Kael didn't even give Samantha a warning. One moment, he was standing still. The next, he swooped her up into his arms, carrying her bridal-style as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Wha—Kael!" Samantha gasped, her face burning.

"Hold tight," he said simply, his tone calm but his smirk betraying his amusement.

Her instincts kicked in. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she remembered who he was—an elemental. That reminder came a heartbeat before boom!—a gust of wind exploded beneath them, trailing in Kael's wake as he took off.

The world blurred. Buildings stretched into streaks of color, the streets melted into lines beneath them, and Samantha's heart thumped wildly—not from fear, but from the thrill of being held by him like this. He wasn't using his Speed Force, so there was no crackling lightning, just raw velocity that still made the city feel like it was spinning around them.

When they finally stopped, Samantha exhaled sharply, trying to process what just happened. They were already standing in front of the arena.

"So… let me get this straight." She narrowed her eyes, trying not to laugh. "You wanted to take me to the arena. But instead, you carried me around the entire city like some kind of personal tour bus?"

Kael tilted his head innocently. "You didn't like it?"

She almost laughed, but then something caught her attention. Her smile faltered. "Wait—when did you change your clothes?"

Kael glanced down at his fresh attire, then looked back at her casually. "When you were about to laugh."

Samantha blinked. "…You're ridiculous."

Inside the arena, Kael didn't bother with the crowded seats. He purchased a VIP booth for her, the same way he always did—without hesitation, without caring about the cost. After his own match was arranged, he followed her into the private room, where they both sat side by side, gazing at the battles unfolding below.

At first, Samantha kept her attention on the fighters, the crowd's cheers filling the room through the glass. But soon, her gaze wandered back to Kael. He leaned lazily against the seat, arms folded, hair falling over his eyes like always. There was something about his presence—both untouchable and strangely vulnerable—that tugged at her.

She turned to him fully. "Kael… can I ask you something?"

"Hm?"

"Why did you choose me?"

Kael froze. For once, the always-composed Kael-X looked caught off guard. "Huh?"

"Why me?" Samantha repeated softly, her voice carrying something fragile. "Out of all the girls you could've chosen… why me?"

For a long moment, he didn't answer. His head lowered slightly, shadows hiding his expression. Then—like a door opening—memories surged through his mind.

A woman. Beautiful. No—breathtaking. Long green hair, eyes filled with warmth, a smile that could turn the coldest night into spring. She laughed as he teased her, leaned into his shoulder when they walked. Layla. Her name was Layla.

The flashbacks shifted violently. Elite soldiers stormed into the scene—Zulek's men. Kael fought, desperately, furiously, but they overwhelmed him. And then Zulek's cold voice echoed: "She rejected my son. That's enough reason."

Kael's chest tightened as he saw it again—the moment Layla was cut down before his very eyes. The memory clawed at him, threatening to rip open wounds that had never healed.

"Kael?" Samantha's voice pulled him back. She reached forward, her hand brushing his arm gently. "I didn't mean to upset you. If it's—"

"I'm fine." His voice was low, but steady.

He lifted his hand, and suddenly a hologram shimmered in the air between them.

Samantha gasped. It was… her. Or rather, someone who looked so much like her it was uncanny. The same green hair. The same warmth. The same fierce beauty.

"This… is Layla," Kael said quietly. His usual cool tone cracked with something raw. "My first love. She looks exactly like you. Every time I see you… it's like the warmth she carried is alive again. The world tried to strip that warmth away from me, but somehow… you carry it too."

His words hung in the air, heavy and vulnerable, and for the first time, Samantha saw him not as Kael-X the mysterious fighter, not as the elemental who toyed with speed and space—but as a man who had loved, lost, and still carried the scars.

Her heart tightened. Slowly, she reached up, her fingers brushing the strands of hair that always covered his eyes. She pushed them aside gently, revealing his full face. His sharp features, his haunted gaze—it was the face of someone who had endured too much, yet still stood tall.

"I understand now," she whispered. Her hand lingered on his cheek, her thumb grazing his skin with a tenderness she didn't know she had in her.

Kael closed his eyes for a moment, leaning slightly into her touch. For once, he didn't hide behind his smirk or sarcasm. For once, he let himself just… be.

And for Samantha, that was enough.

---

Her hand lingered against his cheek, brushing away strands of hair that usually concealed his eyes. For the first time, Samantha saw him clearly—not the Kael-X who mocked danger, not the fighter who moved faster than sound, but the man beneath it all.

"Kael…" she whispered, her heart thudding against her ribs.

The atmosphere in the booth shifted. The noise of the arena below became distant, muffled, as though they were inside a world of their own. Kael's eyes, normally sharp and unreadable, softened as they locked onto hers.

For a fleeting second, Samantha thought she saw loneliness there. Pain buried deep. Yet under it—something new. Something that reached for her.

"I've always wondered," she continued softly, her fingers still resting against his jaw, "why you stay distant from people… why you never let anyone close. But now… now I understand. You lost someone you loved. And you're terrified of losing again."

Kael didn't answer. His silence wasn't rejection—it was acknowledgment. Every word she spoke peeled back another layer of his armor.

Samantha leaned closer. "But Kael…" Her voice trembled slightly. "I'm not her. I'm not Layla. I'm me. And if you let me… I'll stay."

Her face was only inches from his now. Close enough for him to feel her breath on his lips. His heart, usually steady even in the face of death, skipped. Something about her—the way she looked at him without fear, the way her warmth reached into wounds even he thought untouchable—made his control falter.

His hand rose unconsciously, brushing against hers where it cupped his face. He leaned in—just slightly—his forehead nearly touching hers.

"Kael…" she whispered, her emerald eyes shimmering with both hope and hesitation.

The distance between them shrank. Just a heartbeat more and—

BOOM!

The entire arena shook with a deafening explosion of cheers. A fighter in the ring had landed a devastating blow, and the crowd roared so loud that the glass of the VIP booth trembled.

Both Kael and Samantha froze. Reality rushed back in like cold water. She blinked, pulling back a little, her cheeks flushed crimson. He leaned back as well, clearing his throat, covering the sudden tension with a half-smirk.

"Well," Kael muttered, his voice low and rough, "looks like the crowd didn't want me to have my moment. Fuck Arena afterall."

Samantha's lips curved into a faint smile, though her blush betrayed her. "Maybe it wasn't your moment yet."

Kael tilted his head, studying her. For once, he didn't reply with a joke. Instead, he just looked at her for a beat longer than necessary before turning his gaze back to the fight below.

But even as he watched the ring, his mind wasn't on the battle. It was sti

ll on the warmth of her touch… and how dangerously close he'd been to letting himself fall again.

---

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