The boy everyone feared… and the one I couldn't stop loving.
I wasn't supposed to be looking at him.
But I always did.
From across the courtyard, hidden behind my friends and the noise of everything normal, my eyes found him like they had a mind of their own. Like they belonged to him.
He stood near the black car—of course it was black—wearing that same calm, unreadable expression. A fitted suit hugged his shoulders, sharp and perfect, like he had walked straight out of a world that didn't belong here.
He didn't belong here.
Not in our school.
Not in our lives.
And definitely not in mine.
"Are you staring again?"
I flinched.
Amara's voice snapped me back to reality, but it was already too late. I didn't need to look at her to know she had that look on her face—the one that said she'd caught me. Again.
"I'm not," I muttered, even though we both knew I was lying.
"Mm-hmm," she hummed, clearly unconvinced. "So you're just casually looking in the direction of the most dangerous guy in this school?"
I rolled my eyes, trying to act normal. "You're being dramatic."
But she wasn't.
We both knew she wasn't.
Everyone knew who he was.
Whispers followed him wherever he went. Quiet, fearful whispers that spread faster than gossip ever should.
Stay away from him.
He's not normal.
His family… they're not people you mess with.
I'd heard it all.
And yet… here I was.
Looking.
Again.
"I swear," Amara continued, lowering her voice slightly, "one day he's going to catch you staring, and then what?"
My heart skipped.
Not in fear.
But in something far more dangerous.
"Then nothing," I said quickly. "He doesn't even know I exist."
The words felt heavier than they should have.
Because that was the truth.
To him, I was no one.
Just another face in the background. Another student passing by. Another shadow in a world that revolved around him.
But to me?
He was everything I wasn't supposed to want.
"Everyone knows you like him," Amara said, nudging me slightly. "Except him."
I let out a quiet laugh, but it didn't reach my chest.
"Good," I whispered. "It should stay that way."
Because liking him wasn't just stupid.
It was dangerous.
A sudden silence fell over the courtyard.
Not complete silence—but enough.
Enough for people to notice.
Enough for heads to turn.
Enough for him to move.
My breath caught as he stepped forward, his presence shifting the air like a storm rolling in. Conversations dipped. Laughter faded. Even the wind felt like it paused.
That was the effect he had.
Power.
Effortless. Unspoken. Terrifying.
And yet… beautiful.
My eyes betrayed me again, locking onto him as he walked past.
Closer.
Closer.
Too close.
My heart started pounding so loudly I was sure Amara could hear it.
Don't look.
Don't look.
Don't—
He stopped.
Right in front of us.
My entire body went still.
No way.
No way this was happening.
Slowly—too slowly—I lifted my gaze.
And for the first time ever…
His eyes met mine.
Dark. Cold. Sharp.
But not empty.
Never empty.
Time froze.
The world disappeared.
And for one terrifying, breathtaking moment…
The devil in the black suit was looking at me.