The city swallowed me as I walked, but I couldn't shake the heaviness of his presence. Even in the crowd, I felt tethered to Adrian's gaze, like invisible strings pulled me back toward him.
I turned down a quieter street, hoping the noise of traffic would drown the memory of his voice. But I hadn't taken more than a few steps when I heard the low purr of an engine. The black car rolled to a slow stop beside me.
The window lowered.
And there he was.
"Get in," Adrian said, his tone calm, not demanding, but threaded with a certainty that left no room for refusal.
I froze. "Excuse me?"
His eyes flicked over me, unreadable. "It's not safe for you to walk home alone."
I let out a dry laugh. "You don't even know where I live."
His gaze locked on mine. "Elmswood Avenue. Top floor. Apartment 4B."
My blood ran cold. "How the hell—"
"I told you," he interrupted smoothly. "I know you."
Anger flared sharp in my chest, pushing against the unease crawling under my skin. "That's not knowing me. That's stalking."
Adrian's expression didn't change. If anything, there was the faintest flicker of something softer in his eyes, though it was gone too quickly to name. "You can call it what you like. But I don't watch strangers."
My throat tightened. "Then what am I to you?"
For a moment, silence hung heavy between us, broken only by the idle hum of the car. He leaned slightly closer, his voice lower now, deliberate.
"Someone I should have protected a long time ago."
The words hit like a blow I wasn't prepared for. My chest ached, memories stirring at the edges of my mind—shadows of nights I tried to bury, faces blurred by pain, the sound of things breaking. I shook my head hard, pushing it all back where it belonged.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I whispered.
Adrian's eyes searched mine like he could see every lie I tried to hide behind. "You will."
The car door clicked as he unlocked it from the inside. His hand rested lightly on the steering wheel, but the weight of his presence made it feel like a command.
I hesitated, every instinct screaming to run. And yet, against all reason, my feet shifted closer. Drawn, pulled, caught in something I couldn't name.
"No," I forced out, stepping back instead. "I don't get into cars with strangers. Not even ones who… think they know me."
A slow smile tugged at his lips, though it wasn't amusement—it was something darker. Certain. "We're not strangers, Elena. Not anymore."
And then, before I could respond, the window slid up and the car pulled away, swallowed into the traffic.
But even as the taillights disappeared, his words stayed behind, lodged in my chest like a secret I hadn't agreed to keep.
Someone I should have protected a long time ago.
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