Episode15
1601 Words
My eyes sweep across the crowded club, heart suddenly hammering against my ribs.
The music blur, the lights smeared together in streaks of colour. People moved like shadows in my vision, but none of them has the face I had just seen moments ago.
“No…” I whisper under my breath.
Brad notice immediately.
“Rue?” he lean closer, concern sharpening his voice. “What is it? What happened?”
I swallow hard, still scanning the crowd like I can force reality to correct itself.
“I—” my breath hitching. “I think I saw him.”
Brad frowned slightly. “Saw who?”
My hands clenched at my sides.
“I… I saw Nick, the boy I killed.”
The name land between us like something heavy.
Brad’s expression changes instantly. Something crosses his face, something I can't read, something that looks suspiciously like fear but not entirely. His jaw tightening, eyes scanning the club once more, sharper now, alert.
“Are you sure?” he asked, voice lower.
The question finally brings me back to reality, Nick is dead. I saw him not breathing on the floor, I went to jail for his death. There's no way I saw him here, it must be the drinks or just a look alike.
I shake my head quickly, almost panicked. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m wrong. It looked like him but—he’s supposed to be—”
“Hey.” Brad steps closer, grounding me with his presence. “Look at me.”
I did, reluctantly.
“Breathe,” he said calmly. “We’re leaving.”
“I’m fine—”
“You’re not,” he interrupts gently but firmly. Then, softer, “Come with me.”
I hesitate for a moment longer, then nod.
Brad takes my hand and guide me through the crowd, steady and unhurried, as if shielding me from everything around us. The noise of the club fade behind us with every step.
Outside, the air was cooler, quieter.
But my breathing was still uneven, Brad leads me straight to his car and opens the passenger door. “Get in.”
I obey without argument, the drive is silent.
I stare out the window, my reflection faint in the glass, eyes unfocused. Brad glanced at me more than once, but didn’t push me to speak.
He just drives.
When we arrive, I look up at the building and freeze slightly.
“This is… yours?” I asked quietly.
Brad nods. “Yeah.”
The penthouse was high above the city, glass walls stretching across the living space, lights of the skyline glowing like scattered stars.
I steps inside hesitantly.
It is warm, quiet, nothing like the world I have just escaped from.
Brad closed the door behind us and immediately led me to the couch.
“Sit,” he said gently.
I did.
He disappears into the kitchen and returns a few minutes later with two cups of tea. He hands one to me and sit beside me, close but not overwhelming.
I wrap my hands around the cup, letting the warmth seep into my fingers. I take a slow sip.
Drop the cup on the middle table, the silence stretch.
Then I speak.
“Why are you so nice to me?”
Brad pause.
Not because he didn’t know the answer, he seems to be choosing his words carefully.
He set his cup down and turns toward me fully.
Then he takes my both hands into his.
“Because I’ve fallen for you,” he said simply.
My breath caught, my fingers tighten slightly in his.
We have been circling this space for weeks now—kisses that lingered longer than necessary, phone calls that stretched late into the night, dates that felt more like discovering pieces of each other than formal outings.
But neither of us has said it, not clearly, not like this.
I look at him, eyes glistening, like something inside me was finally giving in after holding itself together for too long.
Without thinking further, I move. I kiss him.
It is gentle at first, it isn't hesitant.
It is everything I haven’t said, everything I have been swallowing, everything I have been afraid to feel.
Brad freeze for half a second, then respond, pulling me closer, deepening the kiss as if he has been waiting for me to do exactly this.
When we finally pull apart, both of us were breathing unevenly.
I rest my forehead against his chest, grounding myself there.
Brad doesn't speak, he just holds me.
After a moment, he stands carefully, lifting me into his arms without warning.
“Brad—” I started softly.
“Sleep,” he said simply.
He carries me into the bedroom and place me gently on the bed. The sheets are soft, the room dimly lit by city glow.
He pulls the blanket over me and leans down, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead.
“I’ll be right outside if you need anything,” he murmurs.
I nod faintly, already sinking into exhaustion I hadn’t realise I was carrying.
That night, I sleep deeply.
And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t wake up anxious.
Brad was still there in the morning, when I wake up, I blink slowly at the unfamiliar ceiling before turning my head.
Brad was beside me, asleep.
Peaceful.
My heart still for a moment—not in fear, but in something quieter. Something unfamiliar.
I don't move, I just watch him.
After a while, he stirs and open his eyes.
Morning light soften everything.
“Morning,” he said quietly.
I clear my throat. “Morning.”
Neither of us made it awkward, neither of us rush to define what last night meant.
We just exist in it.
Over breakfast, Brad cooks while I sit on the kitchen counter watching him.
Eggs, toast, coffee—simple but intentional.
We talk about my plans to take the SATs, his work, a huge business deal that'll expand his company to international levels.
“I think I must’ve seen someone else last night.”
Brad glance at me, there's this feeling of guilt in his eyes but I can't really wrap my head around it. “You’re sure?”
I nod slowly. “Yeah. I think I just… panicked.”
He didn’t argue, just accepted it.
“Okay,” he said gently.
And that was it.
No pressure, no interrogation.
Just understanding.
A month passed.
Life began to settle into something softer.
I enrolled in an online class, focusing on SAT preparation and shifting my interest towards arts and literature. Zia and Jason are overjoyed, treating it like a new beginning they have all been waiting for.
Brad and I are officially together now.
Not loudly, not rushed, but real.
He supports me constantly. Checking in on me during breaks, listening and giving advice when I stress about a particular topic I can't wrap my head around. There was this time we literally studied the entire thing together and he was a great study partner too. I start smiling more often without realising it.
It's not perfect, but it's the closest I've gotten.
And close is everything for me.
My SAT results came back, better than I expected. I sit in silence for a full minute after reading the college email, hand over my mouth.
Then I video call Zia, screaming follows immediately. trust Zia to be dramatic.
Jason joins in shortly after.
Even Brad sounds unusually excited when I tell him.
“You got in,” he says when I show him the acceptance email to Rockshire University.
I nod, still slightly stunned. “Yeah.”
He smiles at me like I have just done something far bigger than passing an exam and getting accepted into college.
“I’m proud of you,” he says with so much sincerity my eyes water.
At night, he takes me out even though I emphasize repeatedly about not wanting to make it a big deal.
A romantic dinner, soft lighting, quiet music, no interruptions.
I laugh more than I have in a long time, Brad has the funniest experiences.
The conversation stirs to my life in pri Brad watch me like I'm something he never wants to stop learning. I change the topic after a while, not wanting the mood to become gloomy.
We go back to my apartment, we were still giggling softly, shoulders brushing, energy light and warm.
Brad closes the door behind us and turn to me. There is a pause, I already know what's coming next, the tension has been lingering between us all night.
He steps closer. I don't move away. we're both staring deep into each others eyes.
Then he kiss me, slow at first.
Gentle.
But it deepens quickly, like we have finally crossed a line neither of us want to step back from.
When we brake apart, both of us slightly breathless, Brad rest his forehead against mine.
“Rue,” he said softly, voice lower now. “I want you.”
My fingers curl slightly against his shirt, grounding myself while I take deep breaths to steady my nerves.
“I want you too,” I whisper. Then, after a small pause, “I think I’ve fallen for you Brad O'Neil.”
Brad didn’t say anything immediately, he lifts my shin and devours my lips like a starved beast.
fallen for you Brad O'Neil.”
Brad didn’t say anything immediately, he lifts my shin and devours my lips like a starved beast.
- Writer
