A Heart Forced To Choose

Chapter 3: Things We Don't Say

Vina's POV:

Everyone said moving in with an ex was a terrible idea. Jayden and I had been doing it for three years.

We'd already survived the romance, the breakup, and the awkward period afterward when neither of us knew how to act around the other. Eventually, though, things stopped being weird. We started talking again. Then hanging out. Then somehow, we were back to being best friends.

Now we were roommates and business partners too, which Jayden liked to point out was probably several bad decisions stacked on top of each other.

“You know we have a personal-space problem, right?” he'd said more than once.

I always told him he was being dramatic.

Maybe we were a little too comfortable around each other. I couldn't really argue with that. But after everything we'd been through, I didn't see why living together had to be complicated.

Somehow, we'd made it work. Or at least, that's what I believed.

That morning, I stood barefoot on the cool kitchen tile, stirring scrambled eggs while early sunlight poured through the massive windows. The estate was already wide awake around us, with the housekeepers moving quietly down the halls to set the formal dining table. Logically, we had plenty of staff who could cook breakfast for us, but I preferred making my own food. Jayden insisted it was completely pointless, but I maintained that it brought me a little peace, which generally ended the argument.

Most of the time, anyway.

"V." I didn't bother turning around. "Vina." I kept the spatula moving. "Miss V."

I set the spatula against the edge of the pan. "J."

"Yes?"

"Don't start."

He let out a quiet chuckle. Looking over my shoulder, I saw him propped up at the kitchen island, laptop open, one ankle crossed over his knee. He was wearing an oversized black tee and sweatpants, his hair a messy, uncombed disaster that somehow still managed to look entirely deliberate. He looked like he'd just had eight flawless hours of sleep, and I hated him a little bit for it.

“You've been ignoring me for three minutes,” he said, tapping his trackpad.

“I'm cooking,” I said, nudging the spatula around the copper pan. “So let me cook.”

“I'm just trying to help.”

I snorted. “You're useless.”

He put a hand over his heart. “That hurts.”

“You'll survive.”

“I might not.”

“Good.”

He grinned.

That stupid smile. I'd hated it long before we ever dated. Back then, though, it had a way of making my heart do things I didn't particularly appreciate.

Apparently, some habits were hard to break.

I turned back to the stove before I could think about it too much.

Whatever Jayden and I had become, I was used to it now. He was my J. My best friend. The person I called when something went wrong, even when he was usually the reason something had gone wrong in the first place.

That was just us.

“Okay,” Jayden said, clicking his trackpad. “Today's schedule.”

I sighed and turned the stove down to low. “Go ahead, Secretary J.”

He immediately straightened in his chair, putting on his most serious face.

“Good morning, Miss Vi.”

“Don't call me that.” I laughed and shook my head.

“Your first meeting is at ten with an entertainment firm looking to expand their portfolio with us,” he read. “Eleven-thirty is the

investment team. And at one, you have lunch with one of our celebrity clients.”

“Which one?”

He looked over the top of his laptop.

“You know which one.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Don't.”

“Your favorite actor.”

“I don't have a favorite actor.”

“V, you literally live with a famous actor.”

“That doesn't count.” I pointed the spatula at him. “Keep reading.”

He smiled, scrolling further down the screen. "Three o'clock, printing appointment."

"For the banner?" I asked.

"Yes."

My expression immediately brightened. "And the concert tickets?"

He tilted the screen slightly toward me. "Already booked."

I completely abandoned the stove, rushing around the island to stand right beside his stool. "Show me."

Jayden chuckled, shaking his head. "You act like I've never booked tickets before."

"These aren't normal tickets, J."

"I know." With a swift motion, he turned the laptop around so I could see the screen clearly.

Two VIP passes appeared on the display, and my eyes widened. "We actually got them."

"Of course we did."

"VIP?" I repeated, leaning closer to read the seat details. "How close?"

"Very," he said softly.

I stared at the confirmation page, completely captivated. Out of the corner of my eye, I could feel Jayden watching me with a quiet, amused expression.

"You know, you're actually glowing right now," he noted.

"I'm excited," I said, looking over at him with a wide grin. "Thank you, really."

He gave a casual shrug. "It's nothing."

Impulsively, I reached out and squeezed his shoulder. For a brief, sharp second, his expression shifted. His gaze dropped down to where my hand rested against his T-shirt before slowly drifting back up to my eyes.

"Anything for you, V," he murmured.

His tone was softer than before, leaving a quiet lingering warmth in my chest. I patted his shoulder gently. "You're still the best, you know that?"

He glanced away, a brief flick of hesitation crossing his features before he offered a dry shrug. "I have my moments."

As I walked back to the counter, Jayden stood completely still at the island, his eyes following me. There was a quiet distance in his posture, a subtle restraint that always appeared whenever our dynamic dipped too close to what we used to be. But I didn't press it. I simply grabbed the spatula and turned back to the burner, missing the quiet ache behind his eyes as he chose, once again, to say nothing at all.

"V," Jayden called out.

"What?"

"You're burning the eggs."

I gasped as thick grey smoke started curling up from the pan. "Oh, no!" I lunged back to the stove, frantically turning down the burner.

Jayden burst into a laugh so hard he nearly spilled his mug across his laptop keyboard. "You're infuriating!" I yelled, waving a hand to clear the air.

"I'm your savior," he countered.

"You distracted me with the tickets!"

"And I saved you from burning the entire kitchen down."

"You ruined breakfast!"

He stood up from the island and walked over, his long stride closing the distance in two steps. "Step aside."

"I've got it," I lied, scraping uselessly at the blackened edges.

Without answering, he gently closed his hand over mine, taking the spatula straight out of my grip. Our skin brushed, sending a swift, unexpected spark straight through my wrist. For a single second, all the air left the room. Neither of us moved. He looked down at me, his eyes locking onto mine, and the light teasing energy between us instantly vanished. Then he cleared his throat, breaking the spell, and nudged me out of the way.

"Go sit," Jayden commanded, taking over the spatula.

I blinked, offering him a quick smile before walking over to the island. A few minutes later, he set a plate down in front of me. The scrambled eggs weren't great, but at least they weren't burned.

I glanced up at him. "Look at you, playing chef."

"Technically, I just salvaged a crime scene."

I laughed softly. "Thank you."

Instead of sitting across from me, Jayden dragged his stool right next to mine. I tilted my head and rested it briefly against his shoulder. "You're actually pretty useful sometimes."

He went still for a second before he forced a quiet chuckle. "Sometimes?"

"Let's not push it."

He let out a faint sigh, his expression unreadable, but I was already focusing on my breakfast, completely oblivious to whatever he was holding back.

When we finished, he opened his laptop again. "Before we leave, I need to send the banner to the printer."

"Show me first."

"It's already approved."

"Jayden. Show me."

He paused, then clicked into the graphics software. Ander's face filled the display, and my heart instantly skipped a beat. Dark hair, striking features, and a confident, quiet smile—he looked like someone effortlessly built for fame and bright lights.

I leaned closer, mesmerized. "Oh my God."

Jayden stared at the screen, his face completely blank. "He's just a guy."

"He's Ander."

"Still just a guy."

"You really don't understand, do you?"

He watched me smile at the screen, a familiar tightening settling deep in his chest. He hated the feeling—hated how instantly my entire face lit up the moment Ander appeared on a display. But he swallowed the reaction down, keeping his expression entirely neutral.

"Looks good," I said, entirely unaware of his inner turmoil. "Send it off."

"I will."

Satisfied, I turned and walked upstairs to grab my handbag and touch up my makeup. The second my footsteps faded down the hallway, Jayden reopened the graphics file. A slow, mischievous smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. Clicking the text tool, he selected the bottom margin beneath Ander’s high-resolution portrait and rapidly typed a new line: Ander, please marry me.

He stared at the screen for a beat, his shoulders shaking with silent, amused laughter. "She's going to absolute kill me," he muttered to himself. He centered the font, adjusted the sizing to match the official branding, saved the file, and hit send to the print shop.

Perfect.

A few minutes later, I came back downstairs, adjusting my coat. "Ready?"

Jayden snapped his laptop shut with a smooth, practiced motion. "Ready."

"Did you send the banner?" I asked, grabbing my bag off the island.

"Sent and confirmed."

I paused, catching the faint glint in his eye. "Why are you looking at me like that? Why are you smiling?"

"I'm just happy," he said simply.

"Why?"

"Because you're happy, V."

The sincerity in his voice caught me completely off guard. I stood there staring at him for a second, trying to read whatever was hidden behind his face, before he offered a quick grin and headed for the garage. "Come on. We're going to be late."

The morning air was warm as we stepped outside, where our car was waiting in the driveway. I slid into the passenger seat while Jayden took the wheel, and as we pulled away from the estate, I couldn't help but notice he was still smiling.

"You really like this guy, don't you?" Jayden asked, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Ander?" I looked over at him with a wide grin. "Obviously. I've been following his career for years."

He gave a quiet nod, his hands resting easily on the steering wheel. "Then I hope you enjoy the show, V."

"Oh, I will."

I looked out the side window, lost in my own head as the city moved past us. I was already thinking about the concert. The lights. The music. Seeing Ander in person. And, of course, the banner.

As far as I knew, it was just the design we'd approved that morning. I had no idea Jayden had changed it. And I definitely had no idea what was waiting for me at the bottom of it.