Maya had always believed that love was supposed to be simple. That it was something you could just fall into, without complications, without the tangled web of emotions she was caught in now. But sitting in her living room, watching the door creak open to reveal both Kian and Ivan standing in the doorway, she knew just how wrong she'd been.
The air between them was thick with tension, a silence that neither man seemed willing to break. Ivan's dark eyes flicked to Kian, and for a moment, the two locked eyes, a silent exchange happening between them that Maya couldn't quite decipher. Kian stood tall beside Ivan, his jaw clenched, his expression unreadable.
"Do you want us to leave?" Ivan's voice was low, and there was a hint of challenge in his tone as he glanced over at Maya. The words stung, but she knew Ivan had never been one to sugarcoat things.
Maya shook her head, unsure what to say. "No, it's... fine. Just... I don't know what to expect anymore."
Kian took a step forward, his presence calming despite the anger and confusion that had built between them. "We need to talk, Maya. We all do. This situation isn't going to fix itself."
Her heart raced as she nodded, feeling her pulse quicken at the thought of what they were about to confront. This was it—the breaking point. Maya could feel the weight of the unspoken words hanging between them, the truth that had to come out, whether she was ready for it or not.
"Let's sit down," Maya finally said, her voice barely a whisper. She gestured to the couch, her body trembling, unsure whether she was ready to face the storm brewing in front of her. They sat down on opposite sides of the room, a silent space between them that felt like a chasm Maya wasn't sure how to cross.
The tension between Kian and Ivan was palpable, as if both men were waiting for the other to make the first move. Maya felt like she was drowning in the silence, the weight of their expectations pressing down on her chest.
Finally, Ivan broke the silence. "You've had time to think, Maya," he said, his voice cutting through the thick air. "I want to know what you're going to do about this... about us."
Maya swallowed hard, the lump in her throat choking back the words she needed to say. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think clearly. How had everything become so complicated? She thought she could handle this, but now, sitting in front of them both, she realized how unprepared she was for the emotional upheaval they were about to face.
"I don't know what I want anymore," she confessed, her voice trembling. She could feel tears welling in her eyes. "I don't know how to choose between you both. It's tearing me apart."
Kian shifted in his seat, his eyes softening as he looked at her. "Maya... You don't have to choose right now. But you need to understand that if you keep holding onto both of us, you're only going to destroy us all."
Ivan scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest, a bitterness creeping into his voice. "Kian's right. But that doesn't mean you can't make a decision, Maya. Because right now, you're stringing us along, and neither of us can keep waiting forever."
There was an edge to Ivan's words that made Maya flinch, but it wasn't the anger in his voice that unsettled her. It was the desperation, the feeling that something inside him was breaking as he spoke. He was so cold, yet there was a warmth in his eyes, a flicker of emotion that he didn't want her to see.
Kian glanced over at Ivan, his gaze hardening for a brief moment. "We've both been patient, Maya," he said, his voice steady. "But there's a line we can't cross."
A long pause followed. Maya felt like she was standing at the edge of a cliff, staring down into the unknown. She had no idea what to do next, how to fix what was broken between them. But as the silence stretched on, something shifted. It was as if the air around them had thickened with unspoken words, with emotions that had been building for so long, it was impossible to ignore them anymore.
And then, before Maya could even comprehend what was happening, Ivan leaned forward. His movements were slow, deliberate, his eyes never leaving Kian's. Maya's breath caught in her throat as she watched the two men exchange a look—something dark, something intense. It was like the world had slowed down around them. Her heart pounded in her chest as Ivan closed the gap, and for a brief moment, she thought maybe it was just her imagination playing tricks on her.
But no, it wasn't.
Ivan's lips met Kian's.
The kiss was urgent, raw, a clash of emotions that neither man could suppress. Maya's pulse quickened, her head spinning as she watched them—her boyfriend and the man she had been so drawn to—locked in an intimate moment that shattered everything she thought she knew.
Kian's hands found Ivan's shoulders, gripping him tightly, pulling him closer. Ivan's fingers tangled in Kian's hair, the kiss deepening as though they were trying to consume each other, erase the distance that had always existed between them.
Maya froze. She felt like she was suffocating, like her lungs had stopped working. She wasn't sure what to feel—anger, jealousy, heartbreak, or something else entirely. The image of Kian and Ivan together burned in her mind, a reminder of everything she couldn't control, everything she was losing.
It wasn't just the kiss that left her paralyzed—it was the realization that they were no longer hiding their feelings from her, no longer pretending that this was anything but what it was. The connection between Kian and Ivan was undeniable, and in that moment, Maya felt like an outsider in her own life.
When the kiss finally broke, Kian pulled away first, his breath ragged, his eyes searching Ivan's face. Ivan was still staring at him, his expression unreadable, but there was something there—something Maya couldn't quite grasp.
"Now you know," Ivan said quietly, his voice hoarse. "This is real, Maya. This is what we are."
Maya couldn't move. Her thoughts were a blur, her heart racing in her chest as the weight of the situation pressed down on her. She had never expected this—never imagined that she would be caught in the middle of this unspoken bond between the two men she cared for.
And then, with a final glance, Ivan stood up. His eyes met Maya's, but he didn't say a word. He just walked out, leaving her standing there, trying to process what had just happened.
Kian remained seated, his gaze soft as he looked at Maya. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, his voice filled with regret. "But you needed to see that. You needed to understand what's happening here."
Maya wanted to speak, to tell him how she felt, to make sense of everything that was swirling inside her. But the words wouldn't come. She was lost in the silence, lost in the weight of the decision she hadn't made yet.
Kian stood up and walked toward the door, his footsteps heavy on the floor. Before he left, he turned to her one last time, his expression conflicted.
"I hope you find what you need, Maya," he said softly.
And with that, he left, leaving her alone with her thoughts, with the raw, emotional chaos of everything she had just witnessed.
Maya sat there in the silence, her heart torn between the two men who had come to mean so much to her. She didn't know what would come next, but she knew one thing for sure—nothing would ever be the same again.