Her hand froze. Her eyes locked on the flickering screen, as doubt wrestled with guilt inside her. She knew, sooner or later, she had to face him.
"Aren't you going to answer that?" Damian asked, already recognizing the name of his closest friend.
"I don't know," Nayla whispered to herself more than to him.
Damian said nothing more. His silence gave her space to decide on her own. This time, he wouldn't interfere.
"Hello," Nayla finally answered. Her voice barely audible.
"Where the hell are you, Nay?" Adrian's voice was sharp, loud. But beneath the anger, there was unmistakable worry. "You just disappeared."
Nayla swallowed hard, trying to suppress the knot of emotions in her throat. "I didn't disappear. I just left."
"Left where? With who? Are you okay?" The questions shot out like arrows, one after another.
"Yes, I'm okay," Nayla replied, ignoring the first two questions.
"I just got to the venue, but you were already gone. I knew you wouldn't go back to Nathan's, so I came to pick you up. Where are you?"
She went quiet. A warm flutter stirred in her chest. Adrian wasn't the gentle, sweet type. They often argued. But Adrian always cared.
"Why the silence?" Adrian asked. "You can come home, Nay. You have a home. We have a home."
Those words pulled her back to their childhood. Adrian was always tough. But Nayla knew just how soft his heart truly was. Ever since their parents passed away, Adrian had always been the one to stand for her.
"I know things are a mess. I know our talk yesterday ended badly. But you're still my lil girl, Nay. I'm here, and you don't have to walk this alone."
Nayla bit her bottom lip. She wanted to say she wasn't alone now. But how could she explain that the man sitting beside her wasn't a protector, but a storm, one just as dangerous?
"Thank you, Adrian," she whispered. "But I just need some time alone."
Silence.
"Who are you with?" Adrian's voice sharpened, as though a sudden instinct told him Nayla wasn't alone.
She didn't answer.
Adrian let out a heavy sigh on the other end.
"Nayla, don't be stupid. I know you're hurting. But don't run into something that could hurt you more. You don't have to be strong alone. You just need to come back."
Nayla closed her eyes. A single tear slipped out, unnoticed.
"I'll be fine," she said at last. "Just… give me some time, Adrian."
"Okay, but just tell me where the hell are you, Nayla."
Her lips clamped shut. The silence that followed felt like a wound. Nayla closed her eyes, her heart soaking in a warmth she had almost forgotten. But she couldn't be honest with Adrian. Not this time.
"Nayla." Adrian's voice was laced with desperation.
"Adrian, I'll call you later. Okay?" her voice barely more than a breath.
A long sigh came through the line. Adrian gave in. "Okay, then."
"Thank you, Adrian."
"Don't thank me. Just promise me you'll be okay. That you'll be careful."
"I will, Adrian."
He didn't reply, but she knew he understood. He hardly ever said it out loud, but until the call ended, the love of an older brother still lingered. A love that always waited in the place Nayla once called home.
Damian glanced sideways, then said, "You have someone who really really cares."
Nayla nodded slowly. "I do."
"But do you know that I'm not going to let you leave this place?"
A dry laugh escaped her lips. "Do you know that Adrian will definitely take me from his dearest friend if he has to?"
Damian leaned in closer. His movements slow, almost silent. Their noses nearly touched, the air thick with tension. His breath brushed her cheek. Too warm. Too close.
"Is that what you believe?" Damian asked softly.
"Of course."
His eyes never left hers, as if trying to read every flicker of doubt hidden behind her gaze.
"Adrian might kill you if he finds out you locked me in here," Nayla whispered with a hint of challenge.
A thin smile curled Damian's lips. Unhurried. Unafraid.
"Well, it's worth it."
The words dropped lightly, yet they detonated everything.
Nayla knew this man was dangerous. But more terrifying was the fact that he knew no fear. Damian didn't just want to win. He wanted to possess. Completely.