Bound by secrets, broken by love

CHAPTER NINE

Ashley

Lunch has just begun, and the cafeteria is already buzzing with voices and the clatter of cups and trays. I sit with Eva, tracing the rim of my cup with my finger, half-listening to the noise around me, half-lost in thought, yet thinking about nothing in particular. The tables fill up fast. No one else joins us—it’s just me and Eva. I like it that way, or at least I tell myself I do.

Eva leans in and nudges me gently. “Come sit with us,” she says, nodding toward the opposite end of the dining hall, where a group of girls are seated.

I scan the group—they're unfamiliar faces, too much attention.

They look like they take their studies, Justin Bieber, and K-fashion choices seriously. I shake my head with a small smile and politely decline—not out of hate or any other emotion. I just can’t sit through questions I would be uncomfortable with.

Questions pertaining to my late admission—I still haven’t found a convincing answer yet.

“I’m good here.”

She rolls her eyes in that exaggerated Eva way. “Suit yourself. I’ll be back—just a quick chat.” And then she’s gone, weaving her way through the crowd.

I poke at my food absently. The silence around me is a little too loud now. But before I can relax into the stillness, someone approaches the seat opposite mine.

I look up. Hailey Montague.

Her shinny honey-blonde hair is pulled back into a high ponytail, her makeup so flawless and glowy, in that clean girl way only girls like her seem to pull off. Her full round lips are peach glossy, wide blue eyes sizing me up with a blink.

“Wait—your perfume… is that Oud Satin Mood?” Hailey asks, tilting her head with a raised brow.

I blink, caught off guard. “Uh… yeah?”

She turns to the two girls flanking her—both blonde, model-perfect. “Told you someone here had decent taste.”

They giggle. Hailey slides into the seat across from me without waiting for an invite. “This is Gigi and Tiffany,” she says, like I should already know.

“Hi,” they chirp in unison, offering identical little waves.

I nod politely, unsure what’s happening.

“I’ve been trying to get that perfume for months. It’s always sold out. Where'd you get it?”

“It was a gift but it's my favorite,” I say quietly.

She hums. “Of course it is. You don’t smell like the others.” Her smile is all teeth—friendly on the surface, but something about it feels… sharpened.

Hailey rests her elbow on the table, chin in her palm. “It smells divine on you,” she says, her tone smooth but genuine. “I layer mine with sandalwood or a touch of vanilla—it softens the rose.”

“That sounds amazing,” I admit, surprised by her friendliness.

“It is.” Her eyes scan me briefly, but not unkindly. “You’re Astrid, right?”

I nod. I didn't realize I was that popular.

She offers a small smile that surprisingly looks genuine. “We should talk scents sometime. You’ve clearly got taste.” Then, just as quickly, she stands, smoothing her skirt.

“Oh—and don’t waste Oud Satin Mood on a regular day. Let them miss it.” With a subtle wink, she turns and walks off, her friends falling into step beside her, presence lingering like her perfume.

Eva returns just as Hailey melts into the crowd of wolves and tables.

She slides into the seat next to me, setting her tray down beside mine.

“What was that about?” she asks, raising an eyebrow.

I don’t answer immediately. I’m still watching Hailey, who has made her way to Aiden’s table. She stops in front of him, saying words I can’t hear. He glances up and smiles.

Not his usual smirk. Not the guarded, calculating look he throws at everyone else. An actual smile.

But then, his eyes shift—and find me.

The smile disappears slowly, replaced by a look I can’t quite read. His gaze lingers, calm and unreadable, like he’s weighing a question only he knows the answer to. There’s no heat, no coldness—just a quiet intensity, the kind that makes you feel like you’ve been seen and marked without a single word spoken.

I quickly look away.

My chest tightens. “Perfumes, I guess,” I say airily.

“Are they like... dating? Hailey and Aiden?” I ask quietly, barely recognizing my own voice.

Eva shrugs, stabbing a tomato in her fruit salad. “Probably. Even if they’re not, it’s obvious they’ve got something for each other.”

I’m somewhat triggered by this, but I don’t show it. “What do you mean?” I ask.

She leans in and rolls her eyes. “Hailey’s the only girl Aiden doesn’t mess with. He doesn’t try to intimidate her. He actually lets her in—and that says a lot.”

“So it’s like bad boy falls for resident mean girl?” I ask, taking a slurp from my fruit juice.

“When you put it that way, maybe. They’ve known each other since they were kids. I won’t be surprised if they end up married.”

“Married? Don’t you think that’s too serious?” I laugh, a dry, humorless one that leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

“Not at all. She’s like the perfect luna candidate—her dad’s rich, she has a clean record, intelligent, beautiful… the list is endless.” Eva ticks off each trait on her fingers.

I look down at my tray, the food now cold and unappealing. I stab a chicken breast, not really paying attention to it.

“Are you okay?” Eva taps my shoulder.

“Yeah, I am.” A fake smile accompanies my lie.

I want to tell myself it doesn’t matter—that I barely know Aiden. That I never meant for there to be anything in the first place.

I know these are all lies. Lies I tell myself. Lies I use as a coping mechanism.

But I can’t ignore how it feels—the weight of it all.