Chapter 27 - Seraphina

I sat on the edge of the bed, my mind spinning in a whirlwind of confusion. My heart pounded in my chest as I replayed the kiss over and over in my head. Why did I kiss him back? That question had lodged itself firmly in my mind.

I should've pulled away the moment his lips touched mine. I should've stopped him. But I hadn't. I didn't even try. Instead, I kissed him back—instinctively, almost desperately. And now, here I was, sitting alone in the room, replaying that kiss like a loop I couldn't escape from.

What is wrong with me?

I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to shake off the overwhelming sense of guilt. I'd always been in control of my emotions, careful about who I let in. But Adrian—he was different. There was no denying that. The way he'd looked at me, the way he kissed me... God, his lips.

I froze, my breath catching in my throat as the image of his lips pressed against mine came crashing into my mind again. I couldn't help but admire the softness of them, the way they fit so perfectly against mine. My heart raced just thinking about it.

No. No, I shouldn't be thinking about it this way. I needed to stop. This is crazy.

I snapped back to reality, my hands gripping the edge of the bed as if I could steady myself that way. This is not me. I had to make sense of it, I had to understand why I'd let myself lose control. The guilt surged again, followed by a sense of frustration.

I couldn't even look at him the same way anymore, and it scared me. There was a part of me that wanted to talk to him, figure it out, but the other part of me wanted to run far, far away.

I closed my eyes for a moment, letting out a shaky breath. I need help. Maybe I should see a psychiatrist, someone who could help me make sense of this. But then again, who would understand what I was going through? No one.

My thoughts swirled around me like a storm, and all I could do was sit there, unsure of what to do next.

The days after the kiss were filled with an unbearable awkwardness. Every time I saw Adrian, there was a tight knot in my chest, and I couldn't look him in the eye without feeling a heat rise to my cheeks. I tried to act normal, but my mind kept replaying that kiss, and I could feel it hanging between us like a thick fog we couldn't escape.

Even when I tried to avoid it, my gaze always found its way to his lips. They had been so soft, so familiar in a way I hadn't expected. My heart would skip a beat whenever I remembered that feeling. What the hell was wrong with me?

It was during one of those moments, when I tried to focus on something—anything—else, that Nick, of all people, decided to make things worse. We were having dinner in the living room, and Adrian and Nick were discussing something—probably business, though I wasn't really paying attention.

"Did you ever notice how your lips turn into a pout when you're thinking?" Nick asked, casually, not even looking at me. He was smiling, but it was his usual teasing grin. I nearly choked on my water, but I wasn't the only one.

Adrian, who had been sipping his drink, suddenly spluttered, coughing harshly as water spilled from his mouth. I shot him a look, unsure if I should apologize or if I was just as awkward as he was. But he didn't seem to be any better off than I was. His eyes widened, and his gaze immediately shot to me before he quickly wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

I choked on my own water too, half in shock, half in frustration at how well Nick seemed to have timed it.

Nick, ever the oblivious one, chuckled as he leaned back, clearly proud of his comment. "What? Did I say something wrong?" he teased, raising an eyebrow as he watched Adrian and me both try to regain our composure.

I shot Adrian an apologetic look, but his face was just as red as mine. The awkwardness was now palpable. Neither of us knew what to do with ourselves.

Nick just sat there, completely oblivious to the silent tension, sipping his drink with a knowing grin. "C'mon, you two. What's with the awkwardness? You're both acting like you've never shared a kiss before," he said, smirking as he casually leaned back into his chair, looking like he'd just solved some great mystery.

Adrian and I exchanged a glance, neither of us able to speak, both of us caught in the sudden flood of memories of what had happened only days ago.

I opened my mouth, unsure of what to say, but my voice caught in my throat. "Nick, you—" I started, but I couldn't finish the sentence. Instead, I just looked at Adrian, silently pleading for him to say something, anything, to defuse this ridiculous moment.

Adrian's lips parted, and I could tell he was just as uncomfortable as I was. He cleared his throat. "I'm just going to get some air," he muttered, standing up abruptly.

I nodded, feeling a mix of relief and disappointment as he walked off, leaving me and Nick behind in this mess of unspoken words.

The awkwardness between Adrian and me was palpable. It had been days since the kiss, and neither of us had addressed it. I could feel the tension lingering in the air, thick like smoke, every time we were in the same room.

I stood in the kitchen, stirring a pot of soup, trying to focus on anything but the man sitting across the room. Adrian had been unusually quiet lately, his usually confident demeanor replaced by a strange reticence that made my stomach churn with uncertainty.

He walked in, his eyes briefly meeting mine before quickly looking away, as if he wasn't sure what to say. I could feel his gaze flicking back to me every few seconds, but he remained silent. The tension was suffocating.

I cleared my throat, attempting to break the silence, but the words felt heavy, as if they were stuck somewhere deep in my chest. "Are you... hungry?" I asked, trying to sound casual, but I couldn't hide the nervousness in my tone.

He looked up, his eyes meeting mine for just a second before his gaze dropped to the floor. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine," he replied quietly.

A simple answer. But it felt like more than just that.

I continued stirring the soup, my hands now trembling slightly. The memory of the kiss flooded my mind, uninvited and relentless. I had kissed him back. I had kissed him back, and now, here we were, stuck in this weird limbo where neither of us seemed willing to acknowledge what had happened.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by the sound of his voice again. "Seraphina..." His voice was tentative, like he was unsure whether to speak or not.

I turned toward him, heart pounding in my chest. "Yes?"

He shifted uncomfortably, avoiding my gaze. "I... I need to apologize. About what happened the other night."

My breath caught in my throat. So, he was going to address it. But what would he say? Would he brush it off, or would he make things even more awkward?

"I don't..." I started, but the words stuck. "I don't know what to say."

Adrian's eyes finally met mine, his expression pained. "You don't have to say anything, Sera. I just don't want things to be... weird between us."

The truth was, it already was weird. But I didn't want to admit it. Not yet.

I forced a smile, even though it felt unnatural. "Yeah, well... we'll figure it out."

The words felt hollow. Neither of us had figured anything out, and I knew that, but saying it out loud seemed impossible. The distance between us felt insurmountable, even though we were standing only a few feet apart.

Just then, the door opened, and Lyra stepped inside, her usual carefree energy filling the room. "What's going on in here?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, glancing between the two of us. "You two look like someone died."

I couldn't help but smile at her usual directness. Lyra never shied away from calling things as she saw them.

Adrian, however, just shifted uncomfortably. "Nothing. Just... talking."

Lyra raised both eyebrows, clearly skeptical, but she didn't push it. "Uh-huh, sure," she muttered, walking over to the fridge and pulling out a bottle of wine. "You two are too quiet for my liking. Are you sure everything's okay?"

I gave her a tight-lipped smile, not really wanting to delve into the subject right now. "Yeah, it's fine."

Lyra shrugged, uncorking the wine. "Well, it's obvious something's off. But I won't press it. Just let me know when you're ready for a drink."

She poured herself a glass and leaned against the counter, sipping it casually. Nick entered the kitchen just then, looking back and forth between us, sensing the odd tension in the air. "What's going on? Why does this feel like a scene from a soap opera?"

I couldn't help but laugh softly at his observation, though it felt forced. "Nothing," I said quickly, trying to brush it off.

Adrian shifted on his feet again, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly not feeling any more at ease with the situation than I did.

Lyra was quick to notice the discomfort and decided to lighten the mood. "Okay, okay," she said, waving her glass in the air. "Let's not make this awkward. Who's up for a toast?"

Nick, ever the instigator, jumped on the opportunity. "Oh, a toast sounds perfect. To getting these two to talk like normal humans again!"

Adrian and I shared a look. It wasn't exactly a "normal" situation, but Nick had a point. Maybe a change of topic would help.

Lyra raised her glass, giving us both a knowing look. "Here's to honesty. Even when it's uncomfortable."

We all clinked our glasses, and for a brief moment, the awkward tension seemed to lift, though it lingered just under the surface. It was a temporary reprieve, but maybe it was a start.

As the conversation shifted to something lighter, I couldn't help but feel that the knot between Adrian and me wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. But, for now, I would try to push it to the back of my mind. Maybe, one day, we would be able to talk about it.

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The phone call came just as I was finishing up my breakfast, the principal's voice on the other end of the line sending a chill down my spine.

"Mrs. Castellanos? I'm afraid Iris has had a bit of an accident here at school. She's fine, but we need you to come quickly."

Something in the way the principal's voice trembled—just a fraction—made me pause. It was subtle, but it made my gut tighten. Was it genuine concern or something else? I didn't have time to think about it; my heart was already pounding in my chest.

"I'm on my way," I said quickly, hanging up without another word. My mind raced as I grabbed my coat and headed for the car. Iris. I needed to get to her. She was my priority.

I slammed the door behind me and started the car, my hands shaking slightly as I gripped the steering wheel. The streets blurred by as I drove, each passing second feeling like a lifetime. I told myself she was okay, that it was just a minor injury, but my instincts screamed otherwise. The feeling in my gut wouldn't go away. Something wasn't right.

The traffic lights seemed to mock my urgency as I sped down the streets. I couldn't waste a second. The more I thought about it, the more the voice of the principal sounded off, like he was hiding something.

As I neared the school, my phone buzzed with a text. It was from Adrian. "Everything alright?" it read.

I didn't have time to respond. My thoughts were consumed with Iris.

Just as I rounded a corner near the school, a van appeared behind me, too fast, too close. My heart raced as the van swerved, purposefully crashing into my car from behind. The jarring impact threw me forward, the airbag deploying with a loud pop.

The car spun out of control as the screech of metal filled the air.

I struggled to regain control, but it was hopeless. The van pushed against me, relentless, until my car was forced off the road and crashed into a nearby guardrail. My head slammed against the steering wheel, and for a moment, everything went black.

Before I could even react, I realized something—this wasn't an accident. This had been a setup. The call about Iris, the off tone in the principal's voice, the van that came from nowhere—it was all too perfectly timed.

A trap.

The realization hit me like a blow to the chest. But before I could fully process it, everything around me spiraled into darkness.