Mia's POV:
The peace between Noah and me was fragile, built on the ugly truth he had shattered for my sake. After we made up, he told me everything. He repeated Arron's words, his voice thick with a remembered fury that mirrored my own rising nausea.
"She's an easy catch. Even her deer thorns are worth it."
The words weren't just a betrayal; they were a violation. He hadn't seen me, he'd seen an asset. A prize. My family's legacy, the very "thorns" meant to protect me, were just another line item in his calculation.
The heartbreak didn't just vanish. It transformed. It solidified into a cold, sharp point of resolution in my chest. I would not be his victim. I would not let his poison linger in my life.
I took a cab to the university, my gaze fixed on the passing city. I wasn't a scared deer anymore. I was going to find Arron. He didn't deserve the dignity of a name now. He was just a liar, a fraud who thought he could hunt me.
And he was about to learn that this doe had thorns for a reason.
I knew I had classes. But fuck them. I had more important issues to settle, and the most pressing one was standing right there.
I walked straight toward him, my focus narrowing until he was the only person in the crowded hall. He was laughing with his friends, the picture of easy charm. When he spotted me, his eyes sparkled with recognition, and a warm, welcoming smile spread across his face.
It was that smile, the same one that had once made my heart flutter, that made me freeze. My hand, poised to yank him away by his hair, fell slack at my side.
What was this? Hesitation? After everything I knew, how could a simple, fake smile disarm me so completely? The memory of his cruel words warred with the charming boy in front of me, and for a devastating second, I was trapped between the truth and the beautiful lie.
His friends suddenly melted away, scattering as if they could sense the storm about to break. We were alone in the hallway, the silence feeling heavier than any noise.
Then he spoke, and his words didn't just surprise me, they disarmed me completely.
"Mia," he said, his voice soft, his eyes still holding that infuriating sparkle. "I like you. I'd really like to take you out on a date."
The words hung in the air, so simple, so disarming. And I was blinded.
Blinded by the ghost of the love I'd felt for him. Blinded by the way his eyes sparkled, so focused on me. The cold, hard truth that Noah had given me, the cruel words, the calculation, fought a desperate war against the pounding of my own heart.
What if Noah was wrong? What if he'd misunderstood? This boy in front of me, asking me out so sincerely, couldn't be the monster I'd been told he was. The liar was so much more dangerous when he sounded like he was telling the truth.
The confusion must have been plain on my face. He saw my hesitation, my internal war, and his smile softened into something that looked like hope.
He saw the crack in my armor and moved like lightning to widen it. His expression softened into one of understanding concern.
"I know," he said, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial hush.
"Things have been… complicated. People talk. They get the wrong idea."
He took a gentle step closer, his hand coming up to rest reassuringly on my shoulder. "But it's just you and me here now. Forget all the noise. Let me prove it to you."
He leaned in, his gaze dropping to my lips for a heartbeat before meeting my eyes again, a silent question. My mind was a whirlwind of Noah's furious, protective face and Arron's calm, convincing one. The truth felt heavy and ugly. His lie felt light and easy.
Paralyzed by doubt, I didn't pull away.
He took that as his answer. Closing the final inch between us, he pressed his lips to mine in a soft, brief kiss. It was over before I could even process it, leaving only the ghost of the pressure and the scent of his cologne behind.
He pulled back, a triumphant gleam carefully masked as affection in his eyes. "See?" he whispered. "No games. Just us."
And in my shattered, confused state, I wanted so desperately to believe him. The kiss hadn't felt like a lie. It had felt like an answer. And I was terrified that I had just betrayed the one person who had told me the truth.
He pulled back from the brief kiss, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips as he looked down at me. My head was still spinning, my heart a conflicted drum against my ribs.
"Alright then," he said, his voice smooth as silk. He plucked his phone from his pocket, typing quickly before mine buzzed in my hand. A new contact appeared on the screen: Arron 💫.
"The date will be tomorrow," he stated, not asked. He leaned in once more, his breath ghosting my ear as he added, "And don't be late, baby."
With a final, confident wink, he turned and walked away, leaving me standing alone in the hallway.
I stared at the glowing screen in my palm, his number and that stupid star emoji burning into my vision. The ghost of his kiss still tingled on my lips, a dangerous reminder of how easy it was to forget the truth when the lie was so beautifully packaged.
Noah's furious, protective face flashed in my mind, followed by the memory of his voice, raw with emotion as he told me what he'd heard. He's playing with your feelings.
But Arron's eyes had seemed so sincere. His touch had been gentle. What if Noah's alpha instincts had blown everything out of proportion? What if it was all just a horrible misunderstanding?
A heavy sigh escaped me, my shoulders slumping in defeat.
Maybe… I thought, the idea fragile and terrifying. Maybe I should give him a chance.
It was a decision that felt like both a betrayal and a hope. And I had no idea which one it would turn out to be.