King of the O ( A King Von Story ) 🕊🤍 (Editing)

Chapter 75 (Vacation 2.0)

Jasmine's POV

I hadn't had a reaction like that since the fifth grade—tight chest, spinning head, heat rising behind my eyes.

But Von was fast asleep beside me, breathing steady, one arm draped across my waist like he wasn't the same person who had me questioning everything hours ago.

I grabbed my phone from the nightstand, angled the camera at him, and snapped a photo.

"Forever a sleeping beauty."
The caption made me smile for half a second before I posted it.

"Why you takin' pictures of me?" Von mumbled into the pillow.

"Why you pretending to be asleep?" I shot back.

"I wasn't pretending 'til you put that big-ass flash in my face," he groaned.

I laughed—loudly. For a moment, it felt like before. Before the trip. Before the whispers. Before Duke came back home.

"I miss my kids," I murmured, mostly to myself.

Von let out a sigh. "Wow."

"What?" I asked, voice low.

Silence.

Then, a question that cracked the peace wide open:

"Are you sure there's nothin' else I need to know?"

The word "No" fell out of my mouth too fast.

I didn't hesitate. I didn't blink. I didn't let myself think.

Don't be stupid, Jasmine.

I wasn't about to let history repeat itself. I wasn't going to ruin everything over a slip of emotion or a moment of weakness. Not again.

I stared at the ceiling, teeth clenched, so caught up in the storm inside my head I almost missed the quiet "hmm" that slipped out of his mouth.

"For some reason," Von said slowly, "I feel like Duke been actin' different since he got back."

My whole body went still.

"Oh, I wouldn't know," I said way too quickly.

He lifted his head to look at me, but it was too dark to read my face. Thank God.

"Yeah... not that I would expect you to," he muttered.

He hesitated. Then added, "You know he used to have the weirdest crush on you back in high school."

I felt my heart stutter.

I wrapped a strand of hair around my finger to keep my hands from shaking.

"Sometimes I catch him lookin' at you. Like... still. And I wonder if he still has those thoughts," Von said.

I didn't respond. I couldn't. My throat felt too tight.

"'Cause if he ever thought about touching you... talkin' to you like that again? I'd kill him."

Then he'd already be ten feet deep, I thought. But I didn't say it.

Instead, I said, "I want to go home."

"This trip has been a waste. And your side bitch keeps finding ways to linger around you."

The words came out sharp. Defensive.

"Why you changin' the subject?" Von said, pulling away and sitting up.

"And you know damn well I don't care about that girl."

"It's not about what you care about. It's about how it's been handled. You always got me out here lookin' stupid."

"So now it's on me?" he snapped.

"You actin' like I invited her. Like I called her up myself and said, 'Come ruin Jasmine's peace.' I can't help it if my boys attach themselves to somebody I used to fuck."

I sat up, chest pounding.

"Yeah," I said. "But it was never a problem when you were fuckin' her and letting her smile in my face like I was dumb."

That was the first time I ever said it out loud.

Von froze.

"What the fuck is your problem?" he snapped.

He grabbed his shirt off the floor and shoved his feet into his sneakers.

"Where are you going?" I asked, suddenly unsure.

I didn't want to be alone.

"To get some fuckin' air. Space—from you," he said.

I crossed my arms over my chest, sinking beneath the covers until they reached my neck. I stared at the wall, refusing to cry.

And then—right before he walked out—he stopped in the doorway.

"And Jasmine—I swear, if you're lying to me about anything involving Duke... it won't be fuckin' pretty."

He slammed the door.

The silence that followed hurt more than anything he said.

⸻

End of Chapter
Sorry for the short one... but y'all know how Jasmine is. She'll either say too little—or blow the whole thing up. 😮‍💨 Comment below what you think Von's next move should be... or if Jasmine's hiding more than we know.