? ???????? ???????

[december 19, 2004]

kaden lay sprawled on the attic floor, his phone resting on his chest as he stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought. the quiet hum of the house surrounded him, but his mind was anything but silent. with y/n's permission, he could come over to the house. but he was already here. that complicated things. he couldn't just waltz downstairs now, not without completely blowing his cover since it took her and mike hours to get to this place. he knew he had to wait, and that alone pissed him off and that alone was enough for him to clench his jaw out of frustration.

he hated waiting, especially when it concerned her. every second wasted felt like an eternity, like he was letting someone else have the upper hand. it made his skin crawl, made his fingers twitch with the urge to do something, but he forced himself to stay still. if he just waited up here until it felt like a reasonable time to knock on the door, things would go smoothly.

but he really didn't want to wait...he needed something anything to kill time but there was nothing to do.

it was hopeless. there wasn't much up here besides insulation, dust, clothes that his uncle forgot to donate over the years that were stashed into some sad-looking boxes, decorations for seemingly every big holiday, anything one could think of...even if kaden tried to do something to take his mind off of things—like watching a movie or listen to music— it'd be too loud. if he moved around too much, the floorboards might creak. his stomach gurgled. he let out a low sigh. 'great...' he thought. not only was he stuck waiting, but now he was hungry too. 

sneaking into the kitchen was out of the question. he wasn't about to risk giving himself away for some shitty leftovers. grumbling, he pulled out his phone and checked the time: 2:57 a.m.

the funniest part? he wasn't even remotely tired. his body was wired, adrenaline still buzzing beneath his skin. this whole situation had him feeling alive—the anticipation, the secrecy, the knowledge that y/n was completely in his hands right now. she had no one else to turn to. it was so beautiful that he could shed a tear but wasn't that much of a pussy. alas, he still needed something to do. 

after a moment, he opened his messages and scrolled down to his uncle's. he doubted he'd get an immediate reply, but still, he wanted to shoot him a text anyway.

𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐞
𝟹:𝟶𝟸 𝚊.𝚖.

is it ok if i borrow
your motorcycle rq?

kaden stared at the screen for a few seconds before locking his phone, letting it rest against his chest once more. now all he had to do was wait. 

he exhaled sharply through his nose, pressing the heel of his hand against his forehead. patience. he had never had much of it. he had always been the type to take what he wanted, to act on impulse rather than waste time sitting around. but this? this was different. if waiting meant making sure y/n stayed his— if it meant keeping her from running to anyone else— then he'd force himself to endure it. just as he was sinking back into his thoughts, his phone buzzed against his chest.