"I have to go."
He nods.
"See you around, Kaelani."
I give him the smallest nod before pushing through the front doors, desperate to put as much distance between myself and that diner as possible. The cool evening air hits my face immediately, but it does nothing to quiet the mess inside my head.
Liam stops in front of me.
"Trust me?" he asks.
His expression is calm, almost hopeful, like he's already come up with a plan and just needs me to say yes. Somehow, that simple question does more to steady me than anything anyone has said since we left the diner.
Kaia snorts next to us, and he raises a brow at her.
"I'm sorry, but you're winning right now, Mr. Grey," she says.
"This isn't a contest, Kaia," I say.
"No, but right now two out of three of your guys are on your shit list, and have been since Saturday," she says with a smile.
"They are not my guys."
She snorts again.
"Yeah, they are."
"In this moment, I honestly hate you."
She grins wider, completely unbothered by my glare, and Liam chuckles under his breath. I swear the two of them are enjoying this far more than they should.
I look back at Liam.
"Yes, I trust you."
I smile, and he grins wide.
"Okay, stay right here. Don't move," he says before running back into the diner.
I watch him disappear through the front doors, completely confused about what he's doing. Before I can even ask Kaia if she knows what's going on, he's already jogging back toward us with his hand stretched out.
"Give me your keys," he says.
I hold my bag close to my chest.
"The keys to my baby?" I ask, offended.
He sucks his teeth.
"Give me your keys, woman."
Kaia and I both laugh. The sound catches me off guard because it's the first genuine laugh I've managed since everything blew up inside. Even with my chest still aching, Liam somehow manages to pull one out of me.
He opens the passenger door for me as Kaia climbs into the back. I finally hand over my keys, still suspicious of whatever he has planned, before sliding into the passenger seat. He runs around to the driver's side, and once he's settled behind the wheel, I turn toward him.
"Where are we going?" I ask.
He grins.
"Somewhere to take your mind off your other two stupid guys," he says, winking at me.
"You three are not my guys," I say again.
"Okay, so then why are you mad that Zaire slept with Stephanie?" Kaia asks.
"Because he kissed me that same night," I say, looking back at her.
"Yeah, but he's a known player. We've all heard stories about him, so it shouldn't bother you unless you care."
The words hit harder than I expect. I start to argue, but nothing comes out because I don't actually have an answer for her.
I cross my arms and turn back in my seat.
"Shut up," I mutter.
Kaia doesn't press the issue. She simply leans back with the smallest, most annoying smile on her face because she already knows she's planted the thought in my head.
But she's right.
If I don't consider him "my guy," then why am I so bothered? I mean, he is single, and I never told him I didn't want him talking to other girls until the next night.
Logically, I know he didn't owe me anything that night.
But still he felt something already, that should mean something right? I know we weren't together and still technically aren't. I know I never asked him not to see anyone else until the next day. That doesn't change the image stuck in my head of him kissing me... then spending the rest of the night with someone else. Somehow, knowing the order of it all makes it hurt even worse.