Kolton's phone vibrated against the mahogany desk as Kimi's gentle voice filled the quiet study room. Her tone carried that familiar warmth that usually melted away his tension, but today something felt different.
"I am outside a coffee shop near our university," she said softly through the speaker.
Kolton's piercing dark eyes remained fixed on the girl seated across from him, though his voice softened considerably when he responded to Kimi. "What are you doing there, baby?"
The silence that followed stretched uncomfortably long. Kolton's eyebrows drew together as he waited for her response. The girl sitting near his desk rose gracefully and approached him with deliberate steps.
Stella placed her phone directly in front of him on the polished wood surface, her finger tapping the screen insistently.
Kolton's jaw tightened at her presumptuous gesture.
