Chapter 5 Tension

Ayla

"Did you guys sleep together?"

That was Yuna's tenth question since we left River's apartment. Honestly, I wanted the elevator floor to open up and swallow me whole. I gave short answers, but she kept firing off questions like some snack-carrying detective with a messy bun. It felt more like a police interrogation than a heart-to-heart.

Truth is, I barely remembered last night-except puking in front of River. Even the part where I ended up in his bed? Total blur. All I knew for sure was that I was mortified. Like, peak embarrassment.

"I don't think so," I mumbled, glancing down to make sure I still had all my clothes on.

Yuna narrowed her eyes like a suspicious cop, then let out a dramatic sigh. Weirdly enough, she smiled. Which definitely wasn't a normal best friend reaction. It felt like... satisfaction?

When we got to Yuna's quiet house, I was desperate for clarity. River's version of the story this morning didn't help-if anything, it made things more awkward.

"So? Spill. What happened?" I asked, sliding open her bedroom door.

"Sit first. I'll grab snacks," she replied casually, tossing me a pair of house slippers.

"Where's everyone else?"

"My mom's driving my little sister somewhere. My brother's at an interview at the gallery."

A few minutes later, she came back with a tray of rice cakes and two cold drinks, fresh off a call from her mom. I sat cross-legged on the rug, trying to keep myself from overthinking everything-especially River... or Rhett.

If my phone weren't dead, Rhett would've blown it up with messages by now. But today, I didn't want to be reachable. I needed to prove that I could survive without him hovering like a mother hen.

"You wanna know what I think about River?" Yuna asked as she popped a rice cake in her mouth.

I raised a brow. "Is he the type to be cautious of? Or the kind who loves a challenge?"

She shrugged. "From what you told me... he seems decent. But..." She stared at the ceiling like she needed a second to gather courage.

"But what?"

"You... kissed him, Ayla."

I choked on the rice cake mid-bite, coughing hard as I tried to swallow and process what she had just said.

"W-what?!"

"Yeah. I saw it last night, but from the way you talked and how he looked? You kissed him first. And you know what guys can get when a girl makes the first move... but then nothing else happens."

My heart was pounding. I had never kissed anyone before. Not even in high school-I was too busy just surviving and Rhett was always too possessive to let anyone near me.

Strangely, I didn't feel guilty. Not like I did when I puked on River's bed. If anything... I felt kinda happy. But I quickly hid my dumb smile by pretending to chew.

"Do I look like a slut?" I asked.

"Nope," Yuna giggled. "Honestly, you looked pretty composed for someone who woke up in a hot guy's bed."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, cutting the moment short.

Yuna stood up and looked toward the stairs. "Wait here."

"No, I'm coming too."

We went down together, and when she opened the door...

"Rhett," I whispered.

He stood there with my two cousins-Reese and Reid. All three of them looked tense, but only Rhett stepped inside right away.

"You okay? Your phone's dead and I knew it-" he paused, eyeing Yuna coldly.

"I'm fine," I said, but he turned to me and grabbed my arm.

"Let's go home."

"Rhett, I'm fine. You don't have to-"

"You were drunk, Ayla. I had no idea where you were last night. I... I was worried." His voice was softer than usual, and weirdly gentle.

I didn't argue. Maybe I had gone too far. But still... something about him felt off. He wasn't yelling. He wasn't dragging me to his car like a maniac. He was just... calm. And somehow, that made me follow without a fight.

Once we got home, he treated me like I was fresh out of the ER.

"Drink more water. Eat something. And seriously, no more passing out drunk, okay?" he said, giving me the same look a parent gives their kid caught playing in the rain.

"Okay..." I mumbled, too drained to start a fight.

*

The next day, campus was a mess.

I'd just stepped out of the car when a crowd of students sprinted toward the south building by the man-made lake. There was shouting, chaos, people whispering about a fight.

Curious, I hurried after them-heading straight to the gym, where the yelling was loudest.

"A business major hit an architecture student!"

"One of them's tall with long black hair! The other one's blond and cold as ice-"

"It's Rhett and River."

My heart dropped.

Now I knew why Rhett left so early this morning. I pushed through the crowd until I could see clearly-and froze.

River was standing there, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, but he wasn't fighting back. Rhett, on the other hand, looked like a damn furnace-face flushed red with rage, fists clenched, ready to strike again.

"Rhett, STOP!" I yelled, rushing toward them.

He looked over, giving me a chance to step between them. My chest was heaving, both from running and from sheer panic.

"He didn't do anything to me! Stop it!"

River exhaled slowly. "I never meant to hurt Ayla."

I turned to him, and for a moment, his bruised face didn't even register. His eyes... they looked more wounded than anything else. But he still held my gaze-calm. No anger or blame.

Rhett stared at me like I'd stabbed him in the back. "He touched you, Ayla. He took you away-"

"That's enough!"

I met his eyes, firm. "This isn't your business."

The gym went dead silent.

Then, River spoke again. "Actually..." his voice was low, heavy.

I turned toward him. "Don't you think it's weird?" he asked.

I blinked, confused.

"He's your cousin, right?" River gave a dry, almost sad smile. "The way he acts around you... it's more than just being protective."

"Shut your damn mouth!"

Rhett lunged again, but I blocked him. "Please, stop. I'll go with you. Just don't fight. Not because of me."

Suddenly, it felt like someone slammed a brick into my skull. The pain was searing, crawling through my head like wildfire. Flashes-blurry, broken-started pouring in.

A voice. Screaming my name.

And then-everything went black.