Kai and Miles sat together in the café, the warm aroma of coffee lingering between them. Suddenly, Miles' phone buzzed on the table. It was a call from Ethan.
Kai smirked teasingly as Miles answered.
"Hey, where are you?" Ethan's voice came through the line.
"I'm at the café. I'll send you the location," Miles replied softly.
"Alright. I'll be there soon," Ethan said before hanging up.
Miles set his phone down, his cheeks slightly flushed. Kai raised an eyebrow, grinning.
"So… are you two officially together now?" he asked with a playful nudge.
Miles glanced away shyly but gave a small nod.
Kai laughed. "Oh wow. That's awesome! I'm happy for you both."
Miles smiled, trying to hide how giddy he felt.
"To celebrate," Kai added, "let's hit the club tonight. My treat!"
Miles shook his head. "No way. When you're drunk, you're impossible to handle."
Kai raised an eyebrow, grinning. "Look who's talking."
"I'm serious," Miles said, trying to keep a straight face. "We really need to control our drinking."
Kai laughed and leaned back in his chair. "Says the crying baby who kept calling me his only best friend."
Miles groaned and covered his face. "Don't remind me…"
After some time, Ethan walked into the café. Without hesitation, he hugged Miles from behind and placed a quick kiss on his cheek.
Kai's eyes widened. "Uh—hello? Don't you see me sitting right here?"
Ethan chuckled. "Hi, Kai."
Kai looked out the window and smirked. "The weather's sweet today, but I wonder why it suddenly feels even sweeter."
Miles blushed and gently pushed Ethan away. "Okay, okay, that's enough."
"I was just kissing my lover," Ethan said with a playful grin.
Kai rolled his eyes. "Oh, carry on then. Don't mind me."
Ethan laughed. "By the way, Bast's here too. He just stepped outside to answer a call."
At the mention of Bast, Kai's expression changed. His smile faded and he suddenly grew quiet.
Miles noticed and turned to Ethan. "Wait... Bast came with you?"
Ethan nodded casually. "Yeah, he came to pick Kai up."
Just then, Bast walked into the café. His eyes immediately found Miles.
"How are you feeling today, Miles?" he asked kindly.
Miles smiled politely. "I'm okay, thank you for asking."
Bast gave a small nod, then turned to Kai. "Kai, let's go. We need to talk."
Kai stood up, keeping his voice steady. "Sorry, I have a date. I need to go."
Bast stepped forward, his tone firm. "I said we need to talk, Kai."
But Kai didn't look back. He simply grabbed his bag and walked out of the café, ignoring him.
Frustrated, Bast followed and caught up with him outside. Without a word, he grabbed Kai's wrist and pulled him toward the car.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Kai snapped, trying to shake off his hand.
Inside the café, Miles looked toward the door, confused. "What's going on?"
Ethan placed a hand on Miles' shoulder and said with a smirk, "Let's focus on ourselves right now. We should go home."
Miles blinked. "What do you mean?"
Ethan leaned closer, his smile deepening. "What do you think I mean?"
Miles hesitated, cheeks turning pink.
Ethan chuckled softly and whispered, "Let's go."
Adrian sat silently in the passenger seat while Bast drove with a calm exterior—but his eyes, hard and restless, gave away the storm inside.
Adrian finally broke the silence. "What do you even want? Why are you acting like this?"
Bast didn't answer. The rest of the drive was tense, thick with unspoken words.
When they arrived at the house, Bast got out and, without hesitation, pulled Kai inside.
Kai yanked his arm free. "Why are you doing this? Why do you keep acting like you're my father?" He glared, hurt flashing in his eyes. "You're not my father!"
Bast stopped. His expression cracked as he shouted back, "You're right! I'm not your father—and I never wanted to be!"
Kai froze, shocked by the outburst.
Bast's voice trembled now, softer but filled with raw emotion. "Why do you always keep your distance from me? No matter how hard I try to get close, you shut me out."
Kai clenched his jaw. "After everything that happened between us… how am I supposed to act normal?"
Bast stepped closer, his voice barely above a whisper. "Yeah… after everything. I know."
Without another word, Bast closed the space between them and pressed his lips against Kai's—rough, desperate, aching with years of restrained emotion.
Kai's eyes widened in shock. He immediately pushed Bast away. "What the hell are you doing?" he snapped, but his voice trembled.
Bast didn't let go. He grabbed Kai's wrist and pulled him close again, locking their lips together in a deep, passionate kiss. It was intense—too intense.
Kai struggled at first, trying to resist. But Bast's arms held him firmly, not forcefully, just… desperately, like he was afraid to lose him again.
Kai's body tensed, heart racing, but something inside him was breaking. Melting.
He didn't understand it—this whirlwind of emotions flooding him. He wanted to hate Bast. He wanted to scream. But his lips didn't pull away this time.
His heart pounded against his ribs as Bast whispered softly against his mouth, "You feel it too… don't you?"
Kai stood frozen, breath shaky, eyes clouded with confusion and longing.