Chapter 24 Micah
Micah
I sit at the kitchen table in Kellan's home, staring at the money in my bank account on my phone screen.
The numbers don't make sense, refuse to compute no matter how many times I refresh the banking app.
I keep counting the zeroes, losing track of them because it doesn't make sense they would pay this much just for my secrecy and participation in a fake relationship.
The payment hit my account this morning, a direct deposit with a reference number that means nothing to me.
But the amount is staggering. Enough to pay off all the late bills that have been crushing me for the past month.
Enough to cover my phone bill for the rest of the year.
Enough to put a significant dent in the medical debt that's been keeping me up at night.
I've already transferred the money to pay everything off, watching numbers disappear from various accounts as debts get cleared.
My mortgage is current for the first time in six weeks.
The electric company won't be sending disconnect notices anymore.
The collection agency that's been calling three times a day can finally be told the debt is satisfied.
It's surreal, this sudden financial stability after drowning for so long.
Part of me feels guilty, like I'm profiting off something that's becoming increasingly real.
The contract might say this is a business arrangement, but the way Kellan kissed me this morning, the way he looked at me with those desperate eyes last night, the way he holds me like I might disappear if he lets go—none of that feels fake.
I need someone to talk to, someone who knows the truth and can give me perspective. I pull up Jamie's number and call him, pressing the phone to my ear as it rings.
"Hey! How's city life treating you?" Jamie answers on the second ring, his voice cheerful.
"It's complicated." I lean back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. "I think we’re going to make it a real thing. Kellan and me. He keeps saying things about not wanting it to end, about finding a way around the contract."
"That's great!" Jamie's enthusiasm bleeds through the phone. "I knew there was something there. You don't look at someone the way you look at him unless it's real."
"But I'm worried it might ruin everything he's worked for," I admit, voicing the fear that's been growing since this morning's conversation.
"His career, his band, his image. Tom controls everything and if Kellan goes against him, there could be serious consequences.
I don't want to be the reason his life falls apart. "
"Let whatever happens need to happen," Jamie says firmly. "You can't control everything, Micah. Kellan will make it work if he wants it to. If it's meant to be, you'll find a way. And if it's not, at least you'll know you tried instead of wondering what if for the rest of your life."
The words settle something in my chest, makes the anxiety ease slightly. "When did you get so wise?"
"I've always been wise. You just never listened before." Jamie laughs. "Text me later and let me know how things go. And seriously, if you need anything, I'm just a phone call away."
We hang up and I feel a little lighter, like sharing the burden made it more manageable. I'm still staring at my phone, rereading the bank balance that seems too good to be true, when I hear the front door slam open.
Kellan comes stalking in, his expression thunderous and his scent overwhelming. Sweet rum floods the apartment, so potent it makes my head spin. He moves with purpose, crossing the kitchen in quick strides. Without a word, he pulls out my chair from the table and leans down to kiss me.
The kiss is desperate and claiming, his lips hot against mine. His hands frame my face, holding me in place as he pours everything he can't say into the contact. I hum into the kiss, my good hand coming up to grip his shirt and anchor him closer.
When he finally pulls back, we're both breathing hard. "What's going on? Did something happen at practice?"
"The timetable has moved." Kellan's voice is rough, angry. "Some bullshit about Tom wanting us to break up next week instead of in three weeks. He says it fits better with the album narrative, the songs about heartbreak and moving on."
I tense, my grip tightening on his shirt. "Next week? That's only a few days away."
"I can't do it, Micah." Kellan's eyes are wild, desperate. "I can't pretend to break up with you and go back to my life like nothing happened. This became real somewhere along the way and I don't know how to fake it ending."
"How do we get out of this?" My mind races, trying to find a solution that doesn't exist. "Is there anything in the contract that protects us? Any clause we can use?"
"I'm not sure how, but fuck..." Kellan pulls back slightly, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Liam said I'm still in rut. That's why I left practice early. I need you, need to be close to you. But I also want to fix this mess before Tom makes it worse."
He crouches down beside my chair, bringing us to eye level. "I don't think I can lose you after next weekend. The thought of it makes me feel physically ill. Like something vital is being ripped away before I'm ready."
Guilt floods through me as I think about the money sitting in my account, money I've already spent paying off debts.
Money that was supposed to last three weeks but now might only cover one.
"We'll figure something out. There has to be a way to make it official, to turn this fake arrangement into something real that Tom can't touch. "
"And we have to do the social media live tonight," Kellan continues, his expression pained. "Show everyone we're a couple, answer questions, sell the whole romantic story. Tom wants it done by seven."
"No one will believe this." I shake my head. "The timetable is too fast. We only met a few days ago. People aren't stupid."
"I wish that were the case." Kellan's laugh is bitter.
"But I've never had a relationship last longer than a week.
I used to post about them constantly, quick flings that burned hot and fast then fizzled out.
So it's not out of the realm of possibility that I'd fall fast for someone.
The fans will buy it because it fits my pattern. "
The admission makes something in my chest ache.
A week. That's all his relationships have ever lasted, these brief intense connections that couldn't sustain themselves.
And now we're supposed to build something real in that same timeframe, somehow make it strong enough to survive Tom's manipulation.
"Okay." I take a breath, centering myself. "When do you want to do this live video?"
"Now." Kellan stands, pulling me up with him. "Get it over with so we can focus on figuring out the rest. And then I want to hold you as we go to sleep. Just exist together without the pressure of performance or expectations."
"Just sleep?" I raise an eyebrow, seeing the way his eyes darken at the suggestion.
Kellan laughs, the sound rough and wanting. "Maybe more. Depends on how the rut behaves and if you're up for it after the emotional exhaustion of tonight."
He leans in for a sweet kiss, softer than the desperate claiming from earlier. This one is about comfort, about connection beyond the physical. When he pulls back, he gestures toward the living room.
"Come on. Let's get this over with."
Kellan gets his laptop set up on the coffee table, angling it so the camera will capture both of us on the couch.
He logs into his social media account and I watch the interface load, see the notification count in the thousands.
His follower count is staggering, hundreds of thousands of people who care about his life and opinions.
"Ready?" Kellan looks at me, giving me one last chance to back out.
"As I'll ever be." I settle onto the couch beside him, close enough that our thighs touch.
Kellan starts the live stream and immediately comments start flooding in, scrolling too fast to read. The viewer count climbs rapidly, hundreds then thousands of people tuning in to see what Kellan Hayes has to say.
"Hey everyone!" Kellan's public persona slides into place, that charming bad boy smile that's become his trademark. "Thanks for joining me tonight. I wanted to introduce you all properly to someone important."
He gestures to me and I try not to look as nervous as I feel. "This is Micah. My boyfriend."
The comments explode with reactions. Heart emojis, crying emojis, people expressing shock and excitement. Questions flood in asking how we met, how long we've been together, what I do for work.
Kellan reads through some of the questions and I fall into step beside him, the interaction feeling surprisingly natural.
We talk about meeting at the charity gala, how he saved my life after my fall.
How we couldn't stop thinking about each other afterward.
We keep it vague enough to be believable while hitting all the romantic beats Tom would want.
"I saw him that day and something just clicked," Kellan says, his arm sliding around my shoulders. "Couldn't get him out of my head no matter how hard I tried. And trust me, I tried. Thought it was just trauma bonding or whatever. But then we met again and it was like everything made sense."
"He's nothing like I expected," I add, the words coming easier because they're true. "Sweet and thoughtful under all the tattoos and attitude. Makes me laugh even when I don't want to. Takes care of me in ways I didn't know I needed."
Kellan turns to look at me and the expression on his face is so tender it makes my chest tight.
Then he kisses me, right there on camera for thousands of people to see.
The kiss is soft and genuine, nothing performed about it.
Just two people who care about each other sharing a moment of connection.
When we pull apart, Kellan grins at the camera. "I think I need to spend the rest of the evening with my boyfriend. Thanks for tuning in, everyone. More updates to come."
He closes the laptop before the comments can overwhelm us, cutting off the connection to his fans. The silence that follows is deafening after the chaos of the live stream.
"That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," I admit.
"You're a natural." Kellan sets the laptop aside. "Didn't even seem nervous."
"Oh, I was terrified." I laugh. "But you made it easy. Made it feel real even though we were performing."
"Maybe because it is real." Kellan's voice drops lower. "Maybe we're not performing anymore."
I drag him into a kiss, this one deeper and hungrier than what we showed the cameras. My tongue slides against his and he groans into my mouth, his hands coming up to grip my hair. The kiss turns filthy, all tongue and teeth and desperation.
"Bed," I mumble against his lips. "Now."
Kellan pulls back, his eyes dark with want. "I'd throw you over my shoulder and carry you to the bedroom all romantic-like, but your ribs..."
I laugh at the image, at this Alpha wanting to sweep me off my feet literally. "No bother. Let me."
I stand up, testing my balance and core strength. My ribs protest but it's manageable. I struggle a bit without putting all the pressure on my cast arm, but I manage to position myself properly. Then I throw Kellan over my shoulder in a fireman's carry, his weight distributed across my good side.
"What the fuck!" Kellan laughs, the sound surprised and delighted. "Put me down!"
"Nope." I start walking toward the bedroom, carrying a fully grown Alpha like it's nothing. "You wanted romantic. This is romantic."
"This is ridiculous." But he's still laughing, his hands gripping my shirt for balance.
I carry him through the doorway and deposit him on the bed with more grace than expected. He bounces slightly, grinning up at me with an expression of pure joy. His hair is messed up from the carry and his shirt has ridden up, exposing a strip of tattooed skin.
"That was definitely something." Kellan reaches for me, pulling me down onto the bed beside him.