7:36 pm M A
Chapter 44
Chapter 44
EZ 65 vouchers
The morning mist still ching to the street. Fallen leaves, streaked gold and red, gleamed under a coat of dew.
Kayla tossed her backpack into the back seat. The chain on the zipper clinked sharply against the leather.
She was just about to climb in when she heard the soft crunch of wheels rolling over wet leaves. Looking up, she saw Davon pushing his bike through the fog.
His school uniform hung open at the chest, revealing a fresh T–shirt underneath–the very same one Kayla had once given him.
Kayla had a matching shirt. Back then, she’d bought them as a pair, hoping they could wear them together so anyone could tell they were a couple.
But no matter how much she coaxed, pleaded, or tried to charm him, Davon never wore his. He always acted like the idea of matching with her was embarrassing.
Kayla was hurt for weeks over it. And now, out of nowhere, he was wearing it. Kayla found it somehow disgusting.
She mused, ‘Guess I’ll toss mine in the trash after school. Just looking at it makes me sick.
“Hey, Kay. Morning.” Davon’s voice came low and casual.
He braked the bike with one foot, stopping three steps from the Bentley. His right hand fidgeted on the strap of his backpack, tugging at it unconsciously.
The sunlight cut across his jaw, lighting a face that always thought it was too good for everyone else. The smile on his lips looked glued in place–strained, awkward, the kind that was meant to look like warmth but only screamed condescension.
It was as if just greeting Kayla had cost him, as if he had been dragged into it unwillingly.
To Kayla, it felt like stepping in shit first thing in the morning. Revulsion crawled up her chest.
She ignored Davon’s so–called olive branch and didn’t even glance at him. Her face blank, she opened the car door and slid in.
The smile froze on Davon’s face. His throat bobbed hard as his Adam’s apple jerked up and down.
He had put himself to greet her first, and she brushed him off like he was nothing. The humiliation burned through him
hard.
All at once, Davon shot out his hand to block the rising window. His knuckles pressed white against the glass. His voice cracked, half angry, half desperate. “Kayla, I’m trying to make peace here. How long are you gonna drag this out?”
Funny. He still thinks I’m just throwing a tantrum? Where does he get the nerve?‘ Kayla thought with a cold smile.
But a moment later, her expression softened. She let her lashes dip, shadows falling like feathers beneath her eyes. Her voice came soft, laced with wounded sweetness. “And you’re already losing patience?”
Her fingers traced the indent in the leather seat as she added, “I remember last Christmas. You left me sitting in a café for four hours. The waiter refilled my cup seven times. My cashmere gloves got soaked from the condensation on the glass.”
Her voice sharpened, though her face still played up the hurt. “And when I upset you before, I begged you for two whole
months.
1/2
1:37 pm
Chapter 44
cpers
Tought you gift after gift just to get you to forgive me. I’ve only ignored you for a few days now, and you can’t handle in?
The memory of other moments pressed in, sharp as glass. Like that stormy day she waited outside the gym, holding an umbrella against the downpour. Rainwater ran down the umbrella, flooding her expensive shoes and soaking her socks.
Her ankle was swollen and purple, and Davon’s gym bag smacked right against it as he walked out laughing with his teammates. He didn’t even look at her, let alone show her any concern or apology.
AD
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