I've always been good at waiting you know.
Patience is a skill most people underestimate.
They think love is about grand gestures, about showing up with flowers and declarations.
But real love... true love... is about strategy.
It's about watching. Learning. Adapting.
And I'd been watching Aria for years. Learning for her. Adapting for her.
Every smile she gave Kael felt like a knife twisting in my gut.
Every time she said his name with that soft, breathy quality, like he was something sacred, I wanted to scream. To tell her that she was foolish. That no man could ever compare to what I'd do for her.
But I didn't. I couldn't.
So I smiled. I nodded.
I played the role of the supportive best friend because that's what got me close to her.
That's what kept me relevant.
But then when Aria tossed me aside and I slowly felt desperation crawl over me like bugs, the universe started handing me gifts.
The first gift came wrapped in designer clothes and a British accent.
