Appetite for Control

No Pretending

Kai didn’t avoid him.

He could have.

Stayed in his room.

Stayed out of the way.

Pretended nothing had changed.

But he didn’t.

He found Adrian in the study.

Of course.

The same place.

The same position.

Standing behind the desk like everything was exactly where it should be.

But it wasn’t.

Kai stopped in the doorway.

Didn’t announce himself.

Didn’t hesitate either.

“…We’re not ignoring this.”

Adrian didn’t look up immediately.

A pause.

Then— “…There’s nothing to address.”

That— that answer came too easily.

Too controlled.

Kai stepped inside.

Closing the door behind him.

“…That’s not true.”

Adrian’s gaze lifted.

Meeting his.

Calm.

Unreadable.

“You’re overreacting,” he said.

Kai let out a quiet breath.

“…You always say that when you don’t want to deal with something.”

Silence.

Because that— that had already been said before.

And it still held.

Kai stepped closer.

“…Last night wasn’t nothing.”

A pause.

Adrian didn’t respond.

But he didn’t deny it either.

That alone— meant something.

Kai held his gaze.

“…So don’t stand there and pretend it didn’t happen.”

The tension in the room shifted.

Sharper now.

More direct.

Adrian set something down on the desk.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

“You’re reading into it,” he said.

Kai almost laughed.

“…I’m not reading into anything.”

A beat.

“I was there.”

That— that cut through everything.

Silence filled the room.

Because there was no way around that.

Adrian stepped forward.

Not quickly.

But with purpose.

“You should let it go,” he said.

Kai didn’t move.

“…Why?”

A pause.

“Because it doesn’t change anything.”

That answer again.

Kai shook his head slightly.

“…It already has.”

Silence.

Because that— was the truth.

Adrian’s gaze sharpened.

“…You’re making it more than it is.”

Kai stepped closer.

Closing the distance between them.

“…Then what is it?”

A pause.

Long.

Because that question— didn’t have a clean answer.

Adrian didn’t respond.

And that— said enough.

Kai exhaled slowly.

“…You don’t know either.”

That shifted something.

Because now— it wasn’t just about avoiding it.

It was about not having control over it.

Adrian’s jaw tightened slightly.

“…It was a mistake.”

There it was.

Kai stilled.

“…That’s what you’re calling it?” he asked quietly.

Adrian held his gaze.

“Yes.”

Simple.

Final.

But something about it— didn’t sit right.

Kai watched him carefully.

“…Then why didn’t you stop?”

Silence.

Immediate.

Because that question— cut deeper than the rest.

Adrian didn’t answer.

Couldn’t.

Kai stepped closer.

Now— there was barely any space between them.

“…You had time,” he said.

“…You hesitated.”

A beat.

“But you didn’t stop.”

That— that left no room to hide.

Adrian’s voice dropped slightly.

“You didn’t stop either.”

Kai didn’t flinch.

“…I’m not the one pretending it meant nothing.”

Silence.

Heavy.

Because that— was the difference.

Adrian looked at him.

Really looked.

And for a second— the control slipped.

Just slightly.

“…It complicates things,” he said quietly.

That— that was more honest than anything else.

Kai nodded slowly.

“…Yeah.”

A pause.

“But it already was.”

Silence settled again.

But this time— it wasn’t sharp.

It was… real.

Kai exhaled slowly.

“…I’m not pretending it didn’t happen.”

A beat.

“Are you?”

Adrian didn’t answer immediately.

Then— “…No.”

That word— simple as it was— shifted everything.

Kai held his gaze.

“…Then stop acting like it didn’t matter.”

Another pause.

Adrian didn’t step back.

Didn’t dismiss it.

But he didn’t fully admit it either.

“…It changes things,” he said finally.

Kai let out a quiet breath.

“…That’s all I needed you to say.”

Silence followed.

But it wasn’t unresolved anymore.

Not completely.

Kai stepped back.

Creating distance again.

“…We’ll figure out what that means later,” he added.

Adrian didn’t respond.

But he didn’t disagree either.

Kai turned.

Walking toward the door.

Before he left— he paused.

“…Don’t shut it down again,” he said quietly.

A beat.

“…You already know it won’t work.”

Then he left.

The door closed behind him.

And for the first time— Adrian didn’t try to convince himself nothing had changed.

Because now— he couldn’t.

End of Chapter Twenty