Chapter Twenty-Four
I was dozing into sleep when I heard the soft buzz of my phone. For a second, I thought it might be Justin, maybe forgetting something. But when I reached for my phone, the name on the screen made me blink.
Bryan.
I sat up immediately. “Hey. What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
His voice came low and tight, the way it got when he was trying to not sound like he was upset. “Can you pick me up?”
I scrambled to my feet, trying to get my brain into gear as I remembered where my keys were. “Where?”
“My place,” he said. “They...took my keys.”
My stomach twisted. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah. Long story. I’ll be outside.”
The line went dead before I could ask anything else.
Bryan lived in the wealthy area in Feydelle, where generational wealth took root and every mansion was surrounded by massive lawns, impeccable landscaping, and large gates to get on the property.
Even from the street, his parents’ house looked like a magazine photo with the perfect lawn and perfect lighting.
The creation of a perfect lie that I knew about all too well.
I parked and watched my surroundings. The street was quiet, streetlights making it dim lighting instead of pitch blackness. Instead of making me feel better, it only made me more paranoid. Anything outside of lit areas suddenly became a spot filled with dangers.
I sighed and texted Bryan, letting him know I was outside and then stared at his house. It was only a minute later when I saw movement off in the distance. It looked like curtains shifting on the first floor, off to the right.
And then Bryan was climbing out of the window.
He landed with a soft thud, crouched low, and then jogged toward the gate, glancing over his shoulder like someone in a spy movie. When he slipped through the narrow side gap and reached the car, I was half ready to applaud.
“You’re ridiculous,” I said as he climbed in, breathless. It was almost funny how careful and chaotic he looked at the same time, his dark hair tousled, hoodie half-zipped, backpack looking like it might even be empty.
He grinned faintly, his cheeks flushed from the cold and adrenaline. “You love it.”
Before I could reply, the front door of the house opened. His dad slipped out and even with the distance, I could see his fury radiating off him. There was too much potential in those stiff shoulders and clenched fists.
Bryan froze halfway to buckling his seatbelt, hesitating as he realized he had been caught. The jig was up.
“Don’t,” I said. “Just don’t.”
He blinked at me. “Cadence—”
I glared at his dad through the windshield.
He stood there, crossing his arms and I swore the light hanging by the door highlighted his features.
He was definitely glaring back. I didn’t know all the details, but I heard it in Bryan’s voice.
And I could see it in his face now. The exhaustion, the guilt, the fear all bundled inside of him.
My jaw tightened. “You don’t have to explain yourself to them.”
He turned to look at me, startled by my response. Slowly, a small smile tugged at his mouth. “You look like you’re about to go fight him.”
“I am.”
He laughed, a short, real sound that melted the tension just enough. “Don’t tempt me. I might actually let you.”
“Try me.”
His grin widened, and he sank back into the seat as I pulled away from the curb.
It only took moments before his phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his hoodie pocket. We were at a red light, so before he could do anything else, I reached over and grabbed it, quickly sending a text off.
Consider your son kidnapped.
“What?” He snatched it back and looked at the screen. As the light turned green and I started driving, he broke out in booming laughter. “Oh shit, you’re going to get us in trouble.”
I smirked at him, proud of myself. “But am I wrong?”
He took in a breath only to start again when his phone buzzed and he looked down at the response.
“Oh man, I’m screenshotting this and sharing it with the guys,” he mumbled, wiping at his face.
I pretended not to notice the tears that were falling, knowing it came from more than just laughing too hard. It was all his emotions that had been bundled up too long finally finding a release.
We drove in silence for a while. The roads were empty, the world hushed.
Streetlights flashed over us in intervals.
Bryan was staring out the window, his head resting against it.
I almost thought he even fell asleep until he grabbed his phone and responded to something. I had no doubt it was from his parents.
“Want to tell me what happened?” I asked.
He let out a slow breath. “Early applications.”
“You got accepted into one.”
“Well, there’s more. All submitted by my parents. Some of them I didn’t even know about. And two of them said yes.”
I blinked. “That’s...Bryan, that’s huge.”
“It’s not what I want.” His voice cracked slightly.
“I didn’t apply to those schools. I don’t want anything to do with my parents’ plans.
I did get into the school I do want. I got into the cybersecurity program.
It’s perfect and it’s close enough to here.
My parents dug through my stuff and they know.
They were threatening me, said if I accept that one, they’re cutting me off. No funding. No car. No nothing.”
I glanced at him, my heart heavy. I was lucky.
I didn’t have anyone I had to report to anymore.
No parents waiting to check my grades to make sure they were perfect or make sure my choices aligned with theirs.
But Bryan had always lived under that kind of scrutiny, that constant control disguised as love.
Most of the time, his parents didn’t care what he did unless it affected their reputation and the family name.
Then suddenly, his whole life became their business plan.
“So what are you going to do?” I asked.
He grabbed his glasses and focused a little too hard on cleaning the lenses. “I don’t know. I just need to breathe.”
“You can stay at my place tonight.”
“Cadence, I didn’t mean—”
“I know,” I stopped him. “It’s okay.”
Back at my house, Bryan stepped inside and dropped his bag by the door, his eyes roaming over the familiar space like he was seeing it for the first time.
He’d been here plenty of times before with the movie nights, study sessions, random hangouts, but tonight, he stood there a little longer.
His shoulders loosened, the tension in his jaw easing as his eyes swept over the quiet living room, the dim light spilling from the lamp, the faint hum of the heater.
It hit me then.
He looked at my house like it was safe.
That realization was strange because this place had never really been that for me.
It had been a shelter, sure, but not a safe one.
Especially after when the Ryder gang broke into my house and forced me to jump out the window and escape to Seth’s house.
Bryan redid my entire security system afterward, but it never felt the same.
When I needed that feeling of comfort and safety, I had always stayed at Seth’s house instead.
But now Bryan stood there like the weight of the world that had crashed on his shoulders had eased just a little.
He exhaled slowly. “This is the quiet I’ve been looking for.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. My throat tightened, my chest warming in a way I didn’t know how to handle. “You’re always welcomed here. As long as you need.”
He gave me a crooked smile. “You look tired.”
I let out a small laugh. “It’s nearly two in the morning. Let’s get some sleep. You aren’t looking so good yourself either.” I nodded toward the stairs. “Let’s make sure you don’t break your neck trying to sleep on the couch.”
Before going up, Bryan made sure I was properly locked up and the lights were off. Upstairs, my room was dim, the blanket tossed back from my scramble out of bed. Bryan stopped by the doorway, looking around like the space was new to him.
I realized he’d never been in my room before. Not really. Not like this.
He hesitated, suddenly shy. “You sure this is okay?”
I nodded. “You need somewhere safe, remember?”
He exhaled through his nose and set his phone on the nightstand before sitting on my bed. The bed dipped slightly under his weight. He stilled, his hands resting on his knees as he fidgeted with the edge of his sleeves.
“Bryan?” I stepped in front of him.
He looked up at me, his eyes soft but tired and before I could ask if he was all right, he reached forward and wrapped his arms around my waist. The sudden pull made me inhale sharply, but I didn’t stop him.
He rested his head against my stomach, his forehead pressing into my shirt. His arms tightened just enough to say don’t move yet.
I buried my hands into his silky hair, slipping through the soft strands as I stood there, feeling the weight of him.
Then slowly, he looked up, his chin brushing my ribs, eyes meeting mine.
There was something unguarded in his expression, full of need and heat that left me feeling a little breathless.
He tugged gently at my hand until I was on the bed with him, half on his lap. He still didn’t let me go, drawing me closer until I was against him, his hands at my hips, his forehead pressed against mine.
And then, without rush or question, he kissed me. It was soft, searching, and careful. The kind of kiss that came from needing comfort. His hand slipped up my back, sending a shiver through me.
When he finally pulled back, his breath trembled against my lips. “You should sleep,” he murmured.
I swallowed hard, my voice quiet. “And you?”
He brushed his thumb along my cheek. “I want to hold you. Just for tonight.”
We moved further into the bed until we were lying together, the warmth of his body a slow, steady comfort against the cold night. His arm draped over my waist, and I felt the faint rise and fall of his chest, letting it steady my own breathing until I fell asleep.