Pretty Things Bleed Too

Golden Eyes

Everything was happening so fast it made my head spin. One minute I was the invisible boy who got juice poured on his drawings, and the next I was waking up in Damian Valenti’s arms in a fancy safe house. His chest was warm under my cheek, and his hand was gently stroking my hair like I was something breakable and precious. I kept my eyes closed a little longer just to enjoy it. Because I knew moments like this didn’t last for boys like me.

“Morning, pretty boy,” Damian murmured, his voice all rough and sleepy. He kissed the top of my head and I felt butterflies explode in my stomach again.

“Morning,” I whispered back, hiding my face in his shirt. I was still wearing his big black t-shirt that smelled like him. It made me feel safe. Like nothing could touch me while I was here.

He tilted my chin up gently and kissed me. Soft at first, then a little deeper. My heart was racing so hard I thought it might jump out of my chest. When he pulled away, his dark eyes were looking at me like I was his whole world.

“I have to go handle some family stuff today,” he said, sounding a little sad. “But my men will be watching the school. You won’t be alone.”

I nodded, trying not to show how scared that made me. Black cars. Mafia stuff. It was all starting to feel too real. “Okay. I’ll be fine.”

He kissed me one more time before leaving, long and slow like he didn’t want to go. After he left, I got ready for school. I put on extra strawberry gloss and drew a little heart on my wrist with eyeliner. Stupid, but it made me smile.

School was weird now. People still whispered, but nobody dared come close. It was like I had an invisible shield made of Damian’s name. During lunch I sat at our usual table waiting for him, but he texted that he’d be late. I sipped my strawberry milk alone, feeling that familiar lonely ache creeping back in.

That’s when she appeared.

A girl I’d never seen before walked right up to my table. She was beautiful in a scary elegant way. Long dark hair, golden eyes that seemed to look straight into my soul, and clothes that probably cost more than my entire house. She smiled at me like we were old friends.

“Hi,” she said softly. Her voice was gentle but there was power behind it. “You’re Kai Reyes, right?”

I blinked, surprised anyone like her would even know my name. “Y-yeah… who are you?”

“Seraphina Devereux.” She sat down across from me without asking. Her golden eyes kept studying my face like she was searching for something. “I’ve been seeing you around lately. With Damian Valenti.”

My cheeks got hot. “Oh… yeah.”

She smiled again, but it looked a little sad. “You’re different from what I expected. Softer. Prettier.” She tilted her head. “You feel… familiar somehow.”

I didn’t know what to say. My heart was beating weirdly. There was something about her that made me feel nervous but also… safe? Like I knew her from somewhere in a dream.

Before I could reply, my phone buzzed. It was a message from VelvetGhost. Someone had sent me another DM.

**GoldenSeraph:** Your latest post made me cry. The one with the kiss at sunset. You draw feelings so beautifully. I wish I could meet VelvetGhost in real life.

I froze. GoldenSeraph. The same person who had been messaging me for days. And now she was sitting right in front of me.

Seraphina noticed my reaction. “Everything okay?”

“Y-yeah,” I lied quickly, putting my phone away. “Just… school stuff.”

We talked for a bit. She asked about my drawings and seemed genuinely interested. Not in a mean way like other girls. She actually listened when I shyly told her about fashion and how I loved turning pain into something pretty. Her golden eyes never left my face.

“You’re really talented,” she said quietly. “The world needs more people like you. Soft but strong.”

When the bell rang, she touched my hand lightly. “I hope we can talk again, Kai.”

As she walked away, I felt this strange pull in my chest. Like something important was happening but I didn’t understand what.

The rest of the day dragged. Damian finally showed up after school, looking stressed. There was a small cut on his lip like he’d been in a fight. When I asked, he just pulled me into his arms and held me tight in the parking lot.

“Bad day?” I whispered against his chest.

“Yeah. Family politics. Nothing you need to worry about yet.” He kissed my forehead. “Let’s get out of here.”

He took me back to the safe house. We spent the evening cuddling on the big couch watching movies. I drew on his arm with a marker while he played with my hair. It felt so normal. So perfect. But I kept thinking about Seraphina and her golden eyes.

That night after Damian fell asleep, I opened my laptop and posted on VelvetGhost.

[Image: A boy with strawberry gloss sitting across from a girl with glowing golden eyes. Black roses floating between them like secrets.]

Caption:

“a girl with golden eyes talked to me today.

she felt familiar. like maybe we knew each other in another life.

damian is stressed. there are more black cars now.

i’m so happy but i’m also scared.

what if all this beauty is just the calm before everything breaks?

pretty things bleed too…

and i think the bleeding is about to start.”

I posted it and closed the laptop. When I crawled back into bed, Damian pulled me close even in his sleep. I buried my face in his neck and tried to believe everything would be okay.

But deep down, I could feel the shadows getting closer.

Luca hadn’t texted me in two days. That was never a good sign. And Seraphina… there was something about her that made my heart feel weird. Like she was important. Like she was going to change everything.

The next morning I woke up to Damian making breakfast. He looked tired but he smiled when he saw me.

“Come here, baby,” he said, pulling me into his arms for a morning kiss.

I kissed him back with everything I had. Because even though the world was getting darker, his love made me feel like I could survive anything.

But as we ate breakfast together, his phone kept buzzing. He glanced at it and his face went hard again.

“Everything okay?” I asked softly.

He forced a smile. “Yeah. Just work. Eat your food, pretty boy.”

I ate. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that something big was coming. Something that would test if our love was strong enough to survive the real world.

Later that day at school, Seraphina found me again. This time she had a small gift bag.

“I saw your art online,” she said quietly, handing it to me. “I didn’t know it was you until I saw the way you draw pain. Please… don’t stop creating, Kai. The world needs your softness.”

I opened the bag. Inside was a beautiful set of expensive art markers and a silver necklace with a small crest on it. It looked familiar but I couldn’t remember why.

“Thank you,” I whispered, tears in my eyes. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

She smiled sadly. “Because I think you’re special. And because maybe… we’re more connected than you know.”

Before I could ask what she meant, she walked away, her golden eyes shining like she was holding back a thousand secrets.

That night when I showed Damian the necklace, his whole body went tense.

“Where did you get this?” he asked sharply.

“Seraphina gave it to me. Why? What’s wrong?”

He didn’t answer right away. Just pulled me into his arms and held me tighter than usual.

“Nothing, baby. Just… be careful who you trust.”

I didn’t understand then. But I would soon.

The girl with golden eyes wasn’t just some random rich girl.

She was going to turn my entire world upside down.

And the pretty boy who only wanted to be loved…

Was about to find out he was never who he thought he was.

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