Nia's POV

“Whoa!” a voice said, low and smooth, “You okay?”

I swallowed hard, my neck already hurting from how high I raised my head to look at him, my heart almost stopping at the sight of him. Leo Kent. His face was a little blur from the tears that had clouded my eyes, but I knew Leo Kent when I saw him. Anyone would. His ocean eyes, his jaw that seemed to be perfectly sculpted on the seventh day of creation because the creator definitely took time in creating him. His blue eyes were dim. Empty. Like he was bored to be here, but I couldn’t look away. I was certain if someone called and asked my name right now, I wouldn't be able to answer.

Did I really just meet the infamous Leo Kent?

For a moment I forgot about my swelling chest that was about to burst with overwhelming pain.

Cleo would scream if she ever heard I met him.

Then, he scoffed and his dim eyes hardened as he rolled his eyes and tilted his head. The subtle shift caused me to catch a whiff of his scent— fresh salt water, and something like citrus. It was intoxicating in a good kinda way because for a second, the horrible taste of chlorine and heartbreak was stuck in my throat and chest suddenly seemed to dissolve.

“You should watch where you're going,” he hissed softly, not cruelly, but as if I was another major inconvenience that he had to deal with at the moment. His hands never loosened their grip on me, but I could feel the slight push from his fingers. A dismissal.

My vision suddenly cleared at his words and a rush of anger surged through me. This was another man… another dismissal, another person telling me I was in the way. I was already overstimulated from what happened with Carl. So I did the most rational thing anybody in my situation would do. Snap.

“Next time,” I snapped through clenched teeth. “Maybe don't stand in the middle of the walkway like some stone wall. It’s a walkway you see, not a stage to display your masculinity ”I blurted I didn’t even think of what I had said. It just came out of me…from someone who had taken too many hits today.

A flicker of something unreadable flashed through his eyes. Annoyance? Amusement? I had no idea, before his expression settled into a cool, challenging stare. He opened his mouth to say something, maybe to retort, but then a different voice cut through the air.

“Nia! What the hell are you doing?”

It sounded like Carl. His voice cut through the air, laced with possessive anger. It was ironic because that voice I listened to whenever I couldn’t sleep now felt like fingers scratching against the wall. I whipped my head around, with me still in Leo's embrace. Carl stood a few feet away, his chest heaving, anger plastered on his face.

“I was talking to you,” Carl said, taking a step forward, his voice dropping, trying to enforce some sort of authority. “You just ran off like a crazy person. What is wrong with you? I was trying to explain—”

“Explain what, Carl?” I spat, the word like poison on my tongue. My voice cracked, betraying the anger I was trying to hold back. “Explain how you’re embarrassed by me? Explain how I’m a ‘nobody’?” The words were out before I could stop them, not even caring I was in front of many people. In someone else's arms.

Carl flinched, his eyes darting around, as if to check if there were people that mattered around, then to Leo Kent who stood silently in front of me, a dark, unreadable expression on his face.

“Nia, come on. Don’t do this. I didn’t mean it like that,” Carl said, lowering his voice softly, but I didn't miss that undercurrent of manipulation in his voice. He took another step, extending a hand as if to touch my arm. “You’re just upset. We can talk about this later. Away from all of... this.” He gestured vaguely at Leo, implying I was making a scene, implying I was out of control, implying he was the victim here.

Pure, hot rage surged through me. He was trying to put me down, to minimise what he had done. He wanted to gaslight me and paint me as the irrational girlfriend who was jealous or unhappy of his newfound fame. His words echoed in my head again. ‘You're not part of this world,’ ‘You're a nobody,’ ‘You're with me because I'm going places—” It all replayed in my brain, opening a fresh wound in my chest. My heart clenched and I clenched tighter to Leo's shirt. He was so good…so good at twisting situations, making me feel like I was the problem.

I let go of Leo who stood there quietly, watching the scene unfold. His face blank and void of emotions. I stepped forward, facing Carl.

“No,” I whispered, then louder, firmer, “No, Carl. We’re not talking about anything later. There is no later.” My heart thundered against my ribs. I wanted to hurt him, just as deeply as he had hurt me. I wanted to wipe that smug, entitled smirk off his face and replace it with something akin to the humiliation I was feeling.

I felt Leo Kent’s presence beside me, still, watchful. He hadn't moved an inch. He was just observing, like an impassive stranger caught in the crossfire of my crumbling relationship, which he was.

And then, a thought, reckless and desperate, exploded in my mind. A way to reclaim some control, some dignity, to shatter his perfect image…I was going to show him he meant nothing, that he could be replaced, he needed to see he had lost me for good or so I thought.

My eyes met Leo Kent’s. His gaze was intense, unblinking, like he was waiting for me to make my next move. He was a perfect stranger, a clean slate, a defiant middle finger to Carl and his petty world. I didn't know him, he didn't know me personally.

“Come on, baby. Let's go ho—”

My nose flared as he came closer and reached for my hand. I didn't want him to touch me. I didn't want anything to do with him. I stepped away from him before he could reach me, and without any hesitation, I grabbed Leo Kent’s shirt. My fingers fisted in the wet fabric over his chest. I stood on my toes, leaning in, pulling him down to my height, inhaling that clean, ocean-citrus scent. I shut my eyes and without thinking, I placed my lips on his.

He froze for a second, and then later, he wrapped his hands around me. I could feel the hesitation in his touch, but at that moment, I didn’t care. Not until I felt I had enough and pulled back, grabbed Leo by his hand and then shot Carl a sharp glare filled with not enough hate to betray how deep I felt it in my heart. As we walked away all I could say was thank you to the stranger I had just kissed, for not pushing me away and adding to my humiliation.

As soon as I walked past Carl with Leo's hand in mine and we had rounded up to a deserted corner, he yanked his hand away from me like I disgusted him, his eyes filled with contempt.

“How dare you?” His voice was cold.