The soft hum of music played sweetly through the car speakers. Outside the window, the city lights blurred past like moving stars, but my mind wasn't with them. I stared out, avoiding conversation, avoiding him. I could feel the tension thick in the air — too quiet, too strange. This wasn't like Aiden.
I turned slightly to steal a glance, wondering what had silenced him. He was staring at his phone, fingers gliding across the screen. Then, as if he felt my gaze, he slowly looked up — those cold, unreadable eyes meeting mine.
A slow, dangerous smile spread across his face.
"Are you stealing a gaze, baby?" he asked in that deep, mocking voice.
I rolled my eyes and turned away again.
"I have a lot of self-control around you…" I murmured under my breath.
But I heard him chuckle. When I looked back, his smile had deepened.
"Don't expect it next time, baby," he said smoothly. "You can't dress that hot and expect me to just let you walk away."
I swallowed hard, mentally urging the driver to speed up. Please, let us just get to the hotel... fast.
I gave Aiden a tight, nervous smile and looked away again, hoping he'd drop it. But I should've known better.
Without warning, he reached out and grabbed my hand, pulling me toward him. My heart skipped. I tensed up, eyes darting to his as fear wrapped around my chest like a vice.
"What are you trying to do?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Shh, baby," he murmured. "Don't make this worse for yourself."
I tried to pull back, but his grip only tightened. He cupped my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes. They were dark and greedy, shining with something that made my stomach churn.
He leaned in closer. "I think I love the flavor of fear in you," he whispered, eyes dropping to my chest as he smirked.
"It makes me more hungry."
I turned my face away. "You should leave me alone, Aiden."
"Shh, sweetheart... don't make this worse, okay?" His voice dropped into a low, dangerous tone. "I could take you somewhere you'll never come back in one piece... maybe just in pieces."
My eyes widened. Did he just say that?
"So calm down, baby," he said smoothly. "You don't want that, right?"
I couldn't breathe. I looked into his eyes and saw no trace of the Aiden I thought I knew. Just a twisted version of him, feeding off my fear like it excited him.
He grinned. "Ahhh... you look even hotter when you're scared. Don't you think so?"
I found my voice, shaky but firm. "You can't do that to me."
He raised a brow. "You want me to show you? Because I'd love to show you, baby. It'll be fun."
"Just take me to the hotel, Aiden." My voice was more of a plea now.
"Oh, I will…" He leaned closer. "I'll take a piece of you there. Don't you think?"
My breathing grew heavier, panic climbing up my throat. His hand slid to my waist, pulling me close, and I knew he was enjoying every bit of control he had.
"I'm just making myself clear, baby," he said, his smirk deepening. "I will have you, whether you like it or not."
I looked at him, the fear boiling into anger.
"You should leave me alone, Aiden. You'll regret this."
He laughed coldly. "And what are you going to do, Juliet? Hm? In just one second... someone like you could disappear."
I looked down, not trusting myself to speak, afraid to say something that would trigger him.
But he lifted my chin again. "Look into my eyes when I talk to you."
I looked. I had to. And he smiled like he'd won.
"Good girl." His hand slid up to my cheek. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you…" He paused, letting the silence creep between us. "Not today, at least."
The car slowed and finally pulled up in front of the hotel. I exhaled shakily, still frozen. The moment the driver stepped out, I yanked the door open, not giving Aiden another glance.
I didn't wait for help or goodbye. I just walked — no, rushed — toward the hotel entrance. Behind me, I didn't need to look to know he was smiling that wicked, satisfied smile.
The elevator doors opened, and I stepped in, my heart still racing.
"Are you stupid, Juliet?" I muttered to myself, hands shaking. "You could've gotten yourself killed tonight… or worse."
I clenched my teeth in frustration, in fear, in rage — all of it tangled inside me. Why didn't I just stay at the party house? Why did I let myself get in the same car as him?
The elevator dinged, and I hurried to my room, looking around as if he might appear again.
Once inside, I shut the door, locked it, and leaned back against it, my body sliding slowly down until I sat on the floor. I took a deep breath. Then another.
Eyes closed, I whispered to myself.
"That was too close..."