<h4>Chapter 134: Are You Fucking Him?</h4>


    Chay quickly scrambled to pull the couch nket over herself, clutching it. Her voice was calm but sharp. "Really? You sleep half-undressed with a stranger all night and you cover up for me? Me?" Drake’s eyes widened as his voice cracked again, rising to full righteous indignation. "Are you fucking him?"


    "I don’t see how that is any of your business, but no." she answered coolly, tightening the nket around herself.


    "Not yet anyway," Guy quippedzily, walking over and handing her a mug of coffee with the air of a man who had absolutely nothing to prove and zero shame. The smugness rolled off him.


    Drake exploded. "I swear to God, one more word out of you—"


    "And then what?" Guy asked, leaning in just enough to prove he wasn’t afraid of whatever testosteroneced showdown was brewing.


    Drake balled his fists. His veins were doing the Macarena on his neck.


    "Why are you here so early?" Chay cut in suddenly.


    "What?"


    "I said, why are you here so early?" she repeated. "I mean, aren’t you supposed to be at work?"


    "I... I wanted to speak with you but doesn’t matter anyway," Drake stammered.


    Chay looked up from her mug, still clutching it. Her hangover was starting to turn into a dull ache behind her eyes. She squinted at Drake. "Come on, tell me. I’m fine. Just a little hangover." She winced and set the mug down slowly. "I mean... a lot hangover. But I can still process words."


    "Queen is angry..." he began.


    A sharp scoff echoed from Guy. Drake shot him a re.


    "Queen is angry and I fear it is my fault," Drake continued, ignoring the shirtless snark cloud.


    "With me?" Chay asked. "What did I do?"


    Drake looked away. "With us, actually."


    "Us?" Chay repeated, her voice going two octaves higher.


    Drake exhaled deeply. He could feel the heat creeping up his neck. "It kinda slipped out that... well... that I kissed you."


    Chay’s eyes snapped to Drake’s, wide now and horrified.


    From across the room, Guy had stiffened. His posture changed. Drake caught the subtle change—and for some reason, it made his insides do a smug little shimmy.


    "It was an innocent kiss," Chay blurted. "There is nothing going on. It meant nothing. Did you tell her that?"


    "I didn’t get to exin," Drake muttered, suddenly feeling much less smug.


    Chay groaned and clutched her temples. "Oh my God. I have to see her. Like right now. I have to fix this."


    She jumped to her feet—nket sliding to the floor, hair in chaos, and stumbled toward her bedroom.


    Drake watched her go, then sighed. "I have to get into work," he said, ncing reluctantly at the clock, "but I don’t want to leave you with this creep either."


    "It’s fine. It’s Guy," Chay said casually. She didn’t even nce at Drake as she spoke, her words tossed over her shoulder with the breezy detachment of someone who was truly unbothered.


    Then she darted into her room. The door clicked shut behind her, leaving Drake staring at nothing but a messy living room, and him.


    Guy.


    Drake stepped forward.


    "I don’t know what you’re doing to her," Drake growled, keeping his voice low and dangerous. "But consider this a warning to stop it."


    Guy turned in his chair and gave a small, two-fingered wave.


    "Bye," he said, all teeth and smugness, before spinning back to the study desk in the corner. He picked up a pen, tapped it on a notepad, and muttered, "An innocent kiss, uhn? Interesting."


    *****


    "Have you ever thought maybe you’re being insecure?" Abby said through the video call, and Queen’s eye twitched.


    "Excuse me?" Queen said slowly, her voice ice-dipped and insulted.


    "I mean it, Queen. Nobody has ever tried to share the spotlight with you," Abby went on. "And now that Chay seems to being out of her cocoon finally, you feel threatened."


    Queen scoffed, flipping her perfect curls over her shoulder.


    "Why would I be insecure? Abby, have you seen me? If gorgeous were a person..."


    "Yes, yes," Abby cut in, waving her fingers. "We know. We’ve heard. We’ve memorized...But truth be told? Chay is cute in that innocent, ’I-don’t-know-how-sexy-I-am’ kind of way. The kind that makes guys lose their entire sense of logic."


    "Why would she kiss Drake though?" Queen asked finally, and the question came out softer than she wanted.


    "Didn’t you say Drake was the one who kissed her?" Abby asked.


    "Semantics," she snapped. "Why didn’t she tell me? Why did she cancel her contract? Just like that."


    "Queen, take a breath," Abby said, gently now. "I think deep down, you always knew Drake and Chay were attracted to each other. I didn’t roll in you guys’ circle, but I could see it. The way he used to look at her like he was solving a puzzle and enjoying it. And the way she used to try not to breathe when he was around."


    "I think that’s why you feel threatened," Abby continued. "Because Queen... you’ve never been this way before. Like, never... as in ever. Which means you feel something for him."


    Thatst line pierced Queen’s armor. Her face twitched.


    "First of all, Drake and Chay? It was never going to work," she scoffed. "Drake likes strong women."


    Abby tilted her head. "Does he, really? With what you’ve told me about your squabbles, does he really? Or does he like the idea of strength, as long as it doesn’t get in the way of him feeling in control?"


    Queen let out a long, slow breath.


    "But he said he loves me," she said.


    "He loves the idea of you," Abby said gently. "But I haven’t observed both of you together, so I’m just speaking based on what you’ve told me so far... and when we were younger."


    "Listen. I have to get back to work. My new attending is a bitch," she said, rolling her eyes. "But my advice? Speak to Chay. The worst thing you can do now is assume things and let it fester."


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