"Cage," he scoffed, tasting the word like it left a bitter aftertaste. We both stood in the hallway, his expression unreadable. "If my mother makes you feel trapped, that's on her, not me."

I rolled my eyes at his relentless arrogance and started walking away. All I wanted at that moment was to get some fresh air, to escape from everything, especially him.

"Why are you playing hard to get?" he shouted after me, his voice echoing down the hall. I froze mid-step and slowly turned back to him. ...