Binge the toxic, passionate, and deeply intense romance "Hate Me Like You Love Me" all in one go!
🔥 Synopsis:
"Their hatred was a fire that burned everything—including their self-control."
They are ruthless business rivals who despise each other with a burning passion. Every meeting is a battlefield, every glance is a threat. But beneath the venomous insults lies an obsession so deep it borders on madness. When the professional boundaries finally snap, they must navigate a chaotic, explosive relationship where love and hate are exactly the same.
👉 Drama Details:
* Title: Hate Me Like You Love Me
* Genre: Enemies to Lovers, Dark Romance, Office Rivalry, Toxic Love
* Format: Full Miniseries (Vertical Drama)
* Status: All Episodes Completed
#HateMeLikeYouLoveMe #ShortDramaFull #MiniSeries #WebDrama #FullMovie #ReelShort #DramaBox #ShortTV #EnglishSubtitles
🔥 Synopsis:
"Their hatred was a fire that burned everything—including their self-control."
They are ruthless business rivals who despise each other with a burning passion. Every meeting is a battlefield, every glance is a threat. But beneath the venomous insults lies an obsession so deep it borders on madness. When the professional boundaries finally snap, they must navigate a chaotic, explosive relationship where love and hate are exactly the same.
👉 Drama Details:
* Title: Hate Me Like You Love Me
* Genre: Enemies to Lovers, Dark Romance, Office Rivalry, Toxic Love
* Format: Full Miniseries (Vertical Drama)
* Status: All Episodes Completed
#HateMeLikeYouLoveMe #ShortDramaFull #MiniSeries #WebDrama #FullMovie #ReelShort #DramaBox #ShortTV #EnglishSubtitles
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00:00Caleb isn't answering his phone. Lacrosse practice ended an hour ago. Could you just find him?
00:00:05We're waiting for you for dinner. Yeah, fine. I'll look for him. Catherine can't reach her
00:00:11precious son, and somehow that's my problem. Our parents have been inseparable since childhood.
00:00:17Catherine is my godmother. They raised us side by side, convinced we'd grow up as close as they were.
00:00:23They never noticed when it all went wrong. Jade Richards perches on the edge of the sink,
00:00:27and Caleb, right there, stands between her thighs in nothing but a towel that hangs dangerously low
00:00:33on his hips. Caleb, someone could walk in. I don't give a fuck. I should leave. I should
00:00:40definitely, absolutely leave. Instead, I stand there like an idiot, heat flooding through my body
00:00:45in waves. This is disgusting. He is disgusting. You hate him. I slam the door, forcing my expression
00:00:53into irritation rather than the hot shame crawling up my throat. Your mother's been calling you for
00:00:58an hour, asshole! Our parents need us both at my house for dinner tonight. Apparently, it's something
00:01:04important. I should go. Coach will kill me if I'm late. You could have texted. Catherine asked me to
00:01:12find you. I found you. Message delivered. Is that what we're calling it? Because it looked a lot like
00:01:20you were watching. Long enough to be disgusted. Disgusted, right? I'm leaving. Don't be late
00:01:27for dinner. I'll drive you home. I have my bike. Still not in the mood to sit on some used
00:01:32condoms
00:01:33in your car. Suit yourself, princess. Dinner passes in a blur of small talk and forced smiles,
00:01:42but something feels different tonight. Catherine keeps touching my father's arm,
00:01:47not the comforting pats of a grieving friend. They've been spending so much time together since
00:01:52mom died, since Caleb's father vanished with every dollar the Thorntons had. Kids, Catherine and I
00:01:59actually have something to tell you. So we've decided to get married. No, no way. He deserves happiness,
00:02:06and Catherine is wonderful, but it's only been six months since my mother died. We found a new house,
00:02:12neutral territory for everyone. The kids' rooms are on the same floor, and Serena, your room connects
00:02:21to Caleb's through a Jack and Jill bathroom. Isn't it cool? Come on, you guys. It will be nice.
00:02:30My lifelong secret crush soon to become my stepbrother. Yeah, dad, really fucking nice.
00:02:36I set the boxes down on the unfamiliar floor, surveying this room that was supposed to be mine.
00:02:43Neutral territory, my father called it. A fresh start. The walls are painted a careful beige that
00:02:49commits to nothing. Now I'm here, in this house that holds no memories of my mother.
00:02:57Careful!
00:02:57It's just your crap.
00:03:00I'm taking a shower. Try not to miss me too much.
00:03:05This is what I am now. Sharing walls with my worst school enemy. But there was a time before all
00:03:11that.
00:03:12You're doing it wrong. Here. Like this.
00:03:17Stop. Stop romanticizing.
00:03:23Shit! My tampons!
00:03:25I left them on the bathroom counter this morning. If I'm fast enough?
00:03:35Wanted a preview of your new stepbrother, pervert?
00:03:38That's fucked up, even for you.
00:03:40I just left something on the counter.
00:03:42Not everything is about you and your abs, asshole!
00:03:46Keep telling yourself that.
00:03:50I'm not done talking.
00:03:52Well, I'm done listening.
00:03:54Let go of me, Caleb!
00:03:56Or what? Gonna scream, run to daddy?
00:04:01God, you're pathetic!
00:04:03Still crying over mommy?
00:04:06It's been six months, Serena.
00:04:08The rest of us have moved on.
00:04:10You are exactly like your shitty father!
00:04:13Say that again. I dare you.
00:04:15You heard me. You're just like him.
00:04:18Like Simon.
00:04:19A bully who only feels big when he's making someone else feel small.
00:04:23Keep his fucking name out of your mouth before I...
00:04:25Before you what?
00:04:27Hit me! Prove my point!
00:04:29Such a shame your mother won't see you graduate.
00:04:32But hey, your dad moved on quickly.
00:04:35Guess she wasn't that hard to forget.
00:04:37Don't talk about my mother!
00:04:39Why not?
00:04:41Scared you're just as forgettable as she is?
00:04:44Careful, princess.
00:04:46Do you really want to start something you can't finish?
00:04:48You know what I think?
00:04:49I think you're terrified that one day you'll be gone and no one will even notice.
00:04:53That you'll just be another ghost no one bothers to remember.
00:04:57No one will ever truly love someone as pathetic as you.
00:05:00And deep down you know it's true.
00:05:08Serena...
00:05:09Open the fucking door!
00:05:13You just signed your death sentence, princess.
00:05:16You hear me?
00:05:17From this moment on, your life is gonna be a living hell.
00:05:21There's a long silence before his footsteps retreat and I hear his bedroom door slams.
00:05:26Minutes pass.
00:05:28Maybe five.
00:05:29Maybe ten.
00:05:30Then I sink to the floor, back against my bed, and wrap my arms around my knees.
00:05:35I hate him.
00:05:36I hate that I wounded him.
00:05:38I hate that I noticed.
00:05:41I know him better now than I ever wanted to.
00:05:44He runs at six.
00:05:45I've memorized the particular weight of his footsteps on the stairs.
00:05:49Showers at 640.
00:05:51And the pipes in my bathroom sing a specific note when the water pressure changes.
00:05:56Tuesday.
00:05:57My shampoo mysteriously turned my hair traffic cone orange.
00:06:00Wednesday.
00:06:02Every single bra I own disappeared, reappearing frozen in blocks of ice in the freezer.
00:06:08Thursday.
00:06:09My laptop password changed itself to Daddy Issues 123.
00:06:13At 3.14 in the afternoon, I'm in the kitchen.
00:06:16He doesn't get home until 4.30 on Thursdays.
00:06:19I'm halfway through making the world's saddest sandwich when the front door opens an hour earlier than his schedule allows.
00:06:26My entire body goes on high alert.
00:06:28Skin prickling.
00:06:30Pulse jackknifing.
00:06:31Don't turn around.
00:06:32Don't give him the satisfaction.
00:06:35Careful.
00:06:36Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself.
00:06:38His chest presses more firmly against my back as he reaches higher,
00:06:42and the contact sends electricity shooting down my spine, pooling low and hot in my belly.
00:06:47Is something wrong, princess?
00:06:49I just wanted to grab my protein bar.
00:06:53That'll be Jade.
00:06:56Hmm.
00:06:58Try not to listen too hard, sis.
00:06:59Sis, the word is a weapon, a reminder, a fucking power play that makes me want to throw the knife
00:07:05at his head.
00:07:06They'll have a drink, and then she'll leave.
00:07:09That's how these things work.
00:07:11Hot water, locked door, the white noise of falling water drowning out everything else,
00:07:17except...
00:07:17Oh, God, Caleb!
00:07:19Jade's voice cuts through the wall like it's made of tissue paper,
00:07:23high and desperate and absolutely not faking it.
00:07:26Her moans build in pitch and urgency, and I hear the creak of bed springs,
00:07:31the thump of a headboard against a wall,
00:07:33heat coils between my thighs, insistent and demanding.
00:07:36My body betrays me completely,
00:07:38nipples tightening, breath coming shorter,
00:07:40and I hate myself for the way my hand drifts down my stomach.
00:07:44I've never touched myself like this before.
00:07:46What would it feel like?
00:07:48His hands instead of water,
00:07:49his weight pressing me against the tile,
00:07:52his voice in my ear,
00:07:53low and commanding.
00:07:55Take it.
00:07:57Take everything I give you.
00:07:59The pressure builds impossibly fast,
00:08:01my free hand bracing against the tile as my legs shake.
00:08:04When I come, it's violent, earth-shattering.
00:08:08The silence hits me first.
00:08:09No more sounds from his room.
00:08:11Nothing.
00:08:11Oh, God.
00:08:12Oh, fuck.
00:08:13Could they hear?
00:08:14I stumble toward the door,
00:08:16needing to confirm that barrier between my humiliation and reality.
00:08:20The door to his room is cracked open,
00:08:21but I checked it before I got in the shower.
00:08:23I'm certain I did.
00:08:25It was closed.
00:08:26Firmly.
00:08:27Completely closed.
00:08:28My heart stops.
00:08:29Did he open it?
00:08:31Control is an illusion I've been selling myself for 18 years.
00:08:35This is who I am.
00:08:37The girl who prepares.
00:08:38The girl who controls what she can.
00:08:40The girl with the five-year plan.
00:08:42And the girl who definitely doesn't spend every waking moment
00:08:45thinking about her stepbrother's hands.
00:08:48Lies.
00:08:48All lies.
00:08:49Just once more.
00:08:51Then you'll study.
00:08:52Then you'll be normal.
00:08:53Having fun?
00:08:58Going somewhere?
00:09:01Let go of me!
00:09:02Sit the fuck down, Serena.
00:09:05Fuck you!
00:09:05You done?
00:09:09So, who's the lucky bastard?
00:09:11What?
00:09:12What are you talking about?
00:09:14Don't play dumb.
00:09:15It's not cute.
00:09:17You were clearly getting yourself off to someone,
00:09:19so who is it?
00:09:20Some SAT tutor with a hard-on for the teacher's pets?
00:09:24One of those debate nerds who follows you around
00:09:27like you're made of cocaine?
00:09:28I wasn't!
00:09:29Your face is the color of a fucking tomato
00:09:32and your breathing's all fucked up.
00:09:34So who's got perfect little Serena all worked up?
00:09:37Must be someone truly pathetic.
00:09:39Get out of my room!
00:09:41Is it that guy from Calc?
00:09:43The one with the glasses who stares at you
00:09:45when you're doing board work?
00:09:47No, wait.
00:09:48You'd never go for someone that obvious.
00:09:50Too desperate.
00:09:51I said get out!
00:09:52Or maybe someone inappropriate.
00:09:55Someone you know you shouldn't want.
00:09:58Serena, who were you thinking about?
00:10:01No one!
00:10:01I wasn't!
00:10:02I was just...
00:10:03It's none of your fucking business!
00:10:06You're lying.
00:10:07I can always tell when you're lying.
00:10:08Your voice goes up at the end,
00:10:09your eyes dart to the left.
00:10:11And right now, you look fucking terrified.
00:10:13Which means whoever you were thinking about
00:10:15is someone you really don't want me to know about.
00:10:19You were thinking about me, weren't you?
00:10:21That's disgusting!
00:10:24Yeah?
00:10:25Then why is your pulse going crazy right here?
00:10:28Your body's a fucking traitor.
00:10:30You're insane!
00:10:31Then why can't you look at me?
00:10:34Why do you look like you're about to either cry or come?
00:10:37Because you're in my face!
00:10:39What were you imagining?
00:10:40My hands on you?
00:10:42Inside you?
00:10:43My mouth on your neck?
00:10:45Or your legs?
00:10:49Were you imagining how I'd touch you?
00:10:51Hard and rough until you forget your own name.
00:10:54Or maybe slow and deep
00:10:56until you're begging me to let you come.
00:10:58But here's the thing, princess.
00:11:00You're not even worth the effort it would take to undress you.
00:11:06You're fucking disgusting!
00:11:09You think I want any part of that?
00:11:11Fix yourself!
00:11:13You look like a cheap whore.
00:11:15Dinner's in ten.
00:11:17Try to act like a normal fucking person.
00:11:20I don't move for a long time.
00:11:22Can't move.
00:11:23My thigh still burns where he touched it.
00:11:25I stand there trying to breathe around the tightness in my chest.
00:11:29Six weeks of college.
00:11:31And I've learned that hope is just disappointment wearing a pretty dress.
00:11:35I had acceptances from everywhere.
00:11:37Places with actual seasons and zero Caleb Thorntons per square mile.
00:11:41But no, dad pulled the family needs to stick together card.
00:11:45I think it's actually really nice that you and Caleb ended up here together.
00:11:49After everything, it just feels right.
00:11:52Yeah.
00:11:53Um, totally.
00:11:55Everyone's coming over soon.
00:11:56The picnic's about to start.
00:11:58The bastard had applied after me.
00:12:01After.
00:12:01Found out where I was going and followed like some kind of stalker.
00:12:05Even won grants and scholarships.
00:12:07Including the one from his high school presidency.
00:12:09My fresh start rotted before it even began.
00:12:12The picnic is about to start.
00:12:14I'm about to prepare a fruit plate when I hear this voice.
00:12:16That specific frequency of a woman's giggle that makes my eye twitch.
00:12:20Jade stands at the garden gate.
00:12:23Her hand threaded through Caleb's arm.
00:12:25Her sundress clings to curves I remember from the locker room.
00:12:28Curves I heard him worship in his bedroom.
00:12:30While my body betrayed every principle I claimed to hold.
00:12:34Oh, Caleb.
00:12:35You didn't mention you were bringing someone.
00:12:38Jade, sweetheart.
00:12:40Welcome.
00:12:41Thanks, Mrs. Lacken.
00:12:43Everything looks amazing.
00:12:44Did you make all this yourself?
00:12:47Most of it.
00:12:49Serena helped with the fruit platters.
00:12:51How domestic.
00:12:53Serena, so good at this stuff.
00:12:55The compliment lands like a slap wrapped in ribbons.
00:12:58This stuff.
00:12:59Like I'm some 1950s housewife in training while she's out here being decorative and touchable and everything I'm not.
00:13:05We're so proud of both of them.
00:13:07Adjusting to college life so beautifully.
00:13:12Serena's doing wonderfully.
00:13:13Dean's list material, her advisor says.
00:13:17Well, she has to excel at something.
00:13:19Competition's tough when you can't coast on personality.
00:13:22Some of us prefer substance over charm.
00:13:25Kids.
00:13:26Babe, you two are hilarious.
00:13:29It's like watching real siblings bicker.
00:13:32Real siblings.
00:13:33The words land like ice water down my spine.
00:13:36We end up on the same picnic blanket because the universe has a sick sense of humor.
00:13:40Jade chatters about rush week and themed parties and other things that would require me to have a soul.
00:13:46She doesn't know him.
00:13:47Doesn't know he checks the locks three times before bed.
00:13:50Doesn't know he still has nightmares about his father.
00:13:52Doesn't know he reads Bukowski when he thinks no one's watching.
00:13:55After the neighbors evacuate and our parents disappear inside with wine that'll make them nostalgic and weepy, I escape to
00:14:02the kitchen.
00:14:03Jade left an hour ago.
00:14:05Something about a sorority emergency that sounded suspiciously like, I'm bored and these people are old.
00:14:11Thought you'd hide in here all night.
00:14:14I'm cleaning up.
00:14:16Some of us contribute.
00:14:18Is that what you call sulking in corners and shooting death glares at my girlfriend?
00:14:22She's not your girlfriend.
00:14:23She's a prop.
00:14:25An accessory.
00:14:27This week's validation fix.
00:14:30Jealous much?
00:14:31I'd rather be jealous of a yeast infection.
00:14:34Strong words.
00:14:36You know what I think?
00:14:38I think you can't stand watching me with her.
00:14:40I think it eats you alive.
00:14:42You followed me here.
00:14:44You could have gone anywhere.
00:14:47But you chose here.
00:14:49Maybe I just like the school.
00:14:51Maybe you're so terrified of being alone with yourself that you need me around to torture.
00:14:56Watch your fucking mouth, princess.
00:14:59You know what?
00:14:59I feel sorry for you.
00:15:01I'm serious.
00:15:02I feel sorry for the boy whose father beat him and then abandoned him.
00:15:05The boy's so desperate for approval, he'll fuck girls who don't even know his middle name.
00:15:09Because it's easier than admitting no one's ever actually loved him for who he is.
00:15:16Jade doesn't see you, Caleb.
00:15:19None of them do.
00:15:20They see the smile and the body and the charm.
00:15:23Shut the fuck up!
00:15:24And that works for you because if they saw the real you,
00:15:28the broken, desperate, terrified little boy under all that armor, they'd run.
00:15:34I'm not jealous of Jade.
00:15:35I pity her.
00:15:37And I pity you.
00:15:38The rest of the dishes are all yours.
00:15:50The library smells like anxiety and desperation with hints of stale Red Bull,
00:15:54basically the official cologne of higher education.
00:15:57Mia sits next to me, allegedly writing her sociology paper,
00:16:01but actually deep-stalking her TA's Instagram.
00:16:04I know because she keeps making these tiny gasping sounds
00:16:07every time she scrolls past a shirtless beach photo.
00:16:10Six weeks into freshman year,
00:16:11and Mia is the closest thing I've ever had to a real friend.
00:16:15In high school, I couldn't afford friends.
00:16:17He has a dog.
00:16:19A golden retriever named Pancake.
00:16:21Mia, focus.
00:16:23I am focused.
00:16:25Focused on how that man fills out a wetsuit.
00:16:30Ow, what?
00:16:31Look over there.
00:16:33Look, but don't make it obvious.
00:16:34Mia, if this is another guy you think has protagonist energy...
00:16:38Serena, shut up and look!
00:16:41Lucas Bennett is walking toward us,
00:16:42and apparently puberty decided to work overtime on him.
00:16:46The last time I saw Lucas, he was Caleb's perpetual shadow.
00:16:49Always there, but never quite there.
00:16:51Is this seat taken?
00:16:55Serena Lacken.
00:16:57I thought that was you.
00:16:59How long has it been?
00:17:01A while.
00:17:02Since high school, at least.
00:17:05Too long.
00:17:05I heard you were here.
00:17:07Pre-law, right?
00:17:08Of course you are.
00:17:10You were always terrifyingly smart.
00:17:14Pre-med for me.
00:17:17Turns out, all those years of patching up lacrosse injuries gave me a taste for it.
00:17:22You patched up lacrosse injuries?
00:17:24I thought you were one of the ones causing them.
00:17:27Fair point.
00:17:28Maybe I was just atoning for my sins.
00:17:30We all have things we wish we'd done differently back then.
00:17:33I remember you from honors English.
00:17:35You demolished everyone in that Fitzgerald debate.
00:17:38I was genuinely scared of you.
00:17:40Fear is an appropriate response to literary analysis.
00:17:45The cafe by the Humanities Building is acceptable.
00:17:49Everything else tastes like it was brewed during the Reagan administration.
00:17:52A coffee snob.
00:17:54I respect that.
00:17:56Strong opinions about beverages are a green flag.
00:17:59Would you look at the time I have that thing.
00:18:02The urgent thing.
00:18:04With the people.
00:18:05At the place.
00:18:08Serena, text me everything.
00:18:12So, are you going to the Halloween party next Friday?
00:18:16It's a big one at Sigma Chi.
00:18:18Everyone goes.
00:18:19Parties aren't really my thing.
00:18:21That's exactly why you should come.
00:18:23College is about new experiences, right?
00:18:26Breaking out of old patterns.
00:18:28Three tables away, I feel the weight of Caleb's gaze like fingertips trailing down my spine.
00:18:34His eyes are locked on me with an intensity that makes my stomach flip.
00:18:38Tell me more about this party.
00:18:40What exactly makes it so unmissable?
00:18:42It's legendary, honestly.
00:18:44The costumes get competitive.
00:18:45The music is actually decent.
00:18:47Plus, I hear the punch is strong enough to make even pre-law students have fun.
00:18:52Bold assumption that I don't already know how to have fun.
00:18:56Prove me wrong, then.
00:18:57Come to the party.
00:18:58Let me buy you a drink.
00:19:01You're very confident for someone who hasn't seen me in years.
00:19:05Some things are worth being confident about.
00:19:07I'll think about it.
00:19:08I'm looking at Caleb as he stands abruptly.
00:19:10He doesn't pack up his things.
00:19:12Doesn't grab the broken pen.
00:19:14Just turns and walks out.
00:19:15Movement sharp with barely controlled violence.
00:19:18And my pulse is racing for entirely the wrong reason.
00:19:22The cruelest lies are the ones we tell ourselves about what we want.
00:19:26He texted again while I was in the shower.
00:19:28Three messages in 20 minutes.
00:19:30He's sweet.
00:19:31Persistent in a way that feels like warmth instead of pressure.
00:19:34Normal in a way I've forgotten people can be.
00:19:37This is good.
00:19:38Lucas is good.
00:19:39Lucas is exactly what you need.
00:19:41Caleb without the emotional terrorism.
00:19:43This is what normal feels like.
00:19:45This is what I deserve.
00:19:46My eyes still on my phone.
00:19:48Still composing a reply that sounds flirty without trying too hard.
00:19:52Well, fuck me sideways.
00:19:54That's a face I've never seen before.
00:19:57Texting lover boy with that dopey ass smile?
00:20:01Pathetic doesn't even begin to cover it, princess.
00:20:05What the fuck are you doing in my room?
00:20:06Get out!
00:20:08These are tragic, Serena.
00:20:10Truly, like, seek help levels of unsexy.
00:20:13I said get out!
00:20:16Are you wearing these to the party?
00:20:19Please say yes.
00:20:21I need to see Lucas' face when he discovers what's underneath.
00:20:26Give those back!
00:20:27Granny panties with fruit on them.
00:20:29Bold strategy for a girl trying to lose her V-card.
00:20:32I'm not trying to.
00:20:34Oh, you're definitely trying.
00:20:37That dumb smile you just walked in with?
00:20:39The sad little hair flip in the library?
00:20:42Touching his arm like you learned flirting from a WikiHow article?
00:20:45Get off my bed!
00:20:47Lucas Bennett.
00:20:48That's your big play?
00:20:50You really think that golden retro boy is interested in you?
00:20:53Unlike some people, Lucas is actually capable of basic human decency.
00:20:58Lucas is capable of fucking anything with a pulse, sure.
00:21:02But interested?
00:21:03Serena.
00:21:05Sweetheart.
00:21:06Look at yourself.
00:21:07You used to be friends with him.
00:21:09What happened?
00:21:10People grow apart.
00:21:12It happens.
00:21:13That's not an answer.
00:21:15It's the only one you're getting.
00:21:18Ancient history isn't really my thing.
00:21:20But we're not talking about me.
00:21:22We're talking about you, and you're going to show up in some tragic little costume
00:21:26and follow him around all night like a stray dog.
00:21:30And he's going to ditch you the second someone hotter walks by.
00:21:33You don't know anything about...
00:21:35I know you.
00:21:3619 years old and never been fucked.
00:21:38You think that's an accident?
00:21:40You think guys just haven't noticed you?
00:21:42They've noticed.
00:21:44They're just not interested.
00:21:46There's nothing there to want.
00:21:48Lucas asked me.
00:21:50Not the other way around.
00:21:52Lucas is working an angle.
00:21:54Probably a bet with his frat brothers.
00:21:56Go ahead.
00:21:57Prove them right.
00:21:59Make a fool of yourself in front of the whole school.
00:22:01I'd rather humiliate myself in front of everyone than spend another second with you.
00:22:05Then we're both getting what we want.
00:22:07Wear the ugly underwear.
00:22:09It'll match the rest of you.
00:22:13The door clicks shut behind him, and I don't move for a long time.
00:22:16My fingers find the strawberry underwear crumpled on the carpet,
00:22:19and I clutch them against my chest like armor.
00:22:22The cotton is warm from his hands,
00:22:24and I despise that I notice.
00:22:26What was that look?
00:22:28Right before he left,
00:22:29his expression shifted into territory I didn't recognize.
00:22:32Not cruel.
00:22:33Not mocking.
00:22:34Almost desperate.
00:22:36Get out of my head, Thornton.
00:22:37Get out.
00:22:38I look at myself in the mirror.
00:22:40The black bodysuit clings to curves I usually hide beneath hoodies and oversized sweaters.
00:22:45Holy fuck, Serena Lackham.
00:22:48Where have you been hiding that body?
00:22:50Lucas is going to swallow his own tongue when he sees you.
00:22:53Hell, I might switch teams.
00:22:55What if he doesn't like me?
00:22:57Oh, he'll like you.
00:22:59That boy has been eye-fucking you through every study session.
00:23:03And maybe tonight, he finally gets to do it for real.
00:23:08Okay.
00:23:10Let's go before I change my mind.
00:23:12The party is chaos incarnate.
00:23:14Music pounds through the walls,
00:23:16bass so heavy the floor vibrates beneath my heels.
00:23:19Stay close!
00:23:20Lucas said he'd be wearing a skeleton mask.
00:23:23Great.
00:23:24Super helpful.
00:23:25I've already counted four skeleton masks in my immediate vicinity.
00:23:29Mia's sorority sisters descend like perfectly coordinated vultures,
00:23:33dragging her towards something called
00:23:34the situation on the dance floor.
00:23:36I park myself near the makeshift bar, draining my cup.
00:23:40The alcohol burns away the edges of my anxiety,
00:23:43making everything softer, warmer, more possible.
00:23:47That's when I see him.
00:23:49Lucas.
00:23:49Tall frame and broad shoulders I recognize.
00:23:52White mask tilted toward me from across the room.
00:23:55My pulse quickens, and I tell myself it's the alcohol.
00:23:58He doesn't wave or call out.
00:24:00He simply extends one hand in my direction, palm up, waiting.
00:24:04Probably wants to see if the pre-law princess is as frigid as everyone says.
00:24:08Fine.
00:24:09Let him see.
00:24:10Let him tell everyone afterward.
00:24:12At least I won't be untouched anymore.
00:24:14Won't be the pathetic virgin Caleb mocks at every opportunity.
00:24:17The silence feels intentional.
00:24:19Part of the costume, part of the game.
00:24:22Lucas?
00:24:23He doesn't answer.
00:24:24His hands find my waist instead.
00:24:27Thumbs tracing slow circles against my hip bones.
00:24:29And I decide that silence is answer enough.
00:24:32Oh, we're really committing to the role.
00:24:34I don't want this to be special.
00:24:36I don't want tender words or meaningful glances.
00:24:39I just want it done.
00:24:41Lucas's hands are rougher than I expected,
00:24:43gripping my waist like he's afraid I'll disappear.
00:24:46Fuck, okay.
00:24:47I kinda like aggressive Lucas.
00:24:50Can you at least lift the mask?
00:24:53I wanna kiss you.
00:24:55He pauses.
00:24:56Then slowly, he pushes the mask up just enough to expose his mouth.
00:25:00In the darkness, I can't make out features.
00:25:03Just the outline of lips that crash into mine with bruising force.
00:25:08God, who knew Lucas had this in him?
00:25:14His fingers finally slide between my thighs.
00:25:17When he pushes finger inside me without warning, I nearly come off the bed.
00:25:21The stretch burns, but the pleasure overwhelms it.
00:25:24Especially when his thumb finds my clit and circles with practiced precision.
00:25:28My mind drifts as sensation builds.
00:25:31What if it was him?
00:25:32I imagine Caleb's hands instead of Lucas's.
00:25:35Caleb's body pressing me into the mattress.
00:25:38Caleb's breath hot against my throat.
00:25:40The fantasy builds pressure low in my belly,
00:25:43spiraling toward a release that hovers just out of reach.
00:25:46My fingers dig into shoulders that belong to one man
00:25:49while my mind belongs entirely to another.
00:25:51My orgasm hits like a freight train.
00:25:54Completely unexpected.
00:25:56It's over.
00:25:57It's done.
00:25:57You're not a virgin anymore.
00:26:01The girl in the mirror looks exactly as hollow as I feel.
00:26:04Congratulations, Serena.
00:26:06You're officially as pathetic as Caleb always said.
00:26:08When I finally emerge, I nearly collide with a familiar chest.
00:26:12There you are.
00:26:14I've been looking everywhere for you.
00:26:17Some dickhead in the same mask spilled his entire drink on me.
00:26:21Had to go change.
00:26:22Did you just get here?
00:26:24You look amazing, by the way.
00:26:26The floor tilts beneath me.
00:26:28He's been down here looking for me.
00:26:30Which means the man in that bedroom.
00:26:32That wasn't Lucas at all.
00:26:35I call her princess because that's what she is.
00:26:38A girl who's never had to fight for anything.
00:26:40And I've been crawling and fighting my whole fucking life.
00:26:45The ceiling above my bed holds no answers.
00:26:48But I stare at it anyway.
00:26:49Counting the minutes by the soft sounds filtering through the bathroom wall.
00:26:53A drawer opening.
00:26:55Water running.
00:26:56The whisper of fabric against skin.
00:26:58You're sick.
00:27:00Twisted beyond repair.
00:27:01I remember the first time I called her princess.
00:27:04We were 12.
00:27:05She tried to skip a stone.
00:27:07Failed spectacularly.
00:27:09Her laugh bounced across the water.
00:27:11This mix of embarrassment and joy that hit me right in the chest.
00:27:16You're doing it wrong.
00:27:17Here.
00:27:18Like this.
00:27:20See?
00:27:21Perfect technique for a perfect princess.
00:27:24Thanks, Caleb.
00:27:25Two words.
00:27:26That's all it took.
00:27:28I was done for.
00:27:29Then I went home.
00:27:31That was the summer my father discovered new hobbies.
00:27:34I learned to sleep with my eyes half open.
00:27:37To flinch at footsteps.
00:27:38To disappear into walls.
00:27:40And suddenly, Serena's perfection stopped being something beautiful.
00:27:44It became a mirror.
00:27:45If her life is so perfect, let me be the one in perfection.
00:27:54I wanted to grab her shoulders and shake her until she broke.
00:27:58Until she screamed.
00:28:00And I wanted to hold her until she felt safe enough to fall apart.
00:28:04Pick a lane, asshole.
00:28:05You can't destroy someone and save them at the same time.
00:28:09Because Serena isn't just in my head.
00:28:11She's carved into my bones.
00:28:13My phone buzzes on the nightstand.
00:28:16The racing circuit.
00:28:17The debt follows me like a second shadow.
00:28:20My father's legacy.
00:28:22I wonder how much longer I can keep buried the obsession that drives me to follow her.
00:28:26Like a satellite caught in her gravitational pull.
00:28:30I've been choking on jealousy for the past 20 minutes.
00:28:33It was just one of those moments, you know?
00:28:39Look at me like that.
00:28:40Just once.
00:28:41But she never will.
00:28:44You have the most beautiful smile.
00:28:46Lucas leans in closer.
00:28:48Whispering something that makes her cheeks go pink.
00:28:50And I'm gripping my hands so hard my knuckles turn white.
00:28:53She doesn't pull away.
00:28:55Doesn't stiffen.
00:28:56Just tilts her head and listens like he's reciting fucking Shakespeare.
00:29:00I want to be at his place.
00:29:01I shove back from the table and walk out before I do something I can't take back.
00:29:06I try the gym first.
00:29:0845 minutes of punishing my muscles until they scream.
00:29:12But every time I close my eyes between sets, I see her hand on his arm.
00:29:16Her smile.
00:29:17The way she leaped toward him like he was magnetic north.
00:29:20I last three hours.
00:29:22Three hours of telling myself I don't care who she talks to.
00:29:25But my feet carry me down the hallway.
00:29:27Her bedroom door is unlocked.
00:29:29The shower runs in the bathroom and I should leave.
00:29:32She left her underwear on the bed.
00:29:34Tiny strawberries printed across the fabric like some kind of joke.
00:29:37A laugh builded in my chest.
00:29:39But it dies before it reaches my throat.
00:29:42The water shuts off.
00:29:44The door opens.
00:29:45And...
00:29:46Jesus fucking Christ.
00:29:48She was wearing nothing but a towel that's trying its best but failing spectacularly.
00:29:53Water drops race down her collarbone.
00:29:56Her hair is plastered to her shoulders.
00:29:58Darker with moisture.
00:29:59And the way that terrycloth clings to every curve she usually hides under hoodies makes my brain short-circuit.
00:30:06This is what she's been keeping from me.
00:30:08She doesn't speak.
00:30:10Her body tells me everything.
00:30:11The way she arches into my touch.
00:30:13The way her breath hitches when my thumb brushes her.
00:30:17She moves against me with increasing desperation.
00:30:20Her fingers in my chest.
00:30:21And she lowers her mouth to me.
00:30:23Her fingers find my shoulders when she climbs onto my lap.
00:30:26Straddling me.
00:30:27And the towel rides up her thighs.
00:30:29Through my jeans I can feel the heat of her.
00:30:32And my hands find her waist like they've been waiting their whole existence for this moment.
00:30:38I wake up so hard it hurts.
00:30:40Her phantom warmth still pressed against my skin.
00:30:43Pathetic.
00:30:45You're absolutely pathetic.
00:30:47She moves against me with increasing desperation.
00:30:50Her fingers in my chest.
00:30:51And she lowers her mouth to me.
00:30:53Her phone sits on the counter.
00:30:55Screen glowing with an unread message.
00:30:57I should walk away.
00:30:58But I've never been decent where Serena is concerned.
00:31:00The screen illuminates at my touch.
00:31:02And my ex-best friend's name stares back at me.
00:31:05Lucas.
00:31:06My blood turns to lead in my veins.
00:31:09The racing circuit.
00:31:10Lucas is taking her to the fucking racing circuit.
00:31:13Where I'll be competing to pay off another installment of my father's debt.
00:31:17Fuck.
00:31:18My two worlds are about to collide.
00:31:19And there's not a damn thing I can do to stop it.
00:31:25Three more races after tonight.
00:31:27And you're clear, kid.
00:31:29How does that feel?
00:31:31Like I might actually sleep again.
00:31:33Two years since I stood in our kitchen.
00:31:35Watching my mother cry over bills my father left behind.
00:31:38When the helmet goes on.
00:31:40I'm supposed to stop being Caleb Thornton.
00:31:42Out here.
00:31:43I'm Shane Lander.
00:31:4423.
00:31:45No family drama.
00:31:47Just a guy who rides fast and pays his debts on time.
00:31:50You've earned it, man.
00:31:54Fastest rider I've ever let borrow my name.
00:31:56The engine beneath me roars to life.
00:31:58Vibrating through my thighs.
00:32:00My chest.
00:32:01My teeth.
00:32:02Despite everything.
00:32:03Freedom floods through my veins.
00:32:05This is the part I'll miss when the debt clears.
00:32:08Exhaust fumes curl through the night air.
00:32:10That's when I see them.
00:32:12No.
00:32:12Serena and Lucas.
00:32:14Walking through the crowd like tourists in a war zone.
00:32:17I'll be right there with you.
00:32:18His arm draped over her shoulders with that casual ownership that makes me want to put my fist through his
00:32:23perfect teeth.
00:32:24She really agreed to come here with him.
00:32:26She really came here.
00:32:28To this oil-stained hellscape and men with criminal records.
00:32:31Just focused.
00:32:33The starting signal flares red, then green.
00:32:36First lap, I'm in the lead.
00:32:38But she doesn't leave my thoughts.
00:32:40What the fuck is Lucas thinking?
00:32:42She looks wrong here.
00:32:43Too clean.
00:32:44Too bright.
00:32:44Like someone photoshopped an angel into a meth lamp.
00:32:47I risk a glance at the crowd.
00:32:49Mistake.
00:32:50Huge fucking mistake.
00:32:52Our eyes meet over Lucas' shoulder for a second.
00:32:55She knows it's me.
00:32:56The curve comes too fast.
00:32:58One second I'm flying.
00:32:59The next, the bike slides out from under me like the ground itself has betrayed me.
00:33:04Gravel bites into my shoulder blade where the jacket rode up.
00:33:07The sky spins above me in lazy circles.
00:33:10Stars smearing into floodlights into darkness.
00:33:13You're an absolute idiot!
00:33:15What the hell were you thinking?
00:33:17I try to answer, but my lungs have decided breathing is optional.
00:33:21Each inhale feels like swallowing fiberglass.
00:33:24Someone call 911!
00:33:26Immediately!
00:33:27No ambulances, girl.
00:33:30We can't let the police search here.
00:33:32He could be bleeding internally!
00:33:34Look at him!
00:33:36I can handle this.
00:33:38We have people who can help.
00:33:40I don't give a fuck about your people!
00:33:42Serena, maybe we should...
00:33:45Shut up!
00:33:46Just shut up and let me think!
00:33:47I gasp and pain floods through me, sharp and clarifying, radiating from my ribs to my spine.
00:33:55Caleb!
00:33:56Here you go!
00:33:57Stay with me!
00:33:58Just stay with me, okay?
00:34:00Worth it.
00:34:01Worth it.
00:34:01I think as darkness creeps in at the edges.
00:34:04Totally fucking worth it to see her look at me that.
00:34:08Have you ever hated someone so much that watching them bleed feels like bleeding yourself?
00:34:13The fluorescent lights of the emergency room buzz overhead, casting everything in a pallid glow.
00:34:19Nurses move around Caleb, checking vitals, cleaning wounds.
00:34:23I agreed to come tonight because Lucas asked, and because some reckless part of me wanted to prove I could
00:34:29be spontaneous.
00:34:30Then the race started, and my eyes found one rider without conscious thought.
00:34:35The angle of his shoulders, the aggressive grace of his turns.
00:34:39I knew it was Caleb before I could name why.
00:34:42Come on, Serena.
00:34:44Let's go.
00:34:45We can still salvage the night.
00:34:46No.
00:34:47I'll take him home.
00:34:48You go.
00:34:49I watch him disappear through the automatic doors and feel nothing.
00:34:53The only thing occupying my mind is the boy bleeding in the room behind me.
00:34:58Six years of cruelty, being called princess like a slur, and yet here I sit in this taxi,
00:35:05watching streetlights strobe across his damaged face, aching with a tenderness that has survived every wound he's ever inflicted.
00:35:12Inside, I flip on the kitchen lights and notice the dark stain spreading across his back,
00:35:18fresh blood seeping through ruined fabric.
00:35:21You're bleeding again.
00:35:24Sit down.
00:35:26The wound is on your shoulder blade.
00:35:29Unless you've developed the ability to desallocate your arms, you can't reach it?
00:35:35Sit.
00:35:37Down.
00:35:37Down.
00:35:41Let me.
00:35:42His back is a masterpiece of destruction.
00:35:45My hands shake as I clean the wounds.
00:35:48Why do you race?
00:35:49You can't even drive.
00:35:51I can drive fine.
00:35:52I was distracted.
00:35:54Don't move.
00:35:56I know how to pay attention.
00:36:01Speaking of attention, you look cozy with Bennett tonight.
00:36:05We're not talking about Lucas.
00:36:07No?
00:36:09Maybe we should.
00:36:11Did he buy you dinner first?
00:36:14If I didn't know better, I'd think you were jealous.
00:36:18You think this is funny?
00:36:20Finish the damn sentence, Caleb!
00:36:23You're playing with fire, Serena.
00:36:25Good.
00:36:27Maybe Lucas will help me put it out after.
00:36:31Keep talking.
00:36:33See what happens.
00:36:35Lucas wanted to take me home tonight.
00:36:38After the race, he'd be nice, you know?
00:36:41Careful.
00:36:43Everything you're not.
00:36:46Want to know why I crashed?
00:36:49I saw his hands on you.
00:36:53And forgot there was a fucking road.
00:36:56So you're jealous?
00:36:58Don't sound so fucking pleased about it.
00:37:00You have no right to be jealous.
00:37:03Not after everything.
00:37:04I know.
00:37:07Because you were the only beautiful thing I'd ever touched.
00:37:12And I only know how to bring beautiful things.
00:37:22Caleb.
00:37:25I know.
00:37:30I don't care.
00:37:32I don't care.
00:37:33I don't care.
00:37:43Dear you.
00:37:44I should want you to stop.
00:37:46I should hate this.
00:37:49Serena.
00:37:51I've been aroused by you since I was 15.
00:37:53You can read the phone book, but I need a cold shower.
00:37:58You have no idea what you do to me.
00:38:00Then show me.
00:38:02Stop talking and show me.
00:38:03So I do.
00:38:04The bra is white lace.
00:38:06Simple.
00:38:07Devastating.
00:38:08Not strawberry lingerie.
00:38:12I also have regular underwear, idiot.
00:38:15Thank God.
00:38:17Her breathing has gone shallow.
00:38:19Chest rising and falling rapidly.
00:38:21Sensitive?
00:38:24I don't.
00:38:25Every instinct screams at me to take, to claim, to devour.
00:38:29Yet this is Serena.
00:38:31The girl I've destroyed for six years.
00:38:33But I can't stop.
00:38:34So eager for it, aren't you?
00:38:36Who would have thought that a princess could be so lustful?
00:38:40She goes rigid.
00:38:41Fuck.
00:38:42The word princess hangs between us like a blade.
00:38:45Sharp with six years of history.
00:38:48Six years of using that word to hurt her.
00:38:51To belittle her.
00:38:52To make her feel small.
00:38:54Serena, I didn't mean...
00:38:56Don't.
00:38:57Just.
00:38:59Don't.
00:39:00It slipped out.
00:39:01Force of habit.
00:39:02I wasn't...
00:39:03I can't.
00:39:05I can't do this.
00:39:07Serena, please.
00:39:08Just wait.
00:39:10I can't look at you now.
00:39:12I can't be near you.
00:39:13Just let me explain.
00:39:16Explain what?
00:39:17That you've hated me for six years,
00:39:19and now you expect me to believe this is real?
00:39:22This is real.
00:39:24This is the only real feeling I've ever felt.
00:39:26Then why?
00:39:27Why did you try to destroy me?
00:39:34One word.
00:39:35One fucking word.
00:39:37And I destroyed everything.
00:39:39His mouth tasted like copper and recklessness.
00:39:42And I'm drowning in both.
00:39:44This was what I've been missing.
00:39:46This heat.
00:39:47This hunger.
00:39:48This feeling of being wanted so desperately.
00:39:51Princess.
00:39:52And my body went rigid.
00:39:54Not from pleasure.
00:39:56From the avalanche of everything he's ever done to me.
00:39:59Crashing through the walls I'd foolishly let him breach.
00:40:02Every insult lands fresh.
00:40:05Serena?
00:40:06Six years of systematic destruction flood back in a single devastating wave.
00:40:11I don't remember mounting the bike.
00:40:13I don't register the roads I take.
00:40:15The turns I make.
00:40:17The darkness swallowing everything beyond my headlights' weak beam.
00:40:21Muscle memory guides me through streets I've traveled a thousand times before.
00:40:25Our spot.
00:40:26Mine and hers.
00:40:27I cry for her.
00:40:29For the mother who should be here.
00:40:30Who should be the one I run to when boys break me open.
00:40:33I cry for the woman I'm becoming.
00:40:35The truth surfaces between sobs.
00:40:38Ugly and undeniable.
00:40:39And impossible to shove back down where it belongs.
00:40:42I want Caleb Thornton.
00:40:44His hands.
00:40:45His mouth.
00:40:46The desperate way he looked at me before I ran away.
00:40:49The admission settles into my chest with the weight of inevitability.
00:40:54I want him.
00:40:55God help me.
00:40:56I want him.
00:40:57And that's exactly why I can't have him.
00:41:01Serena Lakin doesn't crumble for anyone.
00:41:03Least of all the boy who tried hardest to break her.
00:41:07The neighborhood is tomb silent when I finally coast into our driveway.
00:41:12Legs burning from pedaling through streets I barely remember traveling.
00:41:16Both cars sit in their usual spots.
00:41:19Dark and silent like sleeping sentinels.
00:41:22Parents came home while I was falling apart by a lake.
00:41:25And my father had no idea his daughter spent the evening kissing her stepbrother in their kitchen.
00:41:30The stairs creak once beneath my weight.
00:41:33And I freeze.
00:41:34Hearts slamming against my ribs.
00:41:36But no bedroom doors open.
00:41:38No concerned voices call out into the darkness.
00:41:41Sleep doesn't come.
00:41:43I lie on my back and stare at the ceiling.
00:41:45Tracing patterns in the shadows that shift each time a car passes on the street below.
00:41:50His hands ghost across my skin in phantom touches I can't shake.
00:41:54The weight of his body between my thighs.
00:41:56The desperate sound of my name in his mouth.
00:41:59Because you were the only beautiful thing I'd ever touched.
00:42:03The confession plays on loop.
00:42:05Wearing grooves into my brain until I can't tell if I'm remembering or inventing.
00:42:10Did he really say that?
00:42:11Did his voice really crack on the words like something inside him was breaking?
00:42:16I pull my pillow over my face and scream into it.
00:42:19Morning arrives with the subtlety of a sledgehammer.
00:42:22I spend 20 minutes rebuilding my face into something presentable.
00:42:26Each brush stroke feels like armor.
00:42:28Layer after layer of pigment between the world and my devastation.
00:42:33You're fine.
00:42:34You're completely fine.
00:42:35My legs feel like they belong to someone else as I descend the stairs.
00:42:40Caleb is already at the breakfast table.
00:42:42His head lifts when I enter.
00:42:44Everything from last night crashes back.
00:42:47His mouth.
00:42:47His hands.
00:42:48His confession.
00:42:49My retreat.
00:42:50I look away first.
00:42:51The coffee pot becomes my entire focus as I pour with hands that refuse to steady.
00:42:59Good morning, sweetheart.
00:43:01You look tired.
00:43:02Late night studying.
00:43:04Something like that.
00:43:05I have some wonderful news.
00:43:07I ran into Richard Bennett at the club yesterday.
00:43:11And he mentioned that Lucas has been spending quite a bit of time with you lately.
00:43:18I have to say I was delighted to hear it.
00:43:21Lucas seems like a wonderful young man.
00:43:24Richard and Patricia raised him well.
00:43:27Lucas is nice.
00:43:30More than nice, apparently.
00:43:32Richard seemed to think things were progressing rather well between you two.
00:43:36And I must say, I wholeheartedly approve.
00:43:40The Bennetts are good people, Serena.
00:43:43Solid values, excellent future prospects.
00:43:47The kind of foundation any father would want for his daughter.
00:43:51Nothing's progressing.
00:43:54We're just friends, Dad.
00:43:58For now.
00:44:00I'm just so glad you're spending time with the right people.
00:44:03Quality connections are important, honey.
00:44:08I have somewhere to be.
00:44:15Well, I wonder what's gotten into him this morning.
00:44:19Young men.
00:44:21Probably some athletic commitment he forgot about until now.
00:44:28My phone buzzes against my thigh.
00:44:31The screen illuminates with Lucas's name.
00:44:33And I almost laugh at the cosmic timing of it all.
00:44:36The universe has a sick sense of humor.
00:44:39I should say no.
00:44:40I should create distance from everything.
00:44:43Lucas.
00:44:44Caleb.
00:44:44The entire tangled mess I've made of my carefully ordered existence.
00:44:49Getting closer to Lucas means watching Caleb's face harden every time we're in the same room.
00:44:54My thumbs hover over the keyboard for a long moment.
00:44:57Me.
00:44:58Me.
00:44:59Sure.
00:44:59Because maybe normal is exactly what I need right now.
00:45:03Drowning looks different when you're doing it on dry land.
00:45:07Here's what I'm currently juggling.
00:45:09A faceless stranger who took my virginity and vanished into a sea of identical skeleton masks.
00:45:15A stepbrother whose mouth I can still taste when I close my eyes.
00:45:19No matter how many times I brush my teeth or child in coffee.
00:45:23The library has become my bunker.
00:45:26My fortress.
00:45:27My carefully constructed excuse to avoid every space where Caleb might appear.
00:45:32The complicated part that keeps me awake at night.
00:45:35I don't entirely regret it.
00:45:37You look like someone ran over your cat, resurrected it, and ran it over again.
00:45:42Thanks for that vivid imagery.
00:45:44Really appreciate the poetry you've blessed me with today.
00:45:48I'm being serious right now, Serena.
00:45:50You've been weird for days.
00:45:51And don't think I haven't noticed every single red flag you're waving.
00:45:56That's complete bullshit and you know it.
00:45:59You maintain your GPA in your sleep.
00:46:01Is this about the mystery guy from the race?
00:46:04Did something happen that night?
00:46:06I don't know what you're talking about, Mia.
00:46:09Oh, come on.
00:46:09Don't insult my intelligence.
00:46:11I saw your face that Monday.
00:46:14Even if something did happen, I wouldn't know how to explain it without sounding completely unhinged.
00:46:18Some things are too tangled to put into words.
00:46:21Try me.
00:46:22I've heard worse things than you can possibly imagine.
00:46:25My older sister once confessed to sleeping with her professor.
00:46:28And I kept that secret through two Thanksgivings and a family reunion.
00:46:32It's complicated.
00:46:33Complicated usually means interesting, in my experience.
00:46:37The messiest situations always make the best stories afterward.
00:46:41This isn't a story I want to tell anyone, ever.
00:46:44This is a disaster.
00:46:46Fine, I won't push you today.
00:46:48But I'm here when you're ready to spill everything.
00:47:00He took this while he was inside me.
00:47:03While I kept my eyes shut.
00:47:05Every tall frame.
00:47:06Every athletic build.
00:47:08Makes me wonder with nauseating intensity.
00:47:11Was it you?
00:47:14You look incredible tonight.
00:47:16That blouse is perfect on you.
00:47:19Thank you for bringing me here.
00:47:20It's beautiful.
00:47:22Only the best for you, Serena.
00:47:25The words should make my heart flutter.
00:47:27But my mind keeps drifting to that photo on my phone.
00:47:30Who took it?
00:47:31What do they want from me?
00:47:33Is this blackmail waiting to detonate?
00:47:35Or a warning shot across my bow?
00:47:37The professor sounds like some kind of weirdo.
00:47:39Did he actually throw chalk at that guy?
00:47:42Allegedly.
00:47:44The kid deserved it, though.
00:47:46Remind me never to fall asleep in your classes.
00:47:50Serena, you seem really distracted tonight.
00:47:54Sorry.
00:47:56Just school stress weighing on me.
00:47:58Anything I could help with?
00:47:59Can you tell me why my stepbrother makes me feel more alive in fury than you do in kindness?
00:48:06No.
00:48:07But thank you for asking.
00:48:14I had a really great time tonight.
00:48:16Me too.
00:48:23You should go, Bennett.
00:48:25Now.
00:48:26I was just saying goodnight to Serena, man.
00:48:28And now you're leaving.
00:48:31Immediately.
00:48:33Okay.
00:48:33I'll call you tomorrow, Serena.
00:48:34Goodnight.
00:48:40This roast chicken is truly excellent.
00:48:43Yes.
00:48:44It goes perfectly with the wine.
00:48:46The hospital charity gala is next weekend.
00:48:48I was thinking Serena should attend.
00:48:50Wonderful idea.
00:48:52The Bennets will be there, too.
00:48:54Lucas could introduce you to some partners at his father's firm.
00:48:58Networking is so important at your age.
00:49:01Perfect opportunity to wear that lovely dress we bought last month.
00:49:04Of course.
00:49:06Sure.
00:49:07I'll go with Lucas.
00:49:09May I be excused at an early morning?
00:49:11Of course, sweetheart.
00:49:13Is everything all right?
00:49:15Okay.
00:49:15Everything is perfect.
00:49:20Sorry, I...
00:49:21Well, young people and their moods, I guess.
00:49:26He's probably just tired from training.
00:49:28The season is demanding.
00:49:30When did this happen?
00:49:31When did Caleb Thornton's opinions start mattering more than my own piece?
00:49:43We need to talk.
00:49:45Fascinating opener.
00:49:46The answer's still no.
00:49:48Get out.
00:49:49Lucas isn't what he seems.
00:49:52You need to stay away from him.
00:49:53Oh, this is rich.
00:49:55You're giving me relationship advice now?
00:49:57You, of all people?
00:49:59This isn't about us, Serena.
00:50:01This is about him.
00:50:03There is no us, Caleb.
00:50:04There's you, trespassing in my room, running your mouth about things that don't concern you.
00:50:11You kissed him tonight.
00:50:13I did a lot of things tonight.
00:50:15Breathing.
00:50:16Blinking.
00:50:16Walking upright.
00:50:18Should I run those by you, too, or just the ones involving other men's mouths?
00:50:21On our doorstep.
00:50:23Ten feet from where I was standing.
00:50:26Proximity bothers you now?
00:50:28That's new.
00:50:29You've never had trouble performing with an audience before.
00:50:32Careful, Serena.
00:50:34Or what?
00:50:35You'll make my life miserable?
00:50:37Breaking news.
00:50:38You've been doing that since middle school.
00:50:40I'm immune.
00:50:41You're not immune to anything.
00:50:43Your pulse is jumping in your throat right now.
00:50:47I can see it from here.
00:50:49That's called hatred, Caleb.
00:50:50Search it.
00:50:51Hatred doesn't make your pupils dilate.
00:50:54Hatred doesn't make you breathe like you've been running.
00:50:57Maybe I'm allergic to bullshit.
00:50:59You're certainly giving off enough of it.
00:51:01Then why haven't you screamed for daddy yet?
00:51:03I don't need my father to handle you.
00:51:06No?
00:51:06Then handle me yourself.
00:51:08Put your hands on my chest and shove me out that door.
00:51:16What's the holdup, princess?
00:51:19All that righteous anger and you can't even touch me long enough to push me away.
00:51:22Don't call me that.
00:51:24Touch me and I'll stop.
00:51:25You're terrified.
00:51:27Not of me.
00:51:29Of what happens when you stop pretending you don't want this.
00:51:32The only thing I want is for you to choke on your own ego.
00:51:36Liar.
00:51:37Your whole body's shaking.
00:51:39You're so wound up you can barely stand.
00:51:42You are delusional.
00:51:44Then prove it.
00:51:46Tell me to leave.
00:51:48Mean it.
00:51:48Why are you in my face again?
00:51:51What do you want from me?
00:52:02Come on, princess.
00:52:05Tell me how much you hate me now.
00:52:07I hate.
00:52:08I hate you.
00:52:10Again.
00:52:11Make me believe it this time.
00:52:14Caleb.
00:52:18Every pathetic dream I've tortured myself with
00:52:21dissolves into nothing compared to the weight of her body pressed against mine.
00:52:26Somehow we migrate to my room.
00:52:31You're shaking.
00:52:33No, I'm not.
00:52:40Caleb.
00:52:42Your hands are literally trembling.
00:52:44Shut up.
00:52:46I'm just saying.
00:52:47You want to analyze this?
00:52:49Write a thesis about my sizzy logical responses?
00:52:54Or do you want me to make you forget how to form sentences?
00:52:57That's what I thought.
00:52:58I'm not a virgin anymore.
00:53:01That doesn't mean it won't hurt the second time.
00:53:04We don't have to do this.
00:53:06If you've changed your mind.
00:53:09I haven't changed my fucking mind.
00:53:12I just...
00:53:14I need you to be sure.
00:53:16Why?
00:53:17Because I'm not a complete bastard.
00:53:20Despite popular opinion.
00:53:22Caleb, I want this.
00:53:23I want you.
00:53:27Tell me if it hurts.
00:53:29I mean it, Serena.
00:53:30One word and I stop.
00:53:35Your turn.
00:53:36Slow down.
00:53:38You've been telling me to shut up and take what I want for years.
00:53:42Now you want me to be patient?
00:53:44Now I want to take my time.
00:53:47I want to learn every inch of you.
00:53:49I want to hear every sound you make.
00:53:51I want to remember this when I'm old and broken and you've moved on to someone who deserves you.
00:53:56Caleb, you're staring.
00:53:59Don't hide from me.
00:54:00Not now.
00:54:02It's embarrassing.
00:54:03You're perfect.
00:54:05You've always been perfect and I've hated you for it.
00:54:07Hated how much I wanted you.
00:54:09Hated that you made me feel things I couldn't control.
00:54:19Caleb, what are you doing?
00:54:29Caleb, we go slow.
00:54:36I'll stop whenever you say.
00:54:42Caleb, please.
00:54:45Please what?
00:54:46I need you.
00:54:48Please, I need you inside me.
00:54:53I need you.
00:54:55I need you.
00:54:56I need you.
00:54:56I need you.
00:54:56We laugh it off like it's just a game.
00:54:58Her taste, salt and sweetness, as I drag my mouth down her throat.
00:55:03I've dreamed about this since my first fumbling experiences taught me what bodies could do together.
00:55:09Backseats of cars with girls whose names blurred by morning.
00:55:13dorm rooms and parties and encounters that meant nothing beyond temporary release none of them
00:55:20mattered because they weren't her god damn me but we're real close this line we crossed nobody
00:55:50the warmth pressed against my body tangible and real
00:56:02how long have you been awake it's a while you talk in your sleep you know that
00:56:11very entertaining right something about constitutional amendments and a certain
00:56:18professor henderson oh god please tell me you're lying i liked it best when you muttered something
00:56:24about colored markers very sexy bedtime talk lincoln you're unbearable and yet you're here
00:56:34still in my bed the morning is just beginning give me time take all the time you want i'm not
00:56:44going
00:56:44anywhere i should probably go get ready the gala is tonight and i need to a gala evening yes the
00:56:58charity event our parents have been discussing for weeks katherine mentioned it at dinner last
00:57:02night remember the hospital foundation thing the whole point of last night was that you don't go
00:57:08with him last night had no point last night was a mistake a mistake that's what you're calling it
00:57:15what else would i possibly call it caleb you were screaming my name four hours ago and now it's a
00:57:20mistake i'll hear your voice before someone hears it
00:57:26you let lucas kiss you on our doorstep you're going to this gala on his arm tonight
00:57:33parading around like nothing happened between us and what happens in my life is none of your concern
00:57:39and i'm supposed to be fine with that after everything that happened between us last night
00:57:45you don't get to be anything about my choices this doesn't give you rights over me then
00:57:54what the hell does it give me serena i need to go step away
00:58:04you're really gonna pretend this means nothing i'm not pretending anything
00:58:10liar i know what you felt
00:58:14let me go caleb
00:58:15i can't watch you with him
00:58:19i can't watch him touch you knowing what we knowing how you but before i can respond
00:58:26his slam on the closet makes us both look at the carpet and my whole world turns upside down
00:58:34i can explain
00:58:39serena please just let me explain what happened you it was you yes but it's not your
00:58:48hope you took my virginity you knew exactly who i was and you let me think i was with someone
00:58:55else
00:58:55i didn't plan it i saw you with lucas followed because i was jealous and then you took my hand
00:59:00and you just went along with it you let me believe i was with someone else the entire time we
00:59:05were in
00:59:05that room you thought you were with lucas you wanted him not me what was i supposed to do correct
00:59:10you mid-sduction yes that's what a decent person would do caleb i'm not a decent human being
00:59:17i've never claimed to be and the message the photo someone sent to my phone last week that was me
00:59:26i sent it you photographed me without my consent and then used it to threaten me
00:59:31it wasn't a threat it was i was trying to make you stay away from lucas i panicked
00:59:36i blackmailing me that was your brilliant plan
00:59:39you kept spending time with him and i couldn't just tell you the truth without
00:59:45without what admitting you'd already violated every boundary that exists between two people
00:59:50lucas is not who you think he is
00:59:53that's what i've been trying to tell you all this time
00:59:55oh this should be good please enlighten me about who lucas is he's dangerous serena
01:00:01there are things about him you don't know things you conveniently couldn't mention until after you'd
01:00:06slept with me twice and gotten caught in your own web of lies the timing looks suspicious i know
01:00:12but i'm telling you the truth right now the truth you don't know what that word means caleb
01:00:16you wouldn't recognize truth that introduced itself with a handshake serena wait
01:00:22you have to listen to me about this
01:00:26i don't have to do what you say lucas hurt someone back in high school there was a girl at
01:00:32a party
01:00:32after everyone else had left she is the reason we stop being friends and you expect me to believe
01:00:39this convenient revelation right now after everything you've just admitted it's not convenient
01:00:45it's relevant everything i've done has been to protect you from him
01:00:50are you aligning me this is sickening caleb
01:00:53i know what it looks like but all i did was because i
01:00:58was because you're a manipulative bastard
01:01:03last night you told me it might hurt the second time
01:01:06you knew it was only my second time because you were my first
01:01:09serena don't don't say my name like that
01:01:13you can't seem offended right now
01:01:15and going
01:01:18don't follow me please don't do this
01:01:21it's not like that serena so how do i do it
01:01:27you're exactly the villain i always knew you were
01:01:30i just forgot for a few hours
01:01:36and the party tonight
01:01:38are you still going with him despite everything i just told you
01:01:42your word means nothing to me anymore
01:01:46this is such a beautiful event
01:01:49it really is cheers to that
01:01:51charity galas exist so rich people can feel generous
01:01:55while drinking champagne that costs more than my textbooks
01:01:58you look stunning
01:02:00every man in this room is jealous of me right now
01:02:03flattery will get you everywhere
01:02:05bennett
01:02:06that's what i'm counting on
01:02:09you two look absolutely lovely together
01:02:11like something from a magazine spread honestly
01:02:16the bennetts raised a fine young man
01:02:18i couldn't be happier about you two spending time together
01:02:21thank you sir
01:02:24serena makes it easy to be a gentleman
01:02:37do you want to dance
01:02:39i wouldn't want anything more
01:02:44my father's partner wanted to meet you
01:02:46he's been asking about my mysterious pre-law girlfriend all evening
01:02:49i'm not your girlfriend
01:02:52every interaction only reveals more kindness
01:02:55more evidence that caleb lied
01:02:57enjoying yourself princess
01:02:59don't call me that
01:03:01playing dress up with bennett looks exhausting
01:03:04blue suits you though
01:03:06your mother would have approved
01:03:07is there something you need thornton
01:03:09it's like it now actually
01:03:12didn't you hear
01:03:13we're one big happy family these days
01:03:16just making conversation with my stepister
01:03:19family obligation
01:03:20you understand
01:03:22funny how you only remember family obligations when it's convenient
01:03:25some of us remember when you couldn't spell the word
01:03:28and some of us remember things we probably shouldn't talk about
01:03:31at charity galas
01:03:33right bennett
01:03:34wouldn't want to ruin the evening with ancient history
01:03:37you're drunk
01:03:39maybe you should find some water in a quiet corner
01:03:41maybe you should worry less about my hydration
01:03:45and more about your own glass house
01:03:48stones hurt when they come back around
01:03:50don't they
01:03:51we were actually just leaving
01:03:53excuse us
01:04:04i didn't know you smoked
01:04:08there's a lot you don't know about me
01:04:10though i suppose that cuts both ways now
01:04:12doesn't it
01:04:14you've been avoiding me all night serena
01:04:16i really like the gala
01:04:19it's not all about you caleb
01:04:21no
01:04:23then why do you look for me in every room you enter
01:04:25i don't
01:04:29you do
01:04:30you've been watching me all night while pretending not to
01:04:33and i've been watching you pretend
01:04:42does lucas know
01:04:44know what
01:04:46that you're only with him because of me
01:04:49you're delusional
01:04:50i chose lucas
01:04:53because he's everything you're not
01:04:56and what exactly am i not
01:04:58honest
01:04:59attentive
01:05:01capable of basic human decency without ulterior motives attached
01:05:05sounds like a golden retriever
01:05:08very exciting
01:05:10excitement isn't everything caleb
01:05:12some of us prefer stability over chaos
01:05:16you don't want stability
01:05:18you want to feel safe
01:05:20want what terrifies you
01:05:21what terrifies me
01:05:23is your complete
01:05:26inability to take responsibility for anything you've done
01:05:29i've taken responsibility
01:05:32i told you the truth about bennett
01:05:34about halloween
01:05:35about the photo
01:05:36about all of it
01:05:38after i discovered the mask in your closet
01:05:40that's not a confession that's damage control
01:05:43and yet here you are
01:05:46alone with me on a balcony instead of inside with your puppy
01:05:49i came out here for air
01:05:52not for you
01:05:53keep telling yourself that
01:05:57that's a great story
01:05:58i remember the first time i saw the play
01:06:06excuse me for a moment
01:06:10there you are
01:06:11i've been looking everywhere for you
01:06:15just getting some air
01:06:17the ballroom was getting stuffy
01:06:19i can imagine
01:06:21caleb
01:06:23still here
01:06:24just leaving
01:06:25the view got less interesting
01:06:27i want to hurt him
01:06:29the way he hurt me
01:06:30i want him to watch
01:06:32and suffer
01:06:34lucas
01:06:36serena
01:06:56what was that for
01:06:57i just wanted to
01:07:03i'm not complaining
01:07:05feel free to want that anytime
01:07:07we should go back inside
01:07:10people will talk
01:07:12let them
01:07:21funny how memory works
01:07:23my traitorous mind has other plans
01:07:25circling caleb's face like a vulture over carrion
01:07:29devastated doesn't cover it
01:07:31he looked destroyed
01:07:32the foundation cracked and walls collapsed
01:07:35i tell myself this is what i wanted
01:07:38punishment
01:07:39so why does victory taste like ash
01:07:42coating my tongue
01:07:43the clock reads three in the morning
01:07:45but even in dreams i can't escape the blue of his eyes
01:07:49right before they went hollow
01:07:52lucas and i build something
01:07:54and the spaces between obligations
01:07:56coffee shops where baristas know our orders
01:07:59library corners we've claimed as territory
01:08:06his roommates scatter when i arrive
01:08:08mumbling excuses that sound rehearsed
01:08:11they're just awkward around new people
01:08:16he seems genuine
01:08:17which either means he is
01:08:20or he's very good at pretending
01:08:21that's true sure young
01:08:23thank you
01:08:24i'm a realist not a cheerleader
01:08:28but your other friends like him
01:08:29so there's that
01:08:31they do like him
01:08:32the easy charm
01:08:33the remembered details
01:08:35the way he makes everyone feel important
01:08:37i should be grateful for the consensus
01:08:39instead i find myself cataloging inconsistencies
01:08:43like evidence for a trial i haven't decided to hold
01:08:47his smile doesn't always reach his eyes
01:08:49especially when he thinks i'm not watching
01:08:51caleb watches us across campus
01:08:54with the dedication of someone memorizing a crime scene
01:08:57he doesn't approach
01:08:59doesn't speak
01:09:00doesn't acknowledge my existence
01:09:02beyond those burning blue eyes
01:09:04tracking my movements
01:09:05every time our gazes collide
01:09:07my chest constricts with an ache
01:09:09i refuse to name
01:09:10i look away first
01:09:12because looking longer feels like confession
01:09:14the parade of girls through his bedroom has stopped
01:09:18or at least the volume has dropped to silence
01:09:28you okay
01:09:30fine
01:09:31what happened between you two
01:09:33ancient history serena
01:09:37it doesn't matter anymore
01:09:38clearly it does
01:09:40you can't even look at his car without going full statue
01:09:43we were kids
01:09:46people grow apart
01:09:47that's not an answer
01:09:48and you know it
01:09:51it was just high school drama
01:09:54stuka teenage stuff
01:09:56what kind of stupid teenage stuff
01:09:58did you steal his book
01:10:01beat him at lacrosse tryouts
01:10:04nothing like that
01:10:07then what
01:10:09was there a girl involved
01:10:13maybe
01:10:15but it's complicated
01:10:16complicated how
01:10:20what
01:10:21you two couldn't share her or something
01:10:23there was a girl
01:10:26her name was rachel
01:10:27and things just
01:10:30got messy
01:10:34anyway
01:10:36what are your thanksgiving plans
01:10:37my parents have been asking about you
01:10:40i let him redirect
01:10:42let him kiss my cheek and walk away
01:10:44let the questions settle heavy in my chest
01:10:47rachel
01:10:49a girl
01:10:50things got messy
01:10:51the name circles my mind
01:10:53three hours disappear into the black hole of social media stalking
01:10:58rachel weaver emerges from the digital excavation around midnight
01:11:03i scroll back through years
01:11:05junior prom
01:11:06three years ago
01:11:07caleb on her left
01:11:09lucas on her right
01:11:10whatever broke them apart
01:11:12started with this girl in the blue dress
01:11:16whatever truth caleb tried to tell me
01:11:18has roots i'm only beginning to trace
01:11:20i open a new message window
01:11:22before doubt can intervene
01:11:24the cursor blinks
01:11:25patient and waiting
01:11:27i start typing
01:11:28i start typing
01:11:28Thank you very much.
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