Chapter 71

Chapter 71
KAIA

A new week rolled by, and I was finally feeling like myself again.

The bruises had faded. The swelling was gone. My jaw still ached slightly if I talked too much, but that was a small price to pay for finally being free of hospital gowns and antiseptic air.

Ever since they discharged me, Adrien had practically glued himself to my side like some overprotective bodyguard-slash-boyfriend. 

At first, I thought it would drive me crazy—how he always made sure I took my meds on time, how he kept asking if I was tired, cold, hungry, uncomfortable... like I was made of glass or something. 

But then I realized: this was his love language. Not words. Not over-the-top romantic gestures.

Acts of service.

So I stopped complaining and just let him do his thing. And somehow, it became our thing.

Between lazy lunch dates, spontaneous trips to the movies, and double dates with Nate and Amy that always ended with way too much dessert, everything between us felt easy. 

Good. 

Real. 

Like we were slowly falling into something solid—something that didn't need a label but felt exactly like home.

The elevator finally chimed, snapping me out of my thoughts.

Top floor.

The pool.

Adrien had texted me earlier, telling me to come to his condo—but specifically said go straight to the rooftop pool. I hadn't even known his building had a pool. But I wasn't about to say no to a late-night swim.

I stepped into the hallway and followed the small signs pointing to the pool access door. When I finally pushed it open, I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Oh my god," I whispered, stunned.

It was an open rooftop pool, the entire thing carved into the terrace like a hidden oasis. The glass walls wrapped around the ledge gave an unobstructed view of the glowing city skyline, lights glittering like a million stars. The sky was painted in deep blue and violet, the city buzzing softly below.

I smiled, stepping out farther—and that's when I saw him.

Adrien was sitting on the edge of the pool, shirtless in dark swim shorts, arms braced behind him. His hair was wet and pushed back, drops of water trailing down his chest and over the tattoo inked on his arm. 

His skin looked golden under the dim light, like he'd just stepped out of a magazine cover and hadn't even noticed.

"You're on time," he said, grinning lazily when he spotted me. "Didn't think you'd actually listen to me for once."

"Wow," I said, eyeing him with an exaggerated squint. "I show up and that's the welcome I get?"

He tilted his head. 

"You want a different kind of welcome?"

I raised a brow. 

"That depends. Does it involve you not being a smartass for five minutes?"

Adrien laughed, his smirk deepening. 

"Not likely."

I rolled my eyes and kicked off my flip-flops, walking closer to the poolside. He was still watching me as I slowly peeled off my oversized t-shirt, followed by my shorts, revealing the black bikini I had on underneath.

His gaze dipped and lingered—but not in a disrespectful way. Just... intense. Appreciative. Like he was committing every inch of me to memory.

"Damn," he muttered, still not moving from his spot. "That's not fair."

I cocked a hip. "What's not?"

"You looking like that and expecting me to behave."

I grinned and stepped into the water, wincing at the chill before it warmed around me. I swam slowly toward him, letting the cool pool water kiss my skin, keeping my eyes locked on his.

When I reached him, I rested my hands on his thighs and leaned up to kiss him. He met me halfway—slow, intentional, sweet. His lips moved over mine with that familiar rhythm, like he already knew every part of me.

I pulled back just a little and smiled.

He stared at me, his voice low. 

"Hi."

"Hi," I whispered, breathless.

I turned away, floating onto my back as the water cradled me. The skyline above looked even more beautiful from down here—like the stars had fallen and landed in the city itself.

I felt him watching me, and for once, I didn't mind the silence. It was peaceful. It was perfect.

Just us.

I felt the water shift before I saw him.

Adrien slipped into the pool with barely a sound, his body slicing clean through the surface. The city lights glittered behind him like they were trying to compete for attention—but they had no chance. 

Not when he was the one moving toward me, shoulders flexing with each smooth stroke until he stopped just in front of me.

"Enjoying the view?" he asked, that cocky smirk tugging at his lips.

I raised an eyebrow. "I was."

"Oh?" He swam in closer, slow and deliberate, his hands ghosting beneath the water. "You sound disappointed."

"I mean, the skyline was nice. Now all I see is you hogging the view."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

He reached for my waist under the water, pulling me gently toward him. I didn't fight it. My legs found their way around his hips, locking behind his back. 

His hands slid to my thighs, anchoring me in place. It was effortless, how we fit together. Like muscle memory.

"Still wish you were looking at the skyline?" he asked, voice low and husky near my ear.

I leaned in, brushing my lips against his jaw. 

"You're blocking the city, but the view's not bad."

He chuckled, one of those soft, throaty sounds that always made my stomach flip. 

"You're cute when you flirt."

"Who says I'm flirting?"

His fingers skimmed slowly up and down my sides underwater, teasing, tracing.

"Oh, you are. You're just subtle about it. Dangerous combo."

I tilted my head, brushing my lips against his again—so light it could've been mistaken for a breeze.

"Says the guy who showed up shirtless, wet, and smug."

"Smug?" His hand tightened slightly on my thigh. "I'm offended."

"Are you?"

"Deeply."

I laughed, but the sound got caught when his lips met mine—this time, fully.

The kiss was slow. Confident. A little wet from the pool, but that didn't matter. He kissed like he had time, like he was exploring me all over again, every angle, every sigh I gave him in return.

When we pulled apart, our foreheads rested against each other.

"I missed this," he murmured.

"You saw me five hours ago."

"I still missed you."

My heart thudded stupidly at that. I pressed a small kiss beneath his ear.

"You're getting soft on me," I whispered.

He smirked, fingers teasing the hem of my bikini bottoms under the water. 

"I can be a lot of things, Kaia. Soft isn't one of them."

I bit my lip, half shocked, half turned on. 

"That's a bold claim, Mr. Hockey Star."

"Want me to prove it?" His voice dipped into a growl, and I swear I felt it in places the water didn't even touch.

"Here? In a rooftop pool?"

"No one's up here."

I ran my fingers through the back of his wet hair, smiling. 

"You're terrible."

"You like it."

"Unfortunately, I do."

He kissed me again, and this one was hungrier. Less teasing, more need. His hands slid up my back, pressing me closer until there wasn't a drop of space between us.

And even in the heat of it all, the edge of his mouth still curled up like he couldn't believe I was really here.

Like I was the view that mattered most.

We floated like that—wrapped around each other, lost in the kiss, in the moment, in the way our bodies moved in sync with the water. The lights of the city sparkled around us, and the night felt endless.

If this was falling in love, I didn't want to hit the ground.