The room was quiet except for the faint hum of his old ceiling fan. Kael sat on the edge of his bed, school uniform still clinging to him, mind torn in a dozen directions Aimee's half-smirk, Jacob's teasing, Selira's haunting presence from last night.
His phone buzzed.
He blinked. Unknown number.
Hi Kael.
Kael's heart jumped. He frowned, thumbs hovering above the screen. Who…? His head tilted as if the name might fall from the ceiling.
He typed back cautiously.
Who's this?
The typing dots appeared. Disappeared. Reappeared. His pulse kept matching the rhythm, louder and louder in his ears.
Don't tell me you've already forgotten me.
Kael froze. A spark of nerves shot through him. The words felt playful, teasing, laced with something more dangerous than a joke.
His fingers stumbled.
Sorry… I don't recognize the number. Who are you?
Another pause. Then
Clara.
Kael's eyes widened, breath caught halfway up his throat. He leaned back on his bed as if the wall could hold him steady. Clara? Clara—the girl at the club, Maya's friend, the one with that hypnotic smile and eyes that burned through the neon like they were made for it.
His chest hammered.
He never thought she'd text.
…Clara? he typed, almost in disbelief.
A reply came instantly, like she was waiting for him to crack:
Mhm. Surprised? Or were you hoping I'd reach out?
Kael swallowed hard. He read the line over and over. His hands trembled, not from fear, but from the rush of something dangerous.
She remembered him.
She wanted to talk to him.
His heart beat so loud it was almost a knock inside his ribcage.
Clara…
Kael stared at the glowing screen, thumb hovering. His phone buzzed again.
Clara: You're quiet. Don't tell me you're shy now.
He sucked in a breath. Shy? If only she knew what kind of night he had just lived through… He typed back, fingers clumsy:
I'm not shy. Just… surprised, I guess. Didn't expect you to text me.
Dots appeared.
Clara: Well, I expected you to find me first. Guess I win this game.
Kael blinked, pulse tripping.
Game?
Clara: Mhm. The one where you couldn't take your eyes off me at the club. Don't pretend, Kael. I noticed.
His throat dried up. He leaned back into the wall, phone gripped too tight. Memories of neon lights, the bass in his chest, Clara's laughter slicing through it yeah, he remembered. Too well.
He typed slowly.
…Maybe you're right.
Clara: "Maybe"? That's all I get?
He scratched the back of his head, groaning. She was pulling him, step by step, cornering him with just words.
Kael: Fine. You're right. I noticed you. A lot.
Three dots. Then
Clara: Good boy.
Kael nearly dropped his phone. His face burned. He ruffled his hair, half laughing, half choking.
Then another buzz.
Clara: So what do you do when you notice a girl like me? Do you keep staring forever, or do you move?
Kael muttered aloud, "What kind of question is that…" His chest thumped.
He typed:
Guess I freeze.
The reply was instant.
Clara: Figures. You've got that look. Like you're on fire inside but afraid someone might see the flames. I like that. Makes me want to pour gasoline on you.
Kael's jaw dropped. His eyes darted around the empty room as if someone could've heard that. "What the hell…"
And before he could breathe
Clara: Meet me this weekend. Saturday night. If it suits you.
Kael's phone nearly slipped from his hand. His heart slammed. He stared at the text for full minutes, brain looping through every scenario.
A meet-up? Clara?
The thought made his chest burn with both excitement and terror.
But then another thought bled in unwanted, sharp.
Selira.
Her smirk. Her laugh. Her voice. The night.
Kael froze, whispering to himself, "Wha–what if she's just like Selira…?" His head pounded.
He shoved the phone down, pressing his palms into his eyes.
"No. Snap out of it. Damn it, Kael. My fucking mind is messed up…"
The phone buzzed again on the sheets. Clara's name lit up. Waiting.
But he flopped back onto his bed, the ceiling spinning above him as if the room had decided to mock him. His phone buzzed again, but he ignored it this time, letting it hum against the sheets like some ticking bomb.
"Yo… damn… what the hell is all this?" he muttered, dragging his hand over his face. His laugh came out dry, nervous, cracked. First Selira, then Aimee staring me down, Mia leaning like she's about to eat me alive, now Clara popping out of nowhere?
He sat up, eyes wide, fingers digging into his hair. "I couldn't guess but yes. Yes! I am now like the magazine itself that screams Harem!!" The words left his mouth in disbelief, half anger, half shock. He almost wanted to throw something just to see if reality would bend back into shape.
Then his gaze slipped down beneath his wrist.
The faint outline of the sigil pulsed once, as if it heard him. Kael froze. His chest tightened. The glowing trace wasn't bright, not like before, but it was there. It had never left.
"What kind of power lies beneath you?" he whispered, his voice breaking. His throat burned as if the words themselves were dangerous. He clenched his fist, shutting his eyes, but the thought wouldn't leave.
Faces flashed, Selira's smirk, Aimee's shy glance, Mia's bold lean, Clara's burning text.
Everything stacked, everything twisted.
His eyes snapped open. He slammed his palm into the mattress.
"No." His voice was sharp, raw. "I'm not being humiliated this time."
His wrist pulsed again.
And the room went still.
...
The morning came like a cruel joke. Kael dragged himself through the school gates, half awake, his mind still tangled from the night before. He barely noticed the chatter of students, the slams of lockers, the rush of feet down the hall. Until...
Lucy.
She stood in the hallway like she owned it. Her smile cut straight through the noise, a smirk that curled and lingered. Kael's chest tightened the moment his eyes caught her hips swaying, blouse clinging to every curve like it had been designed just for temptation. The buttons strained against her chest, praying to be undone, while her designer skirt rode high, torn at the side just enough to tease. Each step gave a flash of what lay beneath, too much, too little, exactly enough to make Kael swallow hard.
She tilted her head when their eyes met, that smirk deepening.
"I barely got my eyes on you for quite a time now," she teased, her voice low, playful, dangerous. "You finally made your practice on her."
Kael blinked, heat rushing into his face. "W–who?"
Lucy's laugh was soft, knowing. She smirked again, leaning closer, her eyes catching his with a shine that burned.
"Who else, Kael? Or…" her lips curved as she dragged her gaze across him, "…do you have others you wish not to reveal yet?"
Kael scratched the back of his head, his laugh coming out awkward, cracked.
"Ah–h–ha–ha… n no, no… it's not like that…"
They walked side by side, Lucy deliberately brushing her shoulder against him. But Kael's mind froze the moment he caught sight of Aimee down the hallway. Her presence hit like a punch, her steps calm, her eyes half-glancing at him.
Kael's throat tightened. His hand flinched up and he fumbled rubbing his palms together, flicking his fingers like some nervous child caught in a mess. His gaze locked with hers. For a breathless moment, the world shrank to just Kael and Aimee staring across the hall.
Then she turned, walking into class without a word.
Kael stood frozen.
And that was when Lucy struck.
She leaned in so close he could feel her heat press against him. Her smirk widened, her voice melting against his ear. Her chest brushed hard against his, each curve pressing, grinding, her hips swaying deliberately with every little motion. His knees nearly buckled.
"Kael…" she whispered, dragging his name like silk.
Her bobs rubbed across him, and for a second Kael thought he'd combust right there in the hallway.
"You saw that, didn't you?" Lucy licked her lips slow, deliberate, her tongue glistening. Then she raised her finger, delicate, teasing, and pushed her glasses low on the bridge of her nose.
Her eyes sharp, burning, erotic locked into his. Her lips lingered close enough to steal his breath.
Tilting, waiting, smirking.
Her smirk lingered, devilish and low, a promise tucked between her lips.
"Go on, Kael… head into class. Hope you catch up later. I won't let go next time, though."
Her words clawed into him, teasing, daring. That last smile smirk sharp enough to carve right through his chest nearly made his knees betray him.
Kael staggered away, muttering something that barely counted as a reply. His pulse hammered all the way to the classroom door. He shoved it open, face hot, heart thumping, legs fumbling like they weren't his own.
And then he nearly tripped flat on the floor.
A couple of students chuckled. Someone whispered. Kael's face burned deeper. He forced himself forward, pretending nothing happened, and slumped into his seat. But the moment he settled, his gaze slid sideways. Every eye that caught him felt like a spotlight especially Mia's.
He snapped his face toward the window, jaw clenched. Damn it… damn it all…