Aarya remained on the floor, her back pressed against the cold, unforgiving wall, her hands trembling as they clutched the fabric of her dress. Her mind was a swirl of confusion, each thought tangled up in the man who had haunted her dreams before he even appeared in her life. She could still feel the ghost of his touch lingering on her skin, a burning reminder of everything she was trying to escape. But escape felt impossible now. How could she escape from someone who already knew every weakness she had?
She tried to steady her breathing, to convince herself that she could leave—that she could fight this. But the more she tried to pull away from the truth, the deeper the pull became. She wanted to scream, to do anything to shake the grip he had on her, but the words stuck in her throat, caught in the snare of his dark gaze.
It was the look in his eyes that unsettled her the most—dark, dangerous, but with an edge of something that felt almost... knowing. Like he could see right through her, could read every hidden thought, every secret desire. She hated how exposed it made her feel.
But even more, she hated how much a part of her wanted to be seen by him. Wanted to be pulled closer into the storm he had created around her.
With a shaky breath, Aarya stood up, her legs weak beneath her as she made her way to the window once more. The night outside remained still, the silence only broken by the soft rustling of the leaves in the trees. But inside, everything was different. The air was thick with tension, and she could almost taste the danger that lingered just beyond the edges of her consciousness.
She looked down at the city below, the bright lights flickering like distant stars, unaware of the battle being waged within her. There was a time when she could have walked away from any situation, any man, with her head held high. But not now. Not when he was involved.
The door to the room creaked open behind her, and she froze, every muscle in her body locking up in an instant. Without turning, she knew who it was.
"I thought you'd be here." His voice, smooth as velvet, reached her ears, sending a shiver down her spine. There was no mistaking the authority in it, the dominance that seemed to hang in every word. It was as though he had every right to be there, and she had no choice but to let him in.
She didn't respond, her gaze fixed on the city lights below. She couldn't bring herself to look at him again—not when she was still reeling from their last interaction.
He moved closer, his footsteps slow and deliberate, but there was no sense of urgency in his movements. He was in control—he always had been, even when she had tried to deny it.
"I know you're scared," he said, his voice low and almost tender, though it sent a chill straight through her. "I can see it in your eyes. But you don't have to be."
Aarya clenched her jaw, her nails digging into her palms as she turned to face him. "You don't know anything about me," she spat, her voice harsh, desperate to push him away.
His expression softened ever so slightly, but there was no warmth in it. "Don't I?" he asked. "I know exactly what you're thinking right now, Aarya. I know exactly what you want. The question is, do you?"
Her heart skipped a beat at his words. The audacity of it, the way he could speak with such confidence, as though he had unlocked the deepest parts of her soul without her consent. It made her sick.
"I want nothing to do with you," she said, though her voice lacked the conviction she hoped for.
He stepped closer, his presence consuming the space around her. She could feel the heat radiating off of him, and the tension in the air seemed to thicken with every passing second. "You're lying to yourself," he said softly, his voice like a whisper in the dark. "The truth is, you can't stay away from me. And you won't."
The words hit her like a blow, her breath catching in her throat as the truth of them sank in. She wanted to deny it, to argue, but she couldn't. Not when every fiber of her being screamed that he was right.
He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face, his fingers grazing her skin with a touch so gentle it almost seemed like a caress. It sent a shockwave of heat coursing through her veins, and she had to fight to keep her knees from giving out.
"You want me, Aarya," he said, his voice lowering, sending a shiver down her spine. "You've wanted me from the moment we met. And deep down, you know I'm the only one who can give you what you need."
Aarya wanted to pull away, to break free from his grasp, but she couldn't. She couldn't move. His words had wrapped around her like chains, making her feel trapped in a way she couldn't explain.
"I... I don't need you," she managed to say, her voice trembling with defiance.
His eyes darkened, and for a moment, there was a flicker of something dangerous in them. "You don't know what you need," he replied, his voice now like a low growl. "But you will. Soon enough, you'll realize that everything you thought you knew was a lie. And when that happens, Aarya, you'll come to me."
Before she could respond, he was gone, slipping out of the room as silently as he had entered. The door clicked shut behind him, leaving Aarya standing there, breathless and trembling.
Her heart was pounding, her mind a whirlwind of fear and desire. She didn't know what to believe anymore. What was real? What was a lie? And most of all—why did she feel this irresistible pull toward him?
Cliffhanger-
Just as she pulled away from the window, the streetlight across the road flickered—once, twice—before going out completely, plunging that side of the street into darkness. Aarya's eyes widened. Something wasn't right. She turned to reach for her phone again, only to find it gone. The desk was empty.
She froze.
The room was silent. Unmoving.
And then—barely audible above the racing of her heartbeat—came the sound of slow, deliberate breathing. Not hers.
From inside the room.
Aarya spun around, her back to the window, her breath caught in her throat. The lightbulb above flickered once more, casting dancing shadows across the walls. One of those shadows didn't move with the rest.
It stood still.
Right behind her.