Chapter Three: Waste of Paper

Kier – POV

He’ll lose interest soon enough.

That’s what I told myself.

They all did. Once they realized they wouldn’t get anywhere with me. I wasn’t interested in a romantic relationship. And anything casual never stayed casual with men like Lavender Aquila.

Not that I saw him that way.

I mean, sure, he was attractive—

Wait. What the hell was I even trying to convince myself of?

I smacked my palm against my forehead.

Goddamn nuisance.

He was starting to crawl into my head now, thread himself into places no one else had ever managed. No one had ever thrown me this far off balance.

I went into the bathroom, the harsh fluorescent lights buzzing overhead, splashed cold water over my face until my skin stung, willing it to wash away the thought of him.

I just needed to move. To keep busy. To do my routine.

So instead of spiraling, I grabbed my bag and headed to the library to meet Sabine before my shift at Luna Roja.

⸻

The Isla Estrellas library was a strange hybrid — glass-and-steel modern on the outside, but inside, warm wood stacks and a tucked-away café that always smelled like cinnamon. Sabine claimed the same corner table every time, spread out with highlighters, sticky notes, and some thick tome on media law. A scone sat half-eaten beside her, crumbs dotting the page.

“You look like a disaster,” she said without glancing up.

“Thanks. Means I’m consistent,” I replied, sliding into the chair opposite.

Finally, she closed the book, fixing me with that smirk that always spelled trouble.

“So… did that special someone show up yet?”

I scoffed. “A curse sure did.”

Her brow arched. “Spill.”

I traced a finger along the rim of her coffee mug, stalling. “Let’s just say… a potential job offer’s on the table. The kind I can’t exactly post about on my résumé.”

Sabine leaned forward. “And you’re actually thinking about it?”

I shrugged, playing it off. “Thinking is a strong word. More like… trying to figure out if it’s a curse with teeth or claws.”

“Maybe it’s both,” she said, eyes narrowing, sharper than her tone.

Maybe it was. I didn’t answer.

We lingered another fifteen minutes, trading half-baked jokes until her phone buzzed with an assignment reminder. I took the excuse to leave, pretending my chest wasn’t still tight.

⸻

By the time the sun dipped behind Isla Estrellas’ skyline, the air had turned heavy with rain-on-stone and street food smoke. I biked through it slowly, letting the harbor breeze snap at the edges of my jacket before locking up in the narrow alley behind Luna Roja.

Inside, the mood was softer than usual. Amber lantern light glinted off damp footprints tracked in from the storm. The first wave of customers was still settling in. I checked my reflection in the mirrored wall—hair neat, collar straight—then stepped onto the floor.

Syble’s office door was open. Unusual.

Even more unusual was the man sitting across from her desk.

Lavender.

Charcoal suit, no tie. Silver hair combed back sharp enough to cut glass. He looked like he belonged there without needing to belong anywhere. Julian lingered behind him, hands in pockets, eyes cataloguing the room.

Syble spotted me first. “Kier. Come here a moment.”

I kept my stride even, ignoring the fact that Lavender’s gaze tracked me the entire way.

“This is Mr. Aquila,” Syble said. “We’re finalizing a new arrangement. Kier, bring the Hibiki 21 and three glasses.”

I nodded, fingers steady on the bottle’s curve. When I poured, Lavender’s hand brushed mine as he took his glass. Warm. Deliberate.

“So this is the one,” he said—more to Syble than to me.

I didn’t bite. Just stepped back.

But his voice followed. “Tell me, Kier… are you always this careful, or only when I’m watching?”

The question landed heavier than it should have. I kept my tone even. “I don’t know you well enough to answer that.”

“You will.” He said it like fact, not possibility.

The meeting didn’t last long. Papers signed, glasses emptied. Julian lingered a second, then set a matte-black envelope on the counter in front of me.

Same card as before.

“This has been in motion long before you walked into the wrong office, Kier,” Julian said evenly.

My stomach sank. He hadn’t just “appeared.” He’d been circling my life longer than I thought.

This was becoming a problem.

There had to be a way to turn him off the idea of me. Something to make him lose interest. But this? This meeting was the nail in the coffin. Lavender hadn’t just joined Syble. He’d bought the club outright and asked her to keep managing.

What next? The flower shop? The café? My whole damn life?

And why waste so much paper on these cards?!

Fucking environmental menace.

He didn’t wait for me to open it. He and Julian stepped out into the rain-slick night, sliding into a black SUV before the door even closed.

Whatever this was, it hadn’t started tonight.

The card was still warm from Julian’s hand. I didn’t crumple it this time. Didn’t put it away either.

It just sat between my fingers. Too light for something that heavy.

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