Page 115 of The Bittersweet Bond

A flicker of relief washed over Bas, even as Chris's words jabbed at him.

"No offense, bro," Chris added hastily.

His boys had his back, almost as if they sensed he didn’t have the strength to handle Dominic’s crap tonight. Yet the thought gnawed at him—he should be the one standing up for Evin.

Dominic shrugged nonchalantly, taking a long, arrogant swig from his bottle before sneering, "Hey, if you’re into that whole circus, go for it… Just don’t forget, Bas—she brings chaos. Just like she did a few months ago with Ben." His grin widened, a self-satisfied smirk that made Bas's muscles coil with tension.

The urge to lash out, to tear into Dominic, seethed beneath his skin, but again—Bellamy intervened.

"Chill, D. Bas knows exactly what he’s doing."

Bellamy shot Bas a look—a silent challenge.You’ve got this under control, right?

Bas nodded slowly, taking a deep swig from his beer, as a storm of frustration and gratitude churned inside him.

Yeah, he knew what he was doing.

Evin was all he ever wanted—that truth was unshakeable.

But damn, it wasn’t easy.

They had a history of fighting loud and making out harder. And every time they clashed or voices were raised—people watched.

At school. At parties. There were always eyes on them.

Girls whispered and guys made side comments.

The louder the arguments, the harsher the judgment when they made up.

And Bas—he had never known how to explain it.

Back then, he cared.

About his reputation. About being liked. About what everyone thought.

Especially his dad.

But now?

Now Evin was the only thing that mattered.

And if the whole fucking school had a problem with that—

Fuck'em.

But Dominic wasn’t completely wrong though.

Still—let’s be real—when had a little drama ever killed anyone?

__________

Evin

Her reflection smirked back at her. Confident. Playful. She looked hot—no doubt about it.

The silver glitter top hugged her frame perfectly, revealing just enough to tease without overdoing it. The way it clung to her, the way the fabric draped over her collarbones and skimmed the sharp lines of her shoulders—it was different now.

Everything fit differently now.

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