Ciro P.O.V
The charity event was loud in that way where laughter and clinking glasses blurred together into a constant hum. Golden light spilled across polished floors, catching on the shimmer of gowns and the sharp lines of tailored suits.
As soon as we walked in, servers approached with practiced smiles, directing us to our table.
My sisters had long excused themselves and departed claiming they had to go to the "washroom".
We were stopped mid-way by one of father's corporate friends.
"Oh, your son has gotten big, Michael."
I looked up from staring at the ground too many times. The man's pheromone hit like a wall too sharp, too eager and I forced my expression into something passable.
I gave a small smile.
"He's in his last year of college." my father added.
"So he's getting married right after?"
Before I could truly react, that scent invaded my nose. It was different warm, familiar, with the faintest edge of cedarwood that had burned itself into my memory whether I liked it or not. I looked to see where it was coming from. To my surprise, Kenan was walking in with his family.
He wore a sharp navy blazer that hugged his broad shoulders just right, paired with crisp white shirt sleeves that peeked out from under the jacket's cuffs. His tie was loosened slightly effortless but still polished. The subtle confidence in his stance made me shift uncomfortably.
Our eyes met for a few seconds long enough to feel the pull, that weird mix of irritation and something else I couldn't quite name.
He smiled, and I quickly looked away, rolling my eyes like it was nothing.
Of course he would be here.
Why wouldn't he be?
I glanced at my father for permission to excuse myself, then made my way to our assigned table.
It was empty, meaning my sisters had not returned back yet. I was right they use that as an excuse to dismiss themselves. The chairs perfectly tucked, the linen uncreased, like it was waiting for the first drop of conversation to stain it.
I was about to pull out my phone when someone familiar slid into a seat across from me.
"Ciro, I haven't seen you in so long."
I looked up at the familiar voice. It was Steven, someone I had known since childhood.
And just like that, everyone I had known since I was young filled the table, only leaving one chair available. That triggered a line of conversations.
"So you're interning?" I asked Lola.
She nodded.
"I'm interning at Steven's father's company."
"Are you getting paid?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"No, I'm doing it for the experience."
I nodded, drifting off in thought.
"So, Ciro, I heard you're in your last year?" Amber asked from across the table.
"A few more months and I'm graduating," I replied.
"So you're going to be interning soon then?" Lola added.
"Yeah, I plan to do it for semester two, maybe?"
Amber tilted her head.
"Oh, so what about Kenan? I know both of you go to the same university."
"Oh yeah. He's annoying as ever." I said flatly.
"Amber, are you trying to disrupt the peace?" Steven joked.
Amber just shrugged. Lola laughed, glancing ahead.
"Speaking of the devil, here he comes." Lola jokingly said as she pointed ahead.
I knew I couldn't avoid him for long, not when we were in the same room, breathing the same air.
His ever-so-lovely pheromones reached me before he did.
"I didn't know there was a reunion." Kenan said sarcastically, sliding into the empty seat next to me.
As he settled beside me, the faint but unmistakable scent of pine and musk drifted across my skin.
I lost interest almost immediately, pulling out my phone to message Jacob. Because if I was stuck here, why wouldn't he be?
I tried scrolling through my messages, but his scent lingered like a whisper in the back of my mind, impossible to ignore.
I sighed at his response and set my phone down, forcing myself to pay attention to the conversation again.
"Isn't that right, Ciro?" Kenan leaned closer, forcing me to shift right.
Confused, I just nodded.
I looked at Lola.
"Hey, you want to switch?" I asked, eyes pleading.
She shook her head without hesitation.
"Why would I sit between you two?"
Under the table, a hand slid into mine. My glare shot straight at the culprit. I tried to pull away, but he held on tight.
"Why are you running away so quickly?" he whispered.
Who said I was running away? Irritation flared across my face as I opened my mouth to respond but the words caught in my throat before they came out.
"You okay, Ciro?" Steven asked.
"Of course I am," I replied quickly.
"This is just like old times, only Jacob's missing," Lola said.
"Right, where is he?" Amber asked.
Everyone stared at me. Everyone except Kenan.
"He's running a bit late, but he's coming," I answered.
A few minutes later, the once-full table emptied until only Kenan and I remained, the last conversation being a promise to meet up again sometime.
"You can let go of my hand now."
I stared straight ahead, sulking.
"Why do you look so weak?"
I glanced at him.
"Probably because I don't have an appetite."
I wasn't sure why I told him the truth, but I did.
He nodded, muttering the same about himself.
I found myself staring longer than I should. He looked the same as always or maybe different. I couldn't decide.
I sighed. I didn't want to think about it.
"Glad to know you're suffering alongside me."
"Have you always had green eyes?" Kenan asked, genuinely.
I laughed.
"No, it's contacts," I said sarcastically.
He leaned closer, scanning me too close for comfort. I pushed at his shoulder with my free hand, but he didn't budge.
"Looks real to me."
Because it is.
I didn't bother replying.
"You know this could have been avoided." Kenan said, his tone softer.
"What could?"
"If we just communicated." he said softly, like that simple truth could fix years of silence between us.
Do I really look that bad?
"Who said I wasn't communicating?"
"You left me on deliver for three days." he shot back.
You even counted.
"My phone was having problems."
Or maybe I was.
"I called your sister. She said you were going through self-denial."
What?
I looked at him in disbelief or shock.
"How do you have her number?" I inquired.
"I've always had it."
"I'm not going through self-denial, okay?" I said, though the tightness in my throat told a different story. Denial felt easier than admitting.
"Then what were you going through?"
"Since when were you my therapist?"
"Because Ciro can never communicate."
The thin thread in my head snapped.
"Why did it have to be you?" I muttered, eyes darting away. The frustration wasn't just at him.it was at how much It still bothered, even when I wished I didn't.
Kenan looked a bit taken back but concealed it rather quickly. He went silent for a while not saying nothing but his gaze never left me.
Almost my whole life, we'd gone tick for tack and now I couldn't spend a few days without him.
I rested my head on the table.
The hand still in mine squeezed my hand tightly. Causing me to voice out in pain that sounded muffled.
"That hurt, Kenan!" I said but my voice fallen on deaf ears.
"Would you rather it be a stranger then?"
His presence wrapped around me like a chill, the sharp hint of his pheromones and something darker threading through the air, tightening my chest without mercy.
I paused.
Maybe.
But then… would I be feeling the same way, or worse?
"You're mute now, Ciro?" He nudged my shoulder.
I shrugged him off.
"No, I'm not. Aren't we meeting tomorrow?"
"Oh, right."
He went quiet.
Finding it odd I shifted my head on the table with my family coming in view.
"Well, am I witnessing a couple fight?" my sister, Cora, said as she pulled out a chair. I glared at her.
I lifted my head and stubbornly try to shook off Kenan's hand.
"Mr. Asel." Kenan said greeting warmly, standing to greet my father.
The warmth slipped away like a fading ember, leaving a cold ache that spread through my skin the moment he pulled away.
"Did we disrupt you guys?" my dad asked as he sat down.
Probably saved someone from being murdered.
"No, not at all. I was just leaving. My father had called for me." Kenan replied.
Oh, he did?
My father nodded, and Kenan stood, leaving the table. I watched his figure disappear into the crowd.
Even after he disappeared. The ghost of his scent seemed to hover, a bittersweet reminder.
When I finally came out of my trance, my sisters was laughing at me.
I could already think of their reasons.
I rolled my eyes instinctively.