Then he leaned across the center console, and my breath caught as he cupped my face with one hand. His thumb brushed across my cheekbone, and despite everything despite the blackmail and the threats and the insanity of this entire situation my heart stuttered.
"Someone's watching from that window," he murmured, his eyes on mine. "Your aunt, I'm guessing. So we're going to give her a show."
"What"
He kissed me.
It wasn't like the temple kiss from earlier. This was real his lips against mine, soft and warm and completely unexpected. My brain short-circuited. My hands came up to his chest, and I couldn't tell if I was pushing him away or pulling him closer.
The kiss lasted maybe five seconds. Maybe an eternity.
When he pulled back, his eyes were dark and unreadable.
"See you tomorrow morning, girlfriend," he said. "Eight AM sharp. Don't be late."
Then he was out of the car, walking around to open my door like a gentleman. I stumbled out on shaky legs, and he caught my elbow to steady me.
"Breathe, Aria," he said quietly. "It was just a kiss."
Just a kiss.
He got back in his car and drove away, leaving me standing on the curb, my lips still tingling, my heart still racing.
The front door burst open, and my Aunt Maria rushed out, her face a mixture of shock and concern.
"Aria Elena Sullivan!" She grabbed my shoulders. "Who was that? And why was he kissing you? And why does he drive a car that costs more than our house?"
I looked at my aunt the woman who'd taken me in without hesitation, who'd worked herself to exhaustion to give me a chance at a better life, who deserved the truth.
"That's Kai," I said. "He's… my boyfriend."
The lie tasted bitter on my tongue.
But what choice did I have?
Aunt Maria's eyes went wide. "Your boyfriend? Since when do you have a boyfriend? And why is he Aria, that boy looks dangerous."
"He's not," I lied. "He's just… misunderstood."
Even as I said it, I remembered the cold calculation in Kai's eyes. The threats. The way he'd researched every detail of my life.
Aunt Maria didn't look convinced. "I want to meet him properly. Invite him for dinner this weekend."
"I don't think"
"This weekend," she repeated firmly. "If you're dating someone, I want to know who he is. Especially if he's driving you around in cars like that."
I nodded weakly. "Okay. I'll ask him."
Great. Just great.
As if this fake relationship wasn't complicated enough, now I had to convince my aunt that Kai Thornton was boyfriend material.
I walked into the house, my phone already buzzing with notifications. Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat all lighting up with tags and comments about me and Kai.
One comment caught my eye: "She doesn't even look happy. He's definitely using her for something."
I stared at those words, and a chill ran down my spine.
Because whoever wrote that comment?
They weren't wrong.
That night, I couldn't sleep.
I kept replaying the day over and over. The parking lot. The cafeteria. The car ride. The kiss.
Especially the kiss.
My phone lit up on my nightstand. 2:47 AM.
A text from K: "Stop overthinking. Get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be worse."
I stared at the message. How did he know I was awake?
Me: "How is tomorrow going to be worse?"
K: "Because by tomorrow, everyone will have picked a side. Team Kai or Team Marcus. And the people on Marcus's side are going to make your life hell."
Me: "Great. Something to look forward to."
K: "I warned you. This was your worst mistake."
Me: "You're the one who blackmailed me into this!"
K: "And you're the one who agreed. Now go to sleep, Aria. You'll need your energy."
I wanted to throw my phone across the room. Instead, I typed: "I hate you."
Three dots appeared, then disappeared. Then appeared again.
K: "Good. Keep it that way. It'll be easier when this is over."
The conversation ended there.
I pulled my blanket up to my chin, staring at the ceiling, and wondered what I'd gotten myself into.
Somewhere across town, Kai Thornton was probably sleeping soundly, completely unbothered by the chaos he'd created in my life.
But I was wrong about that.
Because Kai wasn't sleeping either.
He was sitting in his car outside my house, making sure nobody suspicious came near.
Making sure I was safe.
Even if I never knew it.
Tuesday morning arrived too quickly.
I was standing outside my house at 7:55 AM, clutching my backpack and trying not to look as anxious as I felt. Aunt Maria had already left for her morning shift at the hospital, but not before giving me a thirty-minute lecture about boys with expensive cars and "intentions."
If only she knew the truth.
At exactly 8:00 AM, Kai's black Audi pulled up to the curb. He didn't honk or text. Just sat there, engine idling, waiting.
I took a deep breath and walked to the car.
This time, I opened my own door and slid into the passenger seat. The interior smelled like coffee and that expensive cologne that was starting to become familiar.
"Morning," Kai said, handing me a to-go cup from the cupholder. "Black coffee, two sugars. That's how you take it, right?"
I stared at the cup, then at him. "How did you"
"I pay attention." He pulled away from the curb smoothly. "You're going to keep asking me that, aren't you?"
"Maybe if you stopped being creepy about knowing everything, I'd stop asking."
The corner of his mouth twitched. Almost a smile. "Fair enough."
I took a sip of the coffee. It was perfect. Exactly how I liked it. Which somehow made everything worse, because it was one more reminder that Kai Thornton had studied me like I was a test he needed to ace.
"My aunt wants to meet you," I said, deciding to rip off the band-aid. "Dinner. This weekend."
Kai's hands tightened on the steering wheel for just a second. "No."
"No?"
"I don't do family dinners."
"Well, you're going to have to make an exception," I said firmly. "Because my aunt saw you kiss me yesterday, and now she thinks you're my actual boyfriend. If you don't show up, she'll know something's wrong."