Hate That I Love You

Chapter 15: Cracks in the Armor

Chapter 15: Cracks in the Armor

Kael Veyra’s POV

I avoided Draven for the rest of the day. Or at least, I tried to.

The problem with Draven Ashford was that he was everywhere. In the halls, at the edge of my peripheral vision during class, and, most frustratingly, in my head.

I wasn’t sure what I was more pissed about—the fact that he wouldn’t let me walk away, or the fact that part of me didn’t want to.

“Still brooding, huh?” Livia teased as we walked toward the cafeteria.

“I’m not brooding.”

“You’ve been glaring at your phone like it insulted your ancestors.”

I sighed, stuffing the phone back into my pocket. I hadn’t checked the gossip page since this morning, but I didn’t need to. The whispers, the sideways glances, the smirks—they told me everything I needed to know.

We grabbed our food and found a spot near the back, away from the biggest cliques. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with anyone today.

Unfortunately, Sera Langford had other plans.

She swept into the cafeteria like she owned it, her blonde hair perfectly styled and her designer outfit looking more runway than campus. A hush fell over the room as she made her way toward our table, a predatory gleam in her eyes.

“Kael,” she said sweetly, her smile as sharp as broken glass. “Mind if I join you?”

“Yes,” Livia said flatly. “We do.”

Sera ignored her and slid into the seat across from me. “I just wanted to check in. You seemed a little... overwhelmed earlier.”

“I’m fine,” I said through gritted teeth.

“Are you, though?” She tilted her head, her expression one of mock concern. “Because it seems like things are starting to unravel for you.”

I clenched my fists under the table, trying to stay calm. “What do you want, Sera?”

“Oh, nothing.” She shrugged, leaning back in her chair. “Just thought you might like a heads-up.”

“A heads-up about what?”

She smiled, but there was no warmth in it. “You’ll see.”

With that, she stood and sauntered away, leaving me with a sinking feeling in my chest.

It didn’t take long to find out what she meant.

By the time I got to my next class, a new post was already making the rounds on the gossip page. This one featured a picture of me in the library from a few days ago, leaning close to Draven as we worked on our project. The angle made it look like we were about to kiss.

The caption?

Kael Veyra: Boyfriend Stealer?

I stared at the screen, my heart pounding. The comments were even worse than before.

Guess some people just don’t know when to quit.

Poor Sera. She deserves better.

Wow, Kael. Maybe leave someone else’s boyfriend alone for once?

I slammed my phone down on the desk, barely resisting the urge to throw it across the room.

“Kael,” Draven’s voice came from behind me, low and steady. I hadn’t even noticed him walk in.

“Don’t,” I said, not turning around.

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t stand there like this isn’t a big deal. It is, Draven.”

He sighed, sliding into the seat beside me. “I know it is.”

“So why aren’t you doing anything about it?” I turned to face him, my anger bubbling to the surface. “You could shut this down if you wanted to. But maybe you won’t because part of you thrives on this chaos.”

His jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought he might actually argue. But then he surprised me.

Draven’s jaw twitched, but instead of snapping back, he surprised me. “Maybe you’re right. But I’ll stop it my way.”

That caught me off guard. “You will?”

“Yeah,” he said, his eyes dark and serious. “But not by playing their game. We do this our way.”

“And what does that mean?” I frowned, confused. “What do we even have to go public about, Draven? We’re not together. We don’t even like each other—or at least, we’re not supposed to.”

“It means we act like we’re together. We give them exactly what they’re already whispering about and let them think we’re a thing. Whether we like it or not, they already believe it.”

My heart skipped a beat, and I hated how his words made something flutter in my chest. “Draven, are you seriously suggesting we fake being a couple? Like, pretend we’re into each other?”

“Think about it, Kael. Right now, they think there’s something secret and scandalous going on, and that’s why they’re having a field day. If we take that away, we take away their power.”

I stared at him, my mind racing in circles. Did he really think that going public—whatever that even meant—would fix this? Or was this just another one of his impulsive, half-baked ideas?

“Trust me,” he said, leaning just close enough that his voice dropped into a whisper. “We fake it, Kael. We make them believe we’re already together, and it stops being fun for them to speculate. They’ll get bored and move on.”

And the worst part?

I kind of believed him.