Kaya would admit to lingering in Noel's kitchen for far longer than she should.
In the kitchen, the tabloids didn't matter and Lina wasn't on her case. It was quiet and safe. It had always been Kaya's refuge.
Too bad that, eventually, Kaya found the need to return to her apartment.
With sluggish feet and a tired mind, Kaya hiked her bag onto her back and trudged toward home.
The complex seemed quiet that night. Kaya should have known it wouldn't last.
She first knew something had happened the moment that Zoren came sailing off the bottom stair.
"What's wrong?" Kaya stopped mid-stride.
Zoren wrapped an arm around Kaya's shoulders and spun her away from the entrance. "I'll explain later, let's go."
"Where are we going?" Kaya wriggled out of his grasp and hiked her bag higher on her shoulder.
Zoren glanced behind them. "Anywhere but here."
"Why?" Kaya stopped moving. "I'm not going anywhere until you explain what's going on."
"Kaya, we don't have time for this, okay?" Zoren scrubbed his hands through his hair, effectively mussing it. "Okay. Fine. I understand this is sudden. There's a diner down the street, go there and I'll come explain. I'm right behind you."
"Weren't we going together?"
Zoren's behavior wigged her out. She didn't really want to go anywhere by herself if he kept acting like that.
Zoren sighed. "Kaya, please! I gotta grab something and then I'll be there. Just go."
It must be important for Zoren to speak to her like that. Kaya hadn't seen this serious side of Zoren. Not ever. So she nodded and trekked back out the front gate.
She shouldn't have.
Kaya immediately encountered what Zoren must have been trying to avoid. It was a cameraman that rounded the corner first. The bright flash discombobulated Kaya long enough for others to join.
Kaya threw her arms up, waiting for the blows.
Unlike the fan club, these paparazzi had no intention of going easy on Kaya. The questions flew at her from all directions. No one bothered to ask what her relationship with Ransom Lee was. They all assumed she had a relationship with him at this point.
"How long have you been dating Ransom Lee?"
"Why have you kept this relationship a secret?"
"Ms. Parker, look over here!"
"Do you have any plans about apologizing to Ransom's fan club?"
"CUT IT OUT!" Zoren's voice broke through the din surrounding Kaya.
In an unprecedented move, all the reporters fell silent.
Zoren pushed his way through the crowd. His first order of business was to block the view of Kaya while he asked the most important question. "Are you okay?"
Kaya shook her head. She doubted she would be okay for the rest of the night.
Zoren blew out a short, angry breath. "Okay. And sorry."
As if he hadn't cursed everyone in his head, Zoren took a stance beside Kaya and flashed a smile. "You've all got the wrong idea."
A handful of rebuttals echoed against the building behind them.
"She's not dating Ransom Lee," Zoren continued.
One particularly vengeful reporter rolled her eyes. "And how do you know that?"
Zoren reached down and wrapped his hand around Kaya's. "Because she's dating me."
"Wait, aren't you...?" The vengeful reporter took a step closer. "Aren't you Zoren Olsen?"
The crowd around them broke out in shouts and cries of outrage. The whole lot of them pressed closer, uttering new questions this time. Questions asking for "the truth behind the rumors."
Kaya didn't listen to them. She couldn't. She was too focused on two important factors.
One: why did this reporter know Zoren's name?
Two: why, in the car across the street, could she see a pair of dark, almost purple, eyes staring right at her?