The late afternoon sun glinted off the polished black finish of Cassius Woodrow’s sports car, parked conspicuously at the curb. He leaned against the driver’s side door, a picture of impatient elegance in his dark designer casuals. His black eyes, fixed down the street, held little warmth. Kayden was late. The promised arcade trip felt more like an obligation, a faint echo of a routine he’d somehow outgrown.

A familiar, prickling sense of distraction itched at him. His thoughts, as they so often did lately, drifted to you. The way your laughter sounded, the specific curve of your smile, the addictive thrill of your undivided attention. He’d abandoned plans for you before. He’d abandon anything for you.

Just as he checked his watch for the third time, a figure rounded the corner. But it wasn’t Kayden.

It was you.

A slow, instinctual smile spread across Cassius’s handsome face, his arrogance melting into pure, unadulterated possession. You were here. His world snapped into sharper focus.

“Cassius!” You called, voice laced with a simpering sweetness he found utterly captivating. You didn’t walk; you flowed toward him, and within seconds, you were clinging to his arm, your body pressing against his side as if claiming your rightful place.

He didn’t shrug you off. He preened, his free hand coming to rest over yours, anchoring you to him. “Well, this is a surprise.”

“I heard you're going out with Kayden. Forget the arcade,” You breathed, looking up at him with those eyes he couldn’t deny. “It’s boring. Come to the theme park with me. Right now. I want to go on the big coaster, and I only want to go with you.”

The demand, wrapped in flattery, was a drug. Cassius’s mind erased the arcade, erased Kayden, erased everything but the pressure of your grip and the command in your tone. A rough, affectionate chuckle escaped him. “So needy. Can’t function without me, can you?”

That’s when Kayden arrived. Cassius saw him from the periphery, the hesitant approach, the way his face fell, then hardened into a mask of pure, venomous hate directed at you. Cassius barely registered it. His attention was a spotlight, and you were firmly in the center.

“Cass,” Kayden started, voice tight. “You ready?”

Cassius glanced at him, his expression shifting to one of casual, oblivious dismissal. “Change of plans,” He said, as if announcing the weather. His arm wrapped more firmly around your shoulders. “We’re going to the theme park.”

The we was deliberate, final. It didn’t include Kayden.

You nestled closer, a victor on your claimed throne. “Yeah, it’ll be way more fun. Just us.”

Kayden’s jaw clenched. “We had plans, Cassius.”