Kai Evans leaned back in his chair, one leg casually propped up on the desk, his grin cocky and confidence practically radiating off him.
"Evans, put your foot down," the teacher snapped from the front of the room.
He didn't flinch. Just smirked, slowly lowering his leg like he was doing the class a favor. The girls in the room giggled. Typical.
He glanced across the room to where Lia Moretti sat, expression unreadable, scribbling in her notebook like the noise around her didn't exist. Like he didn't exist.
Of course she wouldn't laugh. She never did. Not at his jokes, not at his flirting, not at the chaos he lived for. And yet… she was the only one he wanted to see smile.
"Still ignoring me, huh?" he muttered under his breath.
Class ended and students spilled into the hallway. Kai caught up to Lia with ease, slinging his arm over her shoulder like he'd done since they were kids. She didn't shake him off—but she didn't smile either.
"You coming to the party tonight?" he asked, flashing his usual charm.
She didn't look at him. "Not interested in watching you collect new phone numbers."
He chuckled. "Ouch. That was cold—even for you."
She stopped walking, finally turning to face him. Her eyes were the kind of calm that felt like a storm just waiting to break.
"Kai, not everything is a game. Not everyone wants to play."
For a second—just a split second—his smile faltered. He saw her then. Not just the polished heiress everyone else admired, but the girl who used to drag him to the garden when they were kids, making him promise they'd never turn out like their parents. Back when she believed in something. Maybe even in him.
"You used to laugh at my dumb jokes," he said quietly.
"I used to think you'd grow up."
Before he could reply, she walked away. The click of her heels echoed like punctuation.
Kai watched her disappear into the crowd of rich kids and fake friendships, the same crowd he ruled like a king. But she was the only one he couldn't charm. The only one who mattered.
And the worst part?
She was right.
He hadn't grown up.
He was still just the boy chasing the girl who never looked back.