And yet, was any of this even his fault?
“Kian, I—”
He set the stanchion down; the base rang against the marble. Then he bolted, like something was chasing him. Or worse: likehewas the thing everyone else should run from.
A heavy silence settled over the room. Riya felt every pair of eyes swing toward her, but she couldn’t look up. Couldn’t move. The gallery felt colder now, as if all the warmth Kian carried with him had been dragged out, too.
Finally, Andrew cleared his throat.
“Well,” he said, “at least the painting’s pretty.”
Chapter 23
The next day at lunch, Mel kept glancing up at Riya as if she was a haunted porcelain doll liable to bite.
Which, frankly, was fair.
After a dozen awkward looks, Riya finally let out a sigh and set down her sandwich. “Just say it.”
“Oh, thank God, because I’ve been dying over here,” Mel breathed. “But also, just to be clear, I was trying to be respectful of your boundaries.”
Riya raised an eyebrow. Mel could try harder—but she appreciated the attempt.
Mel stirred her yogurt with unnecessary force. “Anyway, about yesterday. You don’t have to tell me anything, obviously. But if there is something? I’m available. Eager. Emotionally attuned.”
“There’s not much to say.”
“Not much to—? RiRi, I can think of a hundred things. For example, how Kian isreallyinto you. Like, really, really, really—”
“I get it.”
“Really, really, really, really, really—”
“Mel.”
“—reallyinto you.”
Riya’s appetite had left her. “It’s probably just hormones.”
“I don’t thinkhormonesmake someone willing to literallyfistfight the Student Council president. And I think you know it, too. I’ve never seen you look that shaken.”
Mel wasn’t wrong. She had been shaken. Not just by the near fight, but the way Quin mentioned a love spell. Even if they weren’t serious, it was like they’d thrown a rock through the fragile glass house she’d been living in.
Mel spoke again, gentle now. “I mean... look, I don’t know exactly what’s going on. But whatever it is, it’s clearly eating you alive.”
Riya looked up.
“Yeah, that look,” Mel pointed her spoon at her. “It’s the same one you get when you’ve silently declared yourself Keeper of the Universe and decided no one else is allowed to help.”
Riya’s brow knit. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, if you hold everything inside, and shut everyone else out,Iget worried.” Mel stared down at her yogurt. “But I’m your best friend. Right? If you don’t let me be there for you, it makes me feel... useless. And I know I can get annoying. I know I might not be the most reliable person. But I do really care about you. I want to help, if I can. And if I can’t—at least let me listen to your problems.”
Useless. Riya had made Mel feel useless.
She’d told herself she was protecting Mel. That magic was messy, and dangerous, and hers to fix. But maybe that was just another excuse. A way to convince herself she was in full control.
Riya swallowed hard. “You’re right. I have been shuttingyou out, and you don’t deserve that. I’m sorry.”
