Keith sat slouched in the student council office, staring blankly at the papers on his desk but seeing none of them. The light filtering in from the windows cast long shadows across the room, but he didn't notice. His mind was stuck, looping, rewinding, playing one memory over and over again.
That night on the terrace.
He could still feel the tight knot in his chest when he saw Selene dancing with Cedric. Too close. Too carefree. It had pissed him off more than he wanted to admit. The jealousy came first, sharp and immediate, but underneath that was something worse. Possessiveness.
Why did it bother him so much? Was it just territorial instinct? Or… was it something deeper?
He let out a breath and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. This wasn't just about that dance. It hadn't been for a while. His thoughts drifted to the past, back to when he and Selene were younger. Back when things were easier.
He used to like her—a lot. She was sweet back then. Gentle. Kind in a way that made you feel like you mattered. They were close, always together, always laughing. But as they got older, things changed. She changed.
Suddenly, she was possessive. Harsh. Rude to anyone who didn't have a title or influence. And clingy—too clingy. Like she couldn't breathe unless he was right there beside her. It was exhausting. So he pulled away. Slowly at first, then all at once. Eventually, he didn't just avoid her—he hated her. That bitter, burning kind of hate that didn't really make sense, even to him.
Then came Evangeline.
She had the same eyes as Selene, but a completely different soul. Soft-spoken, smart, kind to everyone. With her, things felt peaceful—simple. So he let himself fall. And for a while, she was everything. His safe place.
Until Selene showed up again, back from wherever she'd been, and different.
She wasn't the girl he'd run from. She was calmer now. Still sharp, still stubborn, but quieter in a way that made him pause. When they agreed to fake a relationship to get their parents off their backs, it was supposed to be nothing. Just a deal. But Evangeline didn't see it that way. She broke things off. Said she couldn't be with someone pretending to be in love with someone else, even if it was just pretend.
Keith had tried to win her back. He'd even gotten drunk one night trying to sort out the mess of it all. And in the middle of that chaos, he'd kissed Selene by mistake.
But after that… everything shifted.
Because when he was at his lowest, it wasn't Evangeline who stayed. It was Selene.
She didn't judge. She didn't push. She was just there—quietly, consistently. And in those quiet moments, he started to see her again. The real her. Or maybe the version of her he'd never given a chance to understand.
And somehow, somewhere along the way… he realized he still loved her.
Maybe he always had.
The boy who used to smile at her kindness was still inside him. And maybe the girl who'd lost herself in the need to be accepted… maybe she was finding her way back too.
He ran a hand through his hair, a little laugh slipping out. Not bitter. Just tired.
He didn't want a fake relationship anymore. No contracts. No pretending. Not with her.
He wanted the real thing.