OFF LIMITS
Chapter Three – Torn Strings and Tension Sparks
Leah:
Daniel's laughter died the moment he saw us.
The drinks in his hands—two cans of soda and a bowl of chips—clattered onto the table as he narrowed his eyes at Kingsley, then at me. I could almost hear his heartbeat pounding louder than the music.
"We were just talking," I said quickly, too quickly. I promise you babe….. I whispered trying to go close.
My voice cracked under the weight of it.
Kurt stood awkwardly by the door, shifting his feet, sensing the storm brewing in the air.
Daniel strode forward, his jaw clenched tight. He didn't say a word as he grabbed my wrist, not rough, but firm. "Come."
"Daniel—"
"I said come, Leah."
I glanced at Kingsley, who hadn't moved. His eyes were darker than I remembered, and he didn't even flinch as Daniel pulled me past him. But just as we reached the hallway, I felt another hand close around my other wrist.
Kingsley.
"What are you doing?" Daniel growled, spinning around.
"You're not just going to drag her off like that," Kingsley said evenly. "Are you angry because you think we were doing something.
"Oh, shut the hell up," Daniel snapped. "You think I didn't see how you looked at her? You've been eyeing her like a goddamn hawk since day one."
"And you've been showing her off like a trophy ever since," Kingsley countered. "But trophies break when you don't treat them right."
My breath hitched. "Stop it! Both of you!"
They were too far gone. Tension spiraled in the air like thick smoke, suffocating and electric.
"Leah, who do you want to be with right now?" Daniel's voice was hoarse. "Me or him?"
I froze, caught in the spotlight of that question, every nerve in my body on edge.
"I don't want to do this now," I said quietly. "I'm tired."
"That's not an answer," Daniel said, and his voice cracked this time. Real pain. Real jealousy.
Kingsley stepped away, folding his arms like he was protecting himself from something invisible. "Let her go, man. If she wanted you, she'd have already been walking with you."
Daniel turned to him like he was about to throw a punch—but I moved between them just in time.
"I'm going home," I said, brushing past them both, heart pounding so fast I thought it might explode.
"I'll take you," they both said in unison.
That was the final straw.
"No. Neither of you."
I stormed out of the house, ignoring their voices calling after me.
The night was cold, it was raining. I didn't care.
My thoughts were louder than anything around me.
Kingsley was right.
Daniel was right.
And I was caught in a storm of my own making.
My clothes soaked through in seconds, but I kept walking. Away from the heat. Away from the noise. Away from them.
Behind me, I could hear their voices, Daniel yelling my name, but the rain drowned them out, matching the chaos inside my chest.
Back inside the house, Daniel stood at the window, fists clenched. He watched the rain pour heavier and heavier, but didn't move.
"Are you going after her?" Kurt asked, already slipping on his jacket.
"She'll be fine," Daniel muttered, though his voice cracked with doubt. "She knows her way home."
"Man, she's out there. Alone. In this storm."
Daniel stared at his phone, trying to call her again.
Voicemail.
Another text: Leah, please. Just tell me you're okay.
Still nothing.
Kingsley didn't wait another second. "Let's go."
Kurt followed him without another word, both of them bolting into the rain like it didn't matter. Because it didn't.
Not if Leah was out there crying alone.
**
As fate would have it, they found her.
Curled under a tree near her house, drenched and shivering, arms wrapped tightly around herself as though trying to hold her heart together.
"Leah!" Kurt called.
Kingsley rushed forward before Kurt could move. He didn't say a word. He just knelt, gently scooped her up into his arms like she was something fragile, something precious.
She didn't resist.
Not a word.
Only silent tears trailing down her soaked cheeks.
**
Back at Kurt's place, they took her straight to his room.
She needed warmth. Dry clothes. Rest.
Kingsley laid her gently on the bed, pulling the blanket over her while Kurt stood at the door watching, arms folded.
"So…" Kurt said after a long silence, as they stepped out of the room. "Are you going to tell me what's really going on between you and Leah?"
Kingsley leaned against the wall, running a hand through his damp hair.
"There's nothing," he said with a tight chuckle. "She's not my type."
Kurt raised a brow. "You're joking, right?"
"No," Kingsley said flatly. "I like loud girls. Troublemakers. Leah's too… soft. Emotional."
Unknown to both of them, Leah stood behind the door—barefoot, in Kurt's oversized hoodie, still damp. She'd only come out to grab a towel… until she heard her name.
Now she stood frozen.
Hurt tightening around her chest again.
Her fingers gripped the edge of the door.
Not his type?
Too soft?
Her heart, still fragile, cracked a little more.
And just when she was about to return to the bed, trying to forget she heard anything, Kurt asked:
"You sure? 'Cause the way you looked at her in that room… that wasn't someone looking at 'just a friend.'"
Kingsley was silent for a long moment.
Then he said something Leah wasn't prepared to hear.
"Even if I just don't want her …
Leah's breath caught.
What…..
Silently, she turned back into the room. Her eyes drifted to the old wooden window—the same one she and Kurt used to sneak in and out of as kids, back when they'd climb the mango tree outside and use it as their secret path.
The rain had slowed to a drizzle. The streets were empty. The house was quiet.
With quiet determination, she slipped on Kurt's hoodie properly, pulled the window open, and vanished into the night—unseen.
**
When Kingsley returned to the room a few minutes later, he stopped in his tracks.
The blanket lay folded.
The bed was empty.
"Leah?" he called.
No answer.
He looked around the room, then rushed to the hallway.
"Kurt!"
They both checked the bathroom, the kitchen—every room.
Gone.
Their panic built until Kurt's phone buzzed in his palm.
One new message from Leah:
Don't worry. I'm home safe. Just needed air.
Kurt read it twice, jaw tight. Kingsley peered over his shoulder, heart still racing.
"She left?" he asked.
Kurt nodded slowly. "Through the window, probably."
Kingsley ran a hand over his face. "Damn."
Kurt looked toward the closed window and muttered, "We used to sneak out through there when we were kids. Thought she forgot about it."
But clearly… she hadn't.