The next day, the rumor mill had already sharpened its teeth.
Whispers slithered through the corridors, sliding into ears and twisting into smirks. "Did you see them yesterday?… Together… too close, way too close…"
Ayan walked down the hall like none of it touched him. Back straight, gaze forward. But the silence that followed him was not the usual respect — it was curiosity laced with suspicion. Every glance seemed to ask: what exactly happened behind that closed door?
Kairo was waiting near the council room again, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. He looked like trouble in uniform, unreadable except for the glint in his eyes that locked on Ayan the moment he appeared.
"Partner," Kairo drawled, just loud enough for those nearby to hear. The word cracked through the hallway like a spark.
Ayan didn't break stride. He walked right past him, shoulder brushing deliberately close. "You're in my way."
Kairo's smirk deepened, unbothered, even amused. "I'm exactly where I should be."
Inside, the tension was worse than yesterday. They sat again at that single table, papers between them like a thin excuse for distance. Their hands brushed once, then twice — neither pulling back, neither willing to give ground.
"You know," Kairo said at last, voice low enough that it didn't carry beyond the table, "you're handling this better than I expected."
Ayan raised an eyebrow. "Handling what?"
"This," Kairo leaned just slightly forward, the word wrapping around the space between them, heavy with suggestion. "Being trapped with me."
Ayan's lips curved, slow and sharp. "Trapped? Don't flatter yourself, Alpha. I've been in tighter corners and still walked out untouched."
That line — bold, cutting — sank deep. For a second, Kairo's jaw tightened, and then he let out a quiet laugh that was anything but soft. "Careful, Omega. One day, your mouth will write a check even you can't cash."
Ayan didn't flinch. He held his gaze, steady and dangerous.
"Then I'll make sure you're the one paying."
The bell rang, shattering the tension again, but neither moved right away. They just sat there, locked in that invisible tug-of-war, both refusing to blink first.
When Ayan finally stood, he left without a word, his back calm and unshaken.
Kairo stayed behind, fists pressed against the table, eyes dark with something he couldn't name.
Fractured lines.
Each encounter left more cracks.
And sooner or later, one of them would shatter.
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