Chapter 28
1633 Words
Chapter 28
Discussion
Third Person Pov:
Ana’s eyes fluttered shut despite herself. Sensations she didn’t understand surged through her.
Alex felt her response—and just as suddenly—
She shoved him back with all her strength.
He stumbled, breath heavy, eyes dark.
“You p*****t! What do you think you’re doing?” Ana snapped, her voice shaking with rage. “You may use your cheap tricks on other girls, but not on me. I won’t fall for your games.”
“What tricks?” Alex asked, genuinely confused.
“Don’t act innocent, Alex,” she said bitterly. “First, you charm them. Then you kiss them. Next, you take them to bed—and after that, you pay them off. But I’m not one of your tricks.”
“Ananya Khanna,” Alex said sharply, his temper finally flaring, “do you even realize what you’re saying?”
“Yes,” Ana replied without hesitation. “I know exactly what I’m saying—and exactly what you did.”
“What did I do?” Alex demanded, running a hand through his hair. His patience was wearing thin. No one had ever spoken to him this way before. Anyone else would have paid dearly for it.
“What did you do?” Ana shot back, her eyes burning red with unshed tears. “Yesterday, you kissed another girl. You slept with her. And today, I’m standing in her place. What do you think of me, Alex?”
Without waiting for an answer, she turned and stormed away, her heart pounding painfully in her chest.
---
Alex headed toward the private cabin where his friends were gathered. The moment they saw him, shock crossed their faces. They had expected him to be on a date with Ana.
For days, Alex had been buried under work, barely taking time for himself—or anyone else. His friends had noticed how much Ana mattered to him after the last time they’d seen them together. They had deliberately given him space, hoping this night would help him relax.
“What happened, man?” Nick asked, studying his pale face. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Did you come to say goodbye or something?” Fin asked eagerly. “Where’s Ana? Why didn’t she come with you?”
“No,” Nick interrupted, placing a hand on Alex’s shoulder. “Something’s wrong. Sit down and tell us what happened.”
They could read him better than he could read himself.
Alex sighed and began explaining—starting with his encounter with Stephen. Halfway through, Jen stopped him.
“You shouldn’t have told Stephen to collect her tomorrow,” she said firmly.
“I didn’t want to drag Ana into it,” Alex replied. “And I didn’t want to create a scene.”
When he finished, Jen looked at him carefully. “Alex… did you really kiss another girl in front of her?”
“No,” he said quickly. “She kissed me. I didn’t initiate it. And it wasn’t in front of Ana.”
“How could you do that?” Fin asked, disbelief evident in her voice. “We thought you were serious about her.”
Zack frowned. “Then how did Ana even know?”
Nick tried to lighten the mood. “Maybe she’s got a spy following you.”
Jen shook her head. “No. She didn’t have time for that.”
“When and where did this happen?” Fin asked quietly.
Alex hesitated, then answered, “Last night. I met a woman at a nightclub—the one I’ve been tracking for information. I didn’t want to do it, but I had to act interested. She kissed me. Later, we went to a private room for a drink.”
Fin and Jen exchanged a look.
“Nightclub?” they asked in unison.
Alex nodded and mentioned the location.
Jen’s expression softened with realization. “That’s why she was upset when we came back. She’s been distant since morning.”
“Now it makes sense,” Fin said slowly.
Jen continued, “Yesterday was girls’ night, so we went to the same club. Everything was fine until we were leaving. Ana suddenly shut down. I thought she just didn’t like the club—but now I know why.”
“She saw you kissing another girl,” Fin concluded quietly.
Jen looked at Alex. “So she wasn’t insulting you out of nowhere. She was hurt.”
Then she asked gently, “Alex… Ana was jealous. That’s why she reacted the way she did. Isn’t that obvious?”
“Yeah, but there’s something I don’t understand,” Alex said. “She never expresses her feelings easily. In any situation, she maintains control and never loses her temper.”
Jen explained, “Alex, you don’t really know Ana. She’s fiercely self-independent. If you lose her, you won’t be able to get her back. You two haven’t even begun a relationship yet, and it’s already on the verge of ending.”
She warned him quietly but firmly, “Be careful. You’re my friend, but if you hurt her, I’ll be the first one to take you down.”
Fin nodded in agreement, backing her up. Jen continued, “When I first met Ana, she was an introvert. She barely spoke to anyone. It took a full year before she started talking to me. We were in different courses, but we lived in the same dorm. She never went out for fun—she was always studying or working. She doesn’t have a family, so our parents treated her like another daughter, just like me.
But she always rejected their help. She’d say, ‘I’ll earn my own food, clothes, and necessities.’ Still, we supported her secretly. From the beginning, she only saw me as a friend—until David came into her life, and then all of you.”
Jen’s voice grew emotional. “Please, never hurt her. I don’t know her past, but I can tell—from her confidence, her nature, and her stubbornness—that she’s been through a lot. She’s worked incredibly hard to get where she is today. I don’t want her to be hurt by anyone on our side. She can’t express her feelings easily and tends to suffer in silence. When I saw you take a risk for her, I believed you wouldn’t hurt her. I know you, Alex. I know how sincere you are when you commit to something. That’s why I’m supporting you. But if you hurt her, I won’t hesitate for a second to take you down.”
David pulled Jen into a side hug and said, “Jen, don’t worry. If he does anything stupid, we’re all here to deal with it.”
He then turned to Alex. “I’m supporting Jen too. We may not be that close, but once upon a time, we were like three sisters. If you’re not sincere with her, don’t get involved. Just leave her alone.”
Jen looked straight at Alex. “I’m telling you all this because I don’t want to blame you. Ana is different. She doesn’t accept her feelings easily. She may push you away—but don’t give hope and shatter her.”
Alex nodded. “I promise I’ll never hurt her. Last night, I did what I had to do to get information for the case. Once everything is over, I’ll explain everything to her.”
Jen exhaled slowly. “That’s all I wanted—to make you understand. Ana is different. She may act distant, but don’t hurt her.”
Ana’s POV:
I returned home. Jen would either be with David, or if she had already come back, she had her key. I locked the door and went straight to my room. After changing into a hoodie and shorts, I collapsed onto the bed and closed my eyes, replaying today’s events.
Brain: 'Do you know how foolishly you behaved today?'
I sighed inwardly. 'I’m sorry. When Alex said I could date his friend tomorrow, it made me feel like he thought I was a characterless girl—someone who dates everyone, just like he does.'
Brain: 'What does he think of you? Does it even matter? If he thinks badly of you, why should it affect you?'
'I don’t know,' I admitted.
Heart: 'I don’t want anyone to think badly of me.'
Brain: 'He’s not your type, and you’re not his. So why do you care what he thinks?'
Heart: 'I may not be his type, but he still shouldn’t think badly of me.'
After a few seconds of silence,
Brain asked, 'Then why did you respond to his kiss? Why didn’t you stop him?'
I lifted my fingers to my lips—still swollen from his bite—and stared at the ceiling. When he kissed me, I had wanted to stop him. My brain tried, but my heart and my body didn’t listen.
Then yesterday’s memory surfaced—him kissing another girl. It replayed in my mind just seconds after our kiss. At first, there had been warmth, something unfamiliar stirring in my chest. But when that image returned, the warmth vanished, replaced by the bitter feeling of being used.
With all my strength, I had pushed him away and turned to leave. He questioned me, and in my irritation, I wasn’t even sure what I said to him.
Brain:'Now he thinks you’re jealous. He assumes you have feelings for him.'
'Yes,' I thought. 'Anyone would think that.'
'I’ll have to fix this the next time I see him.'
Heart: 'How will you face him next time? You work with him. He’s also your friend. How can you behave like this, Ana?'
---
- Writer
