"I don't need to be in your heart-I'll live in your nightmares if I have to."
~Annie Flame~
CHAPTER THREE: The Spark That Starts the Fire
Waiting for Reen outside school had become Eidan's weird little ritual.
It wasn't a "gentlemanly thing" or some cute friendship moment.
It was his way of survival.
If he didn't see her before he went home, his brain would chew him alive.
That day, he stood near the school gate again.
Backpack hanging off one shoulder, hoodie pulled up even though it wasn't cold.
He looked like one of those main characters in indie films-the kind people described as "mysterious" but really they were just socially anxious.
He checked the time on his phone.
Then checked it again, even though it had only been 30 seconds.
"Where the hell is she?"
He chewed the inside of his cheek, a habit he hated but couldn't stop.
Maybe she was fighting someone again.
Maybe she got stuck arguing with a teacher.
Or maybe-
No. Don't think like that.
His brain went to the worst places too fast these days.
Fifteen minutes passed.
The sky looked like it was about to cry, grey and heavy.
The wind picked up, tugging at the ends of his hoodie.
His stomach twisted.
So he went looking for her.
The Scene That Changed Everything
The school halls were empty now.
Only the janitor's mop bucket echoed somewhere in the distance.
Eidan's footsteps sounded too loud.
He turned the corner near the back stairwell-
and his chest dropped straight to the floor.
There she was.
His face beamed with a smile.
Reen. But wait she wasn't alone. Someone was there with her.
Her back to him, one hand pinning a girl against the lockers.
Other hand gripping the girl's jaw, tilting it up.
And then-
the kiss.
It wasn't soft.
Neither it was cute.
It was the kind of kiss people wrote bad poetry about at 2AM.
It was just... Hungry. Messy. Real.
Eidan's heart did something weird in his chest.
Like it tripped over itself and landed face-first in traffic.
His brain short-circuited.
Wait-
Wait.
Was he supposed to leave?
Was he supposed to say something?
What the hell was the right reaction to watching the person you maybe-kinda-sorta loved making out with someone else?
But Reen never even showed a hint about her being a lesbian? Or was Eiden just daydreaming?
He didn't move.
He couldn't.
He just watched.
Her lips pressed harder.
Her hand stayed firm on the other girl's waist.
It wasn't jealousy that hit him first.
It was something worse.
He wanted to be that girl.
And then-immediately-he hated himself for it.
His stomach clenched.
His throat went dry.
His brain screamed "LOOK AWAY" but his body said "Nah, let's ruin your life right now."
Finally, his feet remembered how to work.
He turned and left, quiet as a ghost.
Or at least, he thought he was quiet.
What he didn't know?
Reen saw him.
Of course she did.
She'd wanted him to see.
A Dangerous Spiral
That night, Eidan lay in his bed staring at his ceiling like it held the secrets of the universe.
It didn't.
All it held were cobwebs.
His brain wouldn't shut up.
"Why did she do that?"
"Was it just for fun?"
"Does she even like me?"
And then the worst question:
"Am I even mad? Or do I just want her more now?"
The answer was yes.
To all of it.
He felt like he was losing his mind.
But at the same time?
It was kinda thrilling.
Like standing at the edge of a rooftop, knowing you shouldn't jump-but your feet itch anyway. He felt something common between him and Reen. So was it this feeling Teen felt when she found out I was once gay?
That night Eiden let his imagination run wild. But still he felt jealous of that girl.
The Weird Days After
For three days straight, Eidan couldn't look at Reen properly.
Every time she smiled at him, his brain played a whole IMAX theatre re-run of that kiss in the hallway.
Her lips.
Her smirk.
Her hand on that girl's waist. The saliva drooped from her mouth.
It drove him insane.
Sometimes he'd stare at her mouth too long, then pretend to fix his hoodie like he wasn't being weird.
Sometimes he'd get flustered and just...leave mid-conversation.
Like a glitching NPC.
Reen noticed, of course.
Because Reen noticed everything.
Reen's POV
She wasn't stupid.
She knew Eidan had seen her.
She'd done it on purpose.
Was it cruel?
Maybe.
Did she care?
Not really.
She liked testing people.
And Eidan?
Eidan was fascinating.
So soft.
So quiet.
So...breakable.
But beneath all that softness, she saw something dark in him.
Something obsessive.
She wanted to poke at it.
See if he'd snap.
Maybe it was mean.
But hey-life's boring when you play by the rules.
The Confrontation
By the fourth day of awkward tension, Reen had had enough.
She caught Eidan by the sleeve right after the last period.
He tried to escape like usual, but she was faster.
"Oh no, pretty boy," she whispered, yanking him into an empty classroom.
"We're not doing this weird avoiding thing today.
The door shut.
Soft click.
Eidan's heart hit DEFCON 1.
Before he could speak, she pinned him against the wall.
Hard.
His breath caught in his throat.
Her face was too close.
Her breath was warm against his jaw.
"Now tell me," she purred, eyes half-lidded, smirk playing on her lips.
"Why's my little Eidan acting weird around me?"
He tried to act cool.
Failed spectacularly.
"I'm not acting weird."
His voice cracked. He wanted to die.
Reen tilted her head, eyes narrowing in amusement.
"Liar."
Her fingers traced his arm, barely touching.
Goosebumps exploded across his skin.
"You saw me, didn't you?"
Her voice dropped lower. Dangerous now.
Eidan's throat locked up.
He wanted to lie.
Say no.
Say he didn't see a thing.
But his silence screamed the truth louder than words ever could.
Reen leaned in, lips brushing his ear.
"You liked it."
He squeezed his eyes shut.
She laughed softly, like it was the most fun she'd had all week.
"Poor baby," she whispered.
"Did I break your little heart?"
Her hand slid lower, tracing the edge of his wrist.
Right over the bruises he thought no one noticed.
Her touch was gentle.
But her power over him?
Cruel.
The Fallout
When she finally let him go, he didn't move for a solid minute.
His legs weren't working.
His heart was somewhere in his throat.
And his brain?
Completely fried.
As he walked home that night, one thought looped in his head:
"God, does she even know how hard I resisted? How hot was she looking?"
His eyes sparked with a twisted obsession.
"I'm hers now."
"Whatever this is-I'm in it too deep to leave."
And somewhere deep in his chest, the obsession grew louder.
He was even ready to be her pet. If it means gaining her.
Because love is mixed with fear?
With jealousy?
With trauma?
That's not love anymore.
Neither it was a simple crush. It was a disease. Which he let spread.
______________________________________
End of Chapter Three
To be continued....