It is midnight, the other chaotic party that lila is dying for to join in for getting some fun Horns, bass, laughter all blending into each other. Lila begged her dad to take us to this rooftop pool party, and against all odds, Daniel said yes.
So here I was, sneakers tossed somewhere under a plastic chair, my toes dipping in chlorine-blue water .
"Yo, you're new here, right?" one leaned in, shoulder brushing mine.
I gave him a half-smile, the polite kind that screams please go away. But before I could invent an excuse, Daniel's shadow fell across us.
"Problem?" His voice wasn't loud. It didn't have to be.The guys took one look at him, muttered, and scattered like cockroaches under kitchen light.
I tilted my head up. He was looking at me like he'd just claimed something. Like he is my master now, that only he can claim me...
"You didn't have to scare them off," I muttered.
"Yeah, I did." His eyes dragged down me in one slow, unashamed sweep. "Do you even know what you look like right now?"
The pool lights made everything worse—my tank top damp, my shorts riding high. I swallowed. Hard.
"Daniel…"
He leaned in, close enough, "Every guy here wants you. And I hate that they do. You have no idea what it's doing to me."
Jealousy, I chuckled saying
A kid cannonballed into the pool. Water sprayed everywhere. My top stuck to me , it became see through . Daniel's jaw tightened. He looked away too late.
"You're staring," I said, not even trying to save him.
His mouth curved, not a smile, just hunger disguised as one. "Then stop giving me reasons."
My stomach flipped so hard I almost laughed, except I couldn't breathe.
That's when Noah showed up, Lila's friend. He was swaying with a red cup, smirk already cocked. "What's this?"
I froze. Daniel didn't. He plucked a towel off a chair and tossed it into my lap like he'd been mid-rescue all along.
"She almost slipped," he said, smooth as whiskey. "I was keeping her from falling."
Noah didn't buy it. He grinned like he'd just caught a dirty secret. "Looked like more than that."
And then Lila's voice cut through the music.
"Dad? Maya? What are you guys doing?"
Her eyes narrowed as she walked toward us. Suspicion sharp enough to taste.
I clutched the towel tighter, heat crawling up my neck. Daniel, of course, didn't blink. His mask was back on cool, untouchable.
But when he bent toward me, his words brushed the side of my throat.
"Don't panic, baby. Let them wonder. I don't care if the whole damn city watches me lose it over you."
My body betrayed me....I shivered. And the worst part? He knew it.
What are you up to, I asked
You'll know, soon, he replied