Broken Promise

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3: Between the Two of Them

HANNAH POV

The campus café was unusually crowded today, students bustling in and out with trays of coffee, sandwiches, and pastries. The hum of chatter mixed with the clinking of cups and the occasional burst of laughter. I sat at a corner table, stirring my iced latte absentmindedly, my mind still lingering on the past few days.

Aiden and Jayden were acting… different.

At first, I thought I was overthinking it. They had always been competitive—challenging each other in grades, sports, even the most ridiculous things like who could hold their breath underwater the longest when we were kids. But lately, it felt different. More intense.

And the worst part? I was in the middle of it.

I sighed, shaking off the thought. I had more important things to worry about than whatever silent war those two were fighting. Like this upcoming exam.

I was about to reach for my notes when someone slid into the seat across from me.

“Miss me?”

I didn’t even need to look up. “Jayden, I saw you two hours ago.”

He grinned, stealing a sip of my drink. “Still counts.”

I rolled my eyes. “What do you want?”

He placed a neatly wrapped sandwich on the table and pushed it toward me. “Eat.”

I blinked at him. “What?”

“You’ve been skipping meals again,” he pointed out, his tone unusually serious. “Aiden noticed it first, but I saw it too. So, eat.”

I frowned. “You two are keeping track of my meals now?”

Jayden smirked. “Of course. You’re our favorite person, remember?”

Before I could reply, another voice joined in.

“You shouldn’t encourage her coffee addiction, Jayden.”

I turned to see Aiden standing beside the table, holding a bottle of water and a small pack of fruit.

Jayden leaned back, crossing his arms. “And here comes the nutritionist.”

Aiden ignored him and set the fruit down in front of me. “If you’re not hungry, at least eat something light.”

I stared at them both, my head tilting in confusion. “Okay… what’s going on? Since when did you two become my personal health coaches?”

Aiden met my eyes, his expression unreadable. “Since you stopped taking care of yourself.”

Jayden huffed. “See? This is why I’m the favorite twin. I bring sandwiches, and he brings judgment.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You guys are ridiculous.”

But despite my amusement, a warmth spread through me. They noticed. They cared.

Still, I wasn’t about to let them win so easily. I picked up the sandwich, took a dramatic bite, and grinned. “Happy now?”

Jayden smirked. “Very.”

Aiden just shook his head, but the corners of his lips twitched like he was holding back a smile.

And just like that, the tension melted away—for now.

After finishing the sandwich Jayden brought, I sighed in satisfaction, wiping my hands with a tissue. “Okay, I’ll admit it. That was

good.”

Jayden leaned back in his chair with a smug grin. “Of course. I have great taste, sweetheart.”

Aiden, still sitting across from me, simply shook his head. “You mean the café has great taste. You just happened to buy it.”

Jayden scoffed. “Details, details.”

I chuckled, but as I glanced between the two of them, I noticed the way Aiden’s gaze lingered on Jayden, as if he was evaluating

him, and Jayden’s smirk carried something sharper than his usual playfulness. There it was again—that invisible tension between them. It wasn’t outright hostile, but it was there, thick in the air.

I decided to change the topic before things got awkward. “So, are you both ready for the exam next week?”

Jayden groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

Aiden, of course, was the complete opposite. “I reviewed the syllabus. It’s mostly case studies and critical analysis. Shouldn’t be too

difficult if you’ve been paying attention in class.”

Jayden shot him a look. “Oh, sure, because that’s how normal people think, Mr. Human Calculator.”

I rolled my eyes. “Jayden, you’re literally one of the smartest people I know.”

He grinned. “Flattery will get you everywhere, sweetheart.”

Aiden sighed. “Maybe if you studied instead of flirting, you’d do better.”

Jayden smirked, but there was an edge to it. “Maybe if you lightened up a little, you wouldn’t be so uptight.”

I tensed slightly. Here we go again.

I placed my hands on the table. “Alright, that’s enough. I refuse to be stuck between another one of your debates. Can we just have a

normal conversation for once?”

Both of them looked at me, then at each other, before sighing in unison.

Jayden raised his hands in surrender. “Fine, fine. No fighting in front of Hannah.”

Aiden merely nodded. “That would be best.”

A moment of silence passed between us before I checked the time. “I should get going. I have a group project meeting soon.”

Jayden stood up almost immediately. “I’ll walk you.”

Aiden followed suit, grabbing his bag. “I was just heading in that direction too.”

I blinked at them both, feeling like I had just walked into a trap. “You two don’t even have the same class as me.”

Jayden shrugged. “But the campus is dangerous, sweetheart. Can’t let you walk alone.”

Aiden sighed. “It’s broad daylight.”

“Exactly! Prime time for unexpected dangers.”

I laughed. “You just don’t want to go to your next class.”

Jayden gasped dramatically. “How dare you accuse me of such a thing?”

Aiden rolled his eyes, already moving towards the exit. “We’re wasting time.”

Shaking my head at them, I grabbed my bag and followed, with both of them flanking me on either side.

As we walked, I tried to push away the feeling that something between us was shifting.

Because deep down, I knew that no matter how much I tried to ignore it, things were no longer the same between Aiden and Jayden.

And sooner or later, I would have to face it.