They stood there for a moment, neither of them speaking.
The night felt heavier now. The kind of quiet that presses on your ears.
Aria broke it first. "You didn't have to rush over like that."
Adrian looked at her. "Yes, I did."
She folded her arms, more to steady herself than to argue. "You can't always be there."
"I know," he said. "That's the problem."
He glanced toward the end of the street, then back at her building. "Let me walk you upstairs."
She hesitated, then nodded.
Inside the building, the lights flickered the same way they always did. Everything looked normal, but Aria knew it wasn't. Not anymore.
They climbed the stairs in silence.
At her door, she searched for her keys with shaking fingers. Adrian noticed and gently took the bag from her hand.
"You're still scared," he said.
"Anyone would be," she replied. "I just didn't think it would follow me home."
He handed her the keys back. "I'm sorry."
She looked up at him. "For what?"
"For pulling you into my world."
Aria unlocked the door but didn't go in right away. "You didn't pull me. I stepped in on my own."
That surprised him.
She took a breath. "I don't know what you're involved in, Adrian. And I won't pretend I'm not afraid. But I won't pretend I regret helping you either."
His eyes softened, just a little.
"That night," he said, "I thought I was used to danger. I was wrong. I wasn't ready to worry about someone else."
The words settled between them.
Aria opened the door. "Then maybe we both need to be careful."
He nodded. "I'll have someone watch the street. From a distance."
She smiled faintly. "I figured you would."
Before she went inside, she paused. "Will you tell me the truth? When the time comes?"
"Yes," he said without hesitation. "I promise."
That mattered more than she expected.
She stepped inside and closed the door softly.
Adrian stayed there longer than he should have.
He listened. No footsteps. No voices. Just the quiet hum of the building.
Only then did he leave.
As he drove away, his phone rang.
"Sir," his assistant said, tense. "The man who approached her—he's connected to a group that's been watching you for weeks."
Adrian's grip tightened on the steering wheel. "They crossed a line."
"What are your orders?"
Adrian's voice was calm, but cold. "We end this quietly. And keep her out of sight."
He paused.
"Failing that," he added, "they answer to me."
Inside her apartment, Aria leaned against the door.
Her heart was still racing, but not just from fear.
She picked up her phone, typed a message, erased it, then tried again.
Aria: Thank you for coming.
The reply came almost instantly.
Adrian: Always.
She stared at the word.
Always.
She didn't know what tomorrow would bring. But she knew one thing.
Nothing was simple anymore.