052
1186 Words
~iris
It’s been days.
Days of pretending everything is fine. Days of forced smiles and routine conversations. Days of Ky keeping her distance like I don’t exist,and honestly, she has every right to.
Because what the hell was wrong with me that night?
I pressed my fingers to my temples, exhaling slowly. I hated how easily my mind compared me to Eunice. The thought alone made my stomach twist. I wasn’t her. I didn’t force anyone. But still… The guilt sat heavy on my chest. Wanting too much. Crossing lines I should’ve respected.
I glanced at the other side of the bed. Empty.
“Where’s Alice?” I muttered under my breath.
The bathroom door opened, steam spilling out first, then her. Alice leaned against the doorframe, fresh from a shower, skin still warm, hair damp. She smiled when she caught me staring.
“Looking for me?” she teased.
“Yeah,” I said simply, not bothering to look away.
I stood and crossed the room, slipping my hands around her waist and pulling her gently against me. “You’re tempting me, babe,” I murmured near her ear.
She laughed, light and easy, and pushed me back playfully. “Behave,” she said. “Go shower.”
I spanked her ass before, turning toward the bathroom.
Ten minutes later, I was dressed in loose trousers and a tank top, hair still slightly damp. Alice had changed too. short skirt, oversized top, effortless as always.
We snapped a few pictures, laughing, leaning into each other like everything was normal. Like nothing was wrong.
Then we grabbed our things and headed out, side by side.
But even as her hand brushed mine, even as her laughter filled the hallway, I couldn’t stop thinking about Ky. About the distance. About the silence.
And about how some mistakes don’t announce themselves loudly.
they just sit there, waiting.
As we walked down the hallway, fingers laced together, I spotted Ky ahead of us.
My chest tightened.
Alice noticed her too and lifted her hand, smiling. “Ky!” she called, waving for her to come over.
Ky glanced back.
For half a second, our eyes met.
Then she looked away, turned the corner, and disappeared.
Just like that.
Alice slowed, confusion settling on her face. “That’s… weird,” she said. “She’s been like this for days.”
“Yeah,” I replied quietly.
Alice frowned, studying me now. “Di..did something happen between you two? Did you guys fight?”
My heart skipped.
Fight?
No.
Something far worse.
We almost crossed a line we couldn’t uncross.
A line that would’ve shattered everything standing between us.
Guilt probably clung to her the same way it clung to me. Ky didn’t want to be seen near us.not with Alice here. Not when it would look like betrayal.
And the worst part?
It wasn’t her fault.
I kissed her first.
I swallowed, forcing my expression to stay neutral even as my chest burned. I wanted to talk to Ky. Needed to. Even just to say I’m sorry. Even if she didn’t forgive me.
“Alice?” she called softly, still watching my face.
“Let’s go,” I said, a little too quickly.
I glanced back one last time, hoping stupidly,that Ky would reappear.
She didn’t.
In class, the noise barely settled before the door opened and the principal walked in, expression unreadable.
The room went quiet.
“Attention, students,” the principal announced, hands clasped behind his back. “This weekend, the annual Teachers and Parent Association Gala will be held at the main auditorium. Attendance is highly encouraged. Parents and guardians are invited. Invitations will be sent out tonight.”
A wave of dread curled deep in my stomach.
A gala.
Parents.
Polished smiles, rehearsed conversations, expensive perfume and quiet judgment. A room filled with people who knew too much,or would soon know.
And most importantly… him.
Duncan would be there.
Alice’s father.
My mate.
The word alone made my chest constrict. I shifted in my seat, suddenly hyper-aware of the space around me, like the walls were closing in. I had spent months avoiding him,ducking corners, changing schedules, pretending fate could be tricked if I moved fast enough.
Now fate was hosting a party.
Beside me, Alice leaned closer, already buzzing with excitement. “A gala!” she whispered. “I already know what I’m wearing. Black, obviously. Or red. No.black. Red is too loud.”
I hummed in response, forcing a faint smile, nodding at the right moments. My body was present, but my mind was somewhere else entirely pacing, spiraling, bracing.
Duncan.
The man I couldn’t forget no matter how hard I tried. The bond I kept pretending didn’t exist. The eyes I felt even when they weren’t on me.
Just imagining standing in the same room as him made my throat tighten, my breathing shallow. What if he looked at me the way he used to?
What if he drag me to the bed and start pounding on me.
Fuck! What was wrong with me?
Alice paused mid-rant and turned to me. “You’re quiet,” she said, brows knitting together. “Thinking about the party?”
“Maybe,” I admitted softly.
Her hand brushed against mine. “It’ll be fine,” she said with confidence I didn’t have. “Don’t overthink it.”
I let out a small laugh. “Fine,” I echoed, though the word tasted bitter.
Fine would be pretending I wasn’t terrified.
She tilted her head. “Would any guardian come for you?”
The question landed heavier than she intended.
My parent were dead.
“Yeah… my aunt will come. I just have to call her.”
Alice squeezed my hand. “Good. You shouldn’t be alone at stuff like this.”
If only she knew.
The rest of the day dragged, each class blurring into the next. Notes went unwritten. Voices sounded distant. By the time evening rolled in, my aunt had confirmed she’d attend, and that only added another layer of tension to the knot in my chest.
My aunt didn’t miss details.
She observed. Measured. Filed things away for later.
I hated how exposed I felt around her,like she could see past the calm, past the jokes, past the careful distance I kept from everyone.
By evening, Alice and I walked back toward the dorms together, the sun dipping low behind the campus buildings. The sky was streaked with orange and violet, the air cool against my skin.
Alice moved like she always did,confident, untouchable, like the world bent slightly in her favor. Her hair bounced with every step, sneakers slapping softly against the pavement as she talked about seating arrangements, food, music.
I watched her, guilt flickering quietly in my chest.
She deserved honesty.
She deserved loyalty.
And I wasn’t sure how long I could keep pretending everything was simple.
As we reached the dorm entrance, my phone vibrated in my pocket.
An invitation notification.
The gala was real now. Official. Unavoidable.
I swallowed hard.
I wonder how this is going to end.
- Writer
