Chapter 14 

PO 

The night of Naomi’s poetry reading finally arrived, and I’ll be honest-I’m not exactly what you’d call a poetry enthusiast. Give me a good political thriller or economic theory any day. But I came prepared because that’s what I do. I’d spent the better part of yesterday Googling Naomi, scrolling through her social media like some kind of literary stalker, and even skimming through her poems published online. 

That’s how I learned the juicy details about Elijah’s long-distance girlfriend-a rising tennis star from another university who’d been monopolizing his time since high school. The whole setup was perfect. Seduction was always more thrilling when it involved morally questionable stakes, and I couldn’t help but smirk at the challenge ahead. 

Everyone gathered at the meeting point as planned. Jake bounced on his heels with nervous energy, clearly excited to support his friend. A few other people from our study group clustered around, chatting about their expectations for the evening. And naturally, Gabriel was there too, standing slightly apart with that familiar watchful stance that I’d come to recognize as his default setting. 

Tonight, though, his stare felt different when our eyes met. Deeper, sharper, maybe even a little sad-or maybe I was just projecting my own complicated feelings onto him. Either way, something had shifted since our fight yesterday. 

Together, we made our way to the small coffee shop hosting the poetry event. The atmosphere hit me immediately-warm and cozy in that deliberately bohemian way that college venues always cultivated. The air smelled of roasted coffee beans and vanilla, small tables filled the intimate space, and soft chatter buzzed under the hum of anticipation. 

I slid into a seat next to Elijah, close enough that our shoulders brushed when I leaned forward. Strategic positioning, but also genuinely comfortable. Predictably, Gabriel took the chair on my other side, and I tried not to read too much into the way he seemed to be claiming territory. 

To everyone’s surprise, Gabriel leaned in and asked Elijah casually about Naomi’s poetry. “Is she planning to read the one about winter, or the one about the hidden garden?” 

Elijah shrugged, but I could see he was pleased by the unexpected attention. “Not sure. But nice to know someone did their research.” 

I held back a smirk. So, I wasn’t the only one who’d Googled her. Gabriel’s thoroughness shouldn’t have surprised me—it was probably just another part of his job to know about the people in my social circle. Still, something about the way he asked felt genuine, like he was actually interested rather than just gathering intel. 

When Naomi took the stage, it became immediately clear she was in a league of her own. She commanded the small space with a presence that seemed too big for someone barely out of high school. Her voice carried across the room with practiced confidence, and when she began reading her poem about forbidden love, it hit me straight in the chest. 

Each word, each calculated pause cut sharper than I’d expected. She talked about wanting what you couldn’t have, about the agony of hiding your true self, about love that existed in the 

between what was allowed and what was real. The parallels to my own situation were so obvious they felt like accusations. 

spaces 

When the applause echoed around the café, I glanced toward Gabriel, only to find him already watching me. His expression was unreadable, shadowed and intense, as he sipped his water with deliberate calm. The moment stretched between us, loaded with everything we weren’t 

saying. 

Later, Elijah introduced everyone to Naomi by the small stage. She smiled graciously, accepting 

She flowers and congratulations with the poise of someone who’d been performing for years. was smaller than I’d expected, with sharp intelligence in her dark eyes and an energy that seemed to vibrate just beneath her composed surface. 

I seized a moment to speak with her alone while the others clustered around the refreshment table. “That poem… what inspired it?” I asked, my voice lower, more genuine than I’d intended. 

Naomi’s eyes sparkled knowingly, and I got the distinct impression she could see right through me. “Some people don’t get to choose who they love,” she answered softly. “That doesn’t make the feeling any smaller.” 

433 

d 

The words hung between us, heavy with implication. I wondered if she’d noticed the tension radiating off Gabriel and me, if she’d picked up on the complicated dynamic that seemed to follow us everywhere. 

土 

Before the evening could settle into comfortable conversation, someone suggested continuing at a nearby bar. The group buzzed with agreement-everyone except Gabriel, who immediately reminded me of my schedule and my “expected behavior.” The words came out flat and professional, but I caught the edge underneath. 

Gabriel turned to me directly, his voice carrying just enough authority to make it clear this wasn’t a suggestion. “You need to get back. We have our morning run at six.” 

Of course. The fucking morning run. Our daily ritual of pretending everything was normal while we jogged around campus in tense silence. Annoying, but unavoidable. I sighed in defeat and made my excuses, following Gabriel toward the exit. The walk back toward the dorm was heavy with unspoken tension, our footsteps echoing off the empty sidewalks. 

Finally, Gabriel broke the silence. “I know what you’re planning with Elijah.” 

I froze, momentarily stunned. My first irrational thought was that Jake had somehow spilled the details-but that didn’t make sense. Jake was loyal to a fault, and besides, I’d been careful about what I’d shared with him. 

And then it hit me like a punch to the gut. The surveillance. There was a bug in our room. The bitter realization crashed down, smothering any hint of normalcy I’d managed to maintain. I never had privacy. Not here. Not anywhere. 

Outrage poured out of me like water through a broken dam. I spun around, ready to unload everything I’d been thinking about Gabriel, about his suffocating job, his loyalty to the crown, the damn microphones that turned even my private conversations into intelligence reports. 

But Gabriel stopped me with a quiet, deliberate request. “Don’t follow through with your plan to seduce Elijah.” 

I stood there, seething, my words tangled somewhere between outrage and disbelief. The casual way he’d said it, like he was asking me to pass the salt instead of demanding I abandon my own autonomy. I couldn’t decide which cut deeper-the surveillance or the quiet concern threaded through his voice, like this was about more than just royal protocols. 

“You’re spying on me in my own room,” I said, my voice shaking with barely controlled fury. “You’re listening to every conversation, every thought I share with the one person I trust.” 

“It’s not like that,” Gabriel said, but his voice lacked conviction. 

“Isn’t it?” I stepped closer, anger and something else—something dangerous—crackling between us. “You know every move I make before I make it. You know who I’m interested in, what I’m planning, how I’m feeling. You probably know things about me that I haven’t figured out yet.” 

His jaw clenched, and I could see the conflict playing out behind his eyes. “It’s my job to keep you safe.” 

“From what? From having normal relationships? From making my own choices?” My anger cracked, peeled back by the heat simmering beneath the surface. “Is that why you keep pushing me away? Because of… what this could be?” 

Gabriel’s lips parted, his gaze unreadable, shadowed with something sharp and dangerous. The air between us felt charged, electric with possibility and threat in equal measure. 

“That’s a dangerous question, Leo,” he murmured, his voice low and rough. “Are you sure you want to know?” 

And just like that, my pulse faltered, my frustration twisting itself into something far riskier. Something I wasn’t sure either of us could walk away from. The space between us felt like a live wire, humming with potential energy that could either light up the world or burn it down. 

I realized I was standing close enough to see the flecks of gold in his dark eyes, close enough to feel the heat radiating off his body. Close enough to make a choice that would change everything between us. 

End of