Popcorn time

Donovan did not move. He stood there, rooted in one place. His hand pressed lightly against the fresh mark on his neck where her teeth had sunk in moments earlier. A sharp sting lingered on his chest, the aftermath of her earlier bite, but his face betrayed no reaction. His steely gaze stayed fixed in the direction Liora had fled, his thoughts a whirlwind of confusion and curiosity.

He replayed the moment in his mind—the instant she had lost her balance and collided with him. He had moved instinctively to stop her from falling, to shield her from the edge of the bench.

The moment he caught a whiff of her scent, it instantly reminded him of Liora, which caused him to lose his footing. It had thrown him off balance, quite literally, leaving them tangled in a way neither of them could escape.

That scent, her warmth, the way her hand had fit so naturally in his—it was all too similar. Too familiar. Too much like her.

It didn't make sense. How could this blonde-haired girl, with her fiery glare and biting remarks, stir up the same emotions as Liora? How could her voice carry the same tone, that unmistakable edge that both provoked and disarmed him?

And yet, amid the confusion, Donovan found himself drawn to the strange satisfaction of teasing her. He shouldn't have enjoyed it—any other person who dared to touch him would have paid dearly for their audacity. But with her, he had let her go, even after she'd bitten him not once but twice. His mind circled back to the same question over and over: Who is she?

That was when he began to ponder if she could be related to Liora or maybe even her sister.

From behind a nearby tree, Kai and Logan emerged, their strides casual, though their faces betrayed their struggle to keep a straight demeanour. Logan pressed his lips into a thin line while Kai's mouth twitched, threatening to break into a smirk. Both seemed to be treading lightly as if the wrong move could set Donovan off.

Kai veered slightly from their path, bending down to retrieve a beige tote bag lying in the dirt. A small purse had fallen out, and with uncharacteristic care, he tucked it back inside before slinging the bag over his shoulder.

He lasted a mere one minute before breaking the silence. "So… how was it?" he asked, his signature grin creeping onto his face.

"Where were you guys?" Donovan adjusted his collar, brushing off the question with a practised air of indifference.

Logan joined in, unable to resist the opportunity. "Why?.... Were you missing us?" Logan's grin widened as he gave Donovan's shoulder a playful squeeze, "You did good, man. Real good!"

Kai joined in, doubling over with laughter, "His eyes did not move past her. I bet he mistook the campus park for a private yard!" His laugh was so loud it made heads turn, but Kai was too amused to care. "Honestly, Don, you should've thrown in a 'No trespassing' sign while you were at it!"

Kai wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, grinning wickedly. "FYI, to answer your earlier question," Kai added, catching his breath, "we were eating popcorn while peeking into the live show." He nudged Logan, and the two erupted into another wave of uncontrollable laughter.

Donovan rolled his eyes, finally shifting his gaze to Kai. One brow arched in a silent challenge. "And did you enjoy the free show? I should have charged it, though," he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Kai froze mid-laugh, exchanging a stunned glance with Logan. "Wait—did Donovan just crack a joke about himself?" Kai asked, wide-eyed.

Kai opened his mouth to reply, but Logan beat him to it, smirking as he said, "Typically, people start with a kiss before they move on to the love bite."

Kai nudged him with his elbow, although he was obviously trying to suppress a laugh. "Hey, seriously, that wasn't a love bite. It was a territorial claim!" To Kai and Logan's surprise, Donovan did not hide the freshly bitten mark from others while the trio stood at the same place. 

Donovan's expression turned serious as he emitted a soft sigh. "If you two are done narrating my life, let's move on; we have a meeting with the Valtham family." Before Donovan could continue walking, his attention was caught by the bag slung over Kai's shoulder. "What do you have there?" he inquired of Kai.

Kai smirked knowingly. "Oh, this? It's hers. You got her so flustered like a tomato red, and she left without it." He slung the bag higher on his shoulder, grinning. "I didn't know you could be this bold, Romantic Hero!"

Logan added with mock seriousness, "Yeah, Don, very chivalrous of you. Truly a gentleman for the ages."

Donovan pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling slowly. He stretched out his hand. " I'll return it."

Kai immediately took one step back. "How? Did you two already swap names and majors and compare notes on which brilliant career paths you're both chasing—or are we jumping straight to romantic study sessions in the library?"Kai grinned widely.

Donovan shook his head, acutely aware that he was outnumbered, one to two. If he dared to voice his thoughts now, he could sense that everything might turn against him in the moments to come.

Logan chimed in, "Nope, they didn't. I was listening intently to their entire conversation." He shook his head dramatically, a mock-serious expression on his face. "Unless... their hearts were having a secret conversation I couldn't hear."

That was all it took for both of them to burst into uncontrollable laughter again, nearly doubling over.

Donovan clenched his fist, his patience fraying. He had nearly forgotten how insufferable his "cousins, devil guardians" could be.

Kai gave some more insight to Donovan, "She is my junior. And being a true gentleman unlike someone, I will give her tote bag tomorrow."

Donovan quickly snapped at Kai, "She's your junior? What's her name?" he asked. His impatience was clear in his voice.

If Kai could stretch his smile any further, it would reach from ear to ear. "I'll talk to her tomorrow and mention that you were thinking of her. Should I give her your number, too?"

Logan doubled over, clutching his stomach as Donovan let out a low growl. ′This is what I get for walking with these two.′ He straightened up, already regretting his choices, and walked ahead without saying anything else, leaving the two troublemakers laughing behind him.