｡𖦹°‧ 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐧' 𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚 𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐫𝐥 ⭑°‧꩜ .ᐟ

( 018. 'her' )

THE DAY WAS WINDING down, and the boys group had spent hours walking through universal studios. the laughter and excitement of the day were still fresh in their minds, but something felt off to walker. as they wandered deeper into the park, the energy shifted—he couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was about to go down.

it wasn't until they were near the back of the park, away from the main attractions, that he saw her.

a blonde, dressed in a faded graphic tee and ripped jeans, leaned against a food truck. her posture was confident, almost cocky, as if she belonged there, though none of them recognized her. and then, their eyes met.

his stomach dropped.

it was kayla.

shit. walker's pulse quickened. the girl he thought he was over—the girl who had cheated on him and left him with nothing—was standing right there in front of him. everything about her radiated that same familiar energy. he tried to brush it off, but he could already feel the weight of her presence. kayla was trouble. she always had been.

as the group approached, kayla pushed off the food truck and walked right up to walker, flashing him a sultry smile. she didn't even look at the others.

"well, well, well," she said, her voice thick with flirtation. "didn't expect to run into you here, walk."

walker immediately stiffened. not now. he forced a casual grin onto his face, trying to hide the unease swirling inside of him.

"hey," he said, barely keeping his voice even. "what are you doing here?"

kayla shrugged, her eyes dark with mischief. "just checking out the sights." her fingers brushed against his arm in an exaggerated, slow motion. "you still come here often?"

walker pulled back slightly, a muscle in his jaw tightening. he wasn't sure if it was the fact that he was still pissed about how things ended or if it was just that kayla always knew how to get under his skin, but he couldn't do this again.

"i'm here with my friends," walker said, his voice more stern now. "and i've got a girlfriend." his eyes flickered over to arian and charlie, trying to keep them in the conversation. "so, yeah. just here with my girl."

kayla's eyes narrowed, the smile on her lips never leaving, but there was something cold about it now. she leaned in a little closer, her hand reaching out to brush his arm again, this time lingering, as if trying to get him to bite.

"your girlfriend?" she said with an exaggerated scoff. "you mean ariella?" she said her name as if it was a joke. "she's not your girlfriend, walk. what she doesn't know won't hurt her."

walker's stomach churned. the last thing he needed was kayla trying to twist his mind. but it didn't take much to see what she was doing. she was trying to get under his skin, trying to make him doubt his relationship with ariella. the thought alone made his blood boil.

"she's not like you, kayla," walker said, his voice low and firm. "and i'm not that guy anymore."

kayla smirked, still leaning into him, her hand running up and down his arm with casual familiarity. "come on, walk. no one has to know. no one even has to care." she let her fingers brush the back of his neck, her voice lowering. "it's not like she'll find out."

"no," walker snapped, taking a step back, the anger simmering beneath the surface. "i'm not doing this again."

kayla raised her eyebrows, clearly enjoying the way she was getting to him. "so serious. come on, walk." her voice was practically a whisper now.

walker didn't answer her. instead, he stepped back, his eyes cold, and he turned to aryan and charlie, who were watching the interaction with raised eyebrows. they could see how uncomfortable he was.

"i'm good, kayla," he said, his tone final. "i've moved on."

without another word, kayla rolled her eyes, clearly not satisfied with the outcome. she gave him one last lingering look, then turned and walked away. the moment she was out of sight, aryan gave walker a look.

"bro," aryan said, his voice quiet, "you good?"

walker exhaled sharply, trying to shake off the lingering tension. "yeah," he muttered, but there was a hollow edge to his voice. "just... not a fan of running into her."

charlie looked between walker and where kayla had gone, his expression thoughtful. "she's trouble, man. i don't know why you even bothered with her."

walker's eyes were distant now. he stared after kayla, his thoughts a tangled mess of confusion and regret. he had moved on. he had to have. but why did it still feel like a part of him was waiting for her to come back?

"you've moved on," aryan said, as if reading walker's thoughts. "she doesn't even deserve a second thought."

walker nodded, though the words didn't quite sit right. "yeah. i just... don't want to drag anyone else into that mess." he glanced over at where ariella was talking to the others, completely oblivious to what had just happened. "especially not her."

flashback: six months ago

walker could still hear kayla's voice in his head, cold and dismissive, like it was yesterday. "i need space," she'd said, eyes avoiding his. "this isn't working. i think we should just... end things."

he had begged her to stay, to tell him what had gone wrong, but all she did was shrug and walk out the door.

and then, of course, came the truth. the gut-wrenching betrayal. she'd cheated. with some guy she met at a party.

the words i deserve better had stuck with him, looping through his mind for weeks. he didn't know if it was the betrayal or her ability to even look him in the eye as she broke up with him that had hurt the most. but it didn't matter. she was gone. and for a long time, it felt like that was all that mattered.

but now, seeing her again? seeing kayla—it stirred up everything he thought he had buried. it made him question whether he was really over her. did he ever get over her?

back in the present, the feeling still hadn't left. walker tried to shake it, tried to focus on the laughter around him, but the thoughts kept circling. he had moved on. he had to have. but it didn't feel like it when kayla was around, whispering temptation in his ear.

he forced himself to look at ariella, who was laughing with the group. her smile was everything kayla wasn't—genuine, kind, comforting. he knew he couldn't let kayla mess with what he had with her.