Page 42 of Where Your Scars Meet Mine
“What word would you use?” I ask, letting the question linger between us.
Kadin studies me for a second longer, his expression softening into something thoughtful rather than crude. The music thunders through the walls, bass pulsing under our feet, but his focus doesn’t waver.
“Unexpected,” he says finally. “Not in a bad way. Just… different.”
The way he says it doesn’t feel rehearsed. His eyes dip briefly, tracing the lines of my outfit before returning to my face, not greedy, just appreciative.
“In class, you’re intense,” he continues. “You argue like you actually care about the material. You don’t just talk to hear yourself talk. It’s kind of refreshing.”
I can’t help the small laugh that slips out. “That’s not usually the word people use.”
“Most people are intimidated,” he shrugs lightly. “I’m not.”
The warmth from the vodka spreads further, smoothing the raw edges left behind from earlier. Being looked at like this, without calculation, without threat, feels almost foreign.
“And here?” I ask, tilting my head slightly.
“Here,” he says, stepping just a fraction closer so he doesn’t have to raise his voice over the music, “you look like you’re trying not to let anyone see what you’re thinking.”
The comment catches me off guard.
Before I can respond, he smiles again, softening the weight of it. “Which just makes me more curious.”
My fingers tighten slightly around my cup.
“Maybe I just don’t give things away for free,” I say, surprising myself with the steadiness in my tone.
Kadin’s grin widens. “Good. Makes it more interesting.”
The air between us shifts, not charged with danger, but with something... calming.
Then a body moves between us.
Not subtle.
Not accidental.
Silas wedges himself directly into the space, reaching across Kadin to grab a bottle from the counter, his shoulder brushing Kadin’s chest hard enough to make it clear he isn’t just passing through.
“Watch it, man,” Kadin says, irritation flashing across his face.
Not looking at him immediately, Silas twists the cap off the bottle with slow precision before finally glancing sideways.
“My bad,” he says, though the faint curve of his mouth makes it clear he doesn’t mean it.
His gaze shifts to me, lingering long enough to make me nervous.
What is he planning-
“Who’s your friend, baby sister?” he asks.
The nickname lands wrong, my whole body flinching.
Kadin frowns slightly. “Baby sister? I didn’t know you had a brother.”
“I don’t,” I say quickly, the answer sharp enough to cut.
Silas tips the bottle back, taking a slow swallow before lowering it, his eyes never leaving mine.
