Chapter 368: Unexpected guest
ARIA
I had just closed my eyes, body melting into the sheets, when the sharp knock rattled my door. My eyes flew open, heart lurching, but Kael’s arm only tightened around my waist, dragging me back down into the heat of him.
"Stay," he murmured against my ear, voice still gravelly from the night before. He sounded maddeningly calm, like he hadn’t just spent hours wringing me dry.
The knock came again, louder this time, followed by the sound I’d been expecting all along.
"Ariaaa," Kaleb’s small voice called through the wood, pitched with impatience. "Dress me up for school!"
I groaned, burying my face in Kael’s chest.
Kael chuckled low, kissing the top of my head. "He sounds like he’s already capable."
I smacked his chest weakly and shoved at him, dragging myself out of bed on legs that barely worked. My knees wobbled, my thighs sore, and every step reminded me of what Kael had done to me... over, and over, and over again.
The bastard sat there watching me, propped up against the pillows with that glow about him, hair mussed, jaw shadowed, looking like a succubus while I stumbled around like a ghost drained of her soul.
I cracked the door open to find Kaleb grinning up at me, his shirt buttoned wrong and his socks mismatched. "See? I tried but it looks bad," he said, tugging at his collar.
"Go wait in the kitchen," I sighed, ruffling his hair. "I’ll fix it."
By the time I followed him out, Olivia was bustling around the kitchen, hair pulled back, baby Lily perched on her hip while she flipped something on the stove. The smell of eggs and toast filled the air, the clatter of pans soft against Lily’s babble.
"Morning," Olivia said brightly, handing Kaleb his plate before glancing at me. Her eyes lingered just a second too long on my throat, on the faint red splotches peeking out from the neck of my shirt. Her lips curved into a sly little smile as she shifted her gaze past me. "And good morning to you too, Mr. Kael."
I stiffened, following her eyes and there he was, striding in like he owned the place, in my clothes, his expression calm and collected, as if he hadn’t spent the whole night breaking me apart.
"You look... well-rested," Olivia said, her tone sweet but laced with something knowing.
Kael smirked, reaching for a mug like he belonged there. "Best sleep I’ve had in a while," he answered smoothly.
My aura went black. If I’d had the energy, I would’ve launched a frying pan at his smug face. Instead, I stood there in silence, radiating fury, my body screaming at me with every breath. Jokes on me for thinking one or two rounds would’ve been enough because it was my house and we had to be quiet and apparently Kael Roman doesn’t understand the definition of quiet.
The kitchen felt like sunshine and flowers... Olivia humming, Lily babbling, Kaleb digging into his food... while I sat there like a corpse, my skin crawling with marks, my soul hovering above my body.
"Aunty Aria, did you get a mosquito bite?" Kaleb asked suddenly, pointing right at the side of my neck.
I didn’t even have to turn to know that Kael was smiling he didn’t say a word, but I could feel it, that smug amusement radiating off him like heat.
"Yes, Kaleb," I said, keeping my voice steady, refusing to meet Kael’s eyes. "It was a very big, very stubborn mosquito... one that just doesn’t seem to get tired." My tone dripped with menace, though the real culprit knew exactly what I meant.
Kael chuckled under his breath, the sound low and utterly self-satisfied.
"Maybe it’s because the mosquito couldn’t get enough of you," he murmured, far too pleased with himself.
"Ah is that so?" I shot back. "Then I’ll make sure to hold an insecticide with me next time."
Then Kaleb paused mid-bite, looked at me carefully, and offered his fork. "Here," he said softly, pushing a piece of toast toward my mouth. "You look scary."
I blinked at him, too tired to even argue, and accepted the bite in silence.
Kael, of course, chuckled again under his breath, sipping the coffee Olivia offered him like the devil who knew he’d won.
Many minutes later. It was time for Kaleb to go through school. I followed her to the doorstep, where my strength could take me.
Olivia balanced Lily on her hip while shooing Kaleb toward the door, her bag slung over her shoulder. "I’m visiting an old college friend," she told me cheerfully, "so I’ll pick Kaleb up from school later and might not be back till evening. Don’t burn the place down, alright?"
I only managed a tired wave, my eyelids heavy, my body screaming. Kael, the picture of unbothered composure, leaned casually against the counter, raising his mug in farewell.
"See you later!" Kaleb chirped, darting past me. At the last second, he spun on his heel, glaring up at Kael with narrowed eyes. "And don’t think I forgot about our Mario Kart fight!"
Kael smirked, tilting his head with infuriating ease. "Then you’d better train harder, soldier."
Kaleb huffed, muttering something about revenge before Olivia ushered him out the door. Kael even had the audacity to wave after them like some saintly guest.
The second the door closed, the silence crashed over me, and my knees gave out right there in the hall. "Fuck you, Kael," I groaned, dropping onto the floor, my muscles refusing to cooperate. "You absolute demon, I can’t even stand—"
Before I could finish cursing him into oblivion, he was already bending down, scooping me up with infuriating ease.
"Language," he murmured in my ear, carrying me toward my room.
"Drop me," I hissed, though my head immediately found his shoulder. "Drop me in a grave, preferably."
He chuckled low, warm against my cheek, and laid me onto the bed. I was already half-asleep when I noticed he wasn’t joining me. My hand weakly patted the space beside me, my voice muffled into the pillow. "Lie down. You must be exhausted too, even if you look disgustingly fine."
He paused for a long moment, then finally slid in beside me. His arm wrapped around my waist, dragging me against his chest until I was caged in his warmth, his breath steady at the back of my neck. He held me like a body pillow, immovable, protective, and within seconds I was gone.
By the time I woke again, the light was brighter, glaring through the curtains. Midday. My body still ached, my throat dry, but at least I could move better. Kael was still asleep beside me, heavy and warm, his grip slack but possessive even in rest. I carefully slipped free, padding out to the kitchen for water.
I downed half a glass, my mind foggy, my body still humming faintly from everything. The knock on the door startled me, sharp and insistent. I blinked, setting the glass down, assuming Olivia must’ve come back early.
But when I opened it, it wasn’t Olivia at all.
"Sarah?" My voice lifted, surprised, then softened into something like relief. She stood there with her arms full of bags... crinkled takeout, boxes stacked, the smell of fried rice and noodles and sweet-sour chicken wafting up.
"Don’t just stand there," she said with a grin, shifting the weight in her arms. "These are about to cut off the circulation in my hands."
I laughed, stumbling forward to take some of the bags. "God, you could’ve texted—"
"I did," she shot back immediately, nudging the door shut behind her with her hip. "Like five times. Did you lose your phone again?"
I bit my lip, heat crawling up my cheeks. I had no idea where my phone even was... maybe buried in Kael’s discarded clothes. "Maybe," I said weakly, setting the bags down on the dining table.
Sarah rolled her eyes with mock exasperation, already pulling containers out of the bags, lining the table with enough food to feed an army. "You’re impossible. But lucky for you, I’m forgiving. Besides..." she glanced at me with a softer smile, "...I missed you. Do you have any idea how hard it is to track you down? Ash had to tell me you ran off to Spain with Kael of all people. Spain, Aria? Really?"
My chest pinched. Guilt settled deep, heavy, like a secret pressing against my ribs. I thought of the baby, of everything I hadn’t told her... of the fact that I had left my best friend in the dark about the worst and rawest parts of me.
"I’m sorry," I whispered, fiddling with one of the chopsticks she’d pulled free. "I didn’t mean to..." I didn’t finish. The words felt too heavy, too clumsy.
But Sarah only smiled, waving it off as she cracked open a box of dumplings. "Don’t. I get it. Life happens. And lucky for you, I got the day off work, so I decided to raid all our favorite places and buy enough junk to make us sick. We’re going to sit on your couch, stuff ourselves, and binge this new show I found."
For a moment, my throat tightened... a stupid, sentimental swell that reminded me of when everything used to be simple. When it was just me and her, laughing until our stomachs hurt, swearing the world couldn’t touch us.
And then I remembered. Kael. Still in my room. Still asleep.
As if summoned by the thought, his voice floated down the hallway, low and rough with sleep. "Aria?"
Sarah’s brows lifted, her eyes flicking toward the sound. My heart stopped.
And then Kael appeared, stepping out of my room shirtless, hair tousled, voice curling through the space again as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Where are you?"