Chapter 3: WELL, THIS IS AWKWARD

LIAM'S POV

I sat in the car, watching Marcus as he drove. The sound of the engine filled the silence between us, but my mind was anything but quiet. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Every time he shifted gears or glanced at the rearview mirror, memories of us together came rushing back— the soft touches, the warm hugs, the deep kisses. But more than anything, I remembered the nights we spent tangled in each other, whispering secrets in the dark, promising things that no longer held meaning in this timeline. My chest tightened painfully.

I had come back to this time to change things, to prevent the inevitable. Yet, sitting next to him now, I felt the weight of everything all over again. The overwhelming realization that I was here, in this moment, reliving something that was both familiar and foreign at the same time, made it hard to breathe.

"Why are you staring at me?" Marcus asked suddenly. His voice wasn’t harsh, but it wasn’t soft either. It was just... Marcus. Firm, steady, and filled with the quiet curiosity he rarely showed.

I quickly turned my head away, hoping he wouldn’t catch the emotion flickering in my eyes. "Nothing," I mumbled.

Marcus raised an eyebrow. He didn’t take his eyes off the road, but I could tell he was watching me from the corner of his vision. "You’re acting weird," he said after a pause.

"Really?" I asked, forcing a small smile. My heart pounded in my chest, the lie sitting heavy on my tongue.

"Yes," he said simply. "You’ve always been this bad guy— cold, calculating, impossible to read. What changed?"

I let out a small chuckle, though there was no humor in it. "I’m trying to change."

Marcus scoffed. "People like you don’t change," he said, his tone sharp. But there was something else there too— doubt?

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "You don’t know that."

For a moment, neither of us spoke. The only sounds were the steady hum of the car and the occasional honk from passing vehicles.

Then, without warning, Marcus pulled the car over to the side of the road and parked.

"Get out," he said, his voice clipped.

I frowned, confused. "What?"

"Get. Out." His fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white.

I swallowed hard. I had nowhere to go. Not really. The past had already changed too much, and I was still trying to piece together what was different and what wasn’t.

"Can I at least know where you live?" I asked, keeping my voice calm. Not because I didn’t already know, but I needed to confirm if things were still the same. If his home was still his. If history hadn’t already shifted in a way I couldn’t control.

Marcus turned to me, his gaze sharp. "You know where I live. Stop playing games, Daniel."

There it was again. That name.

Daniel.

I wished I could just tell him the truth— that I wasn’t Daniel, that I had come back in time to save him. That if he trusted me, I could make sure he didn’t end up murdered by his ex-boyfriend, Adrian.

But how could I explain it? How could I expect him to believe me?

And even if he did, wouldn’t it be too much for him to handle?

I forced another smile, though my stomach churned with unease. "Can we just go to your place and talk? Get to know me better?"

Marcus studied me, his jaw tightening. His brown eyes searched mine, as if trying to see through whatever mask I was wearing.

"Daniel," he said slowly, "I know you well."

His tone was colder now, distant. A warning.

"You’re a kingpin, a drug dealer, and everyone in Hell’s Kitchen calls you ‘the demon.’"

I exhaled through my nose. "Thanks for the reminder," I muttered.

Marcus just stared at me.

I leaned forward slightly, my voice softer now. "That’s all the bad stuff about me. Don’t you want to know if there’s anything good?"

Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed his hand.

The air between us shifted.

Marcus inhaled sharply, his whole body tensing. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, his fingers curling around the leather.

For a long second, he didn’t move.

Then, without another word, he started the car and drove.

---

By this time tomorrow, Marcus and I were supposed to meet for the first time— at least, that’s how it originally happened. But now, things were different. What had changed? Had I done something already? Or was the supernatural being aware of what was happening?

As Marcus pulled into the driveway, I let out a small sigh of relief. His house was still the same. The same gray exterior, the same cracked pavement leading up to the front door. That was a good sign.

But I still had no idea why a stranger was living in my apartment.

We stepped out of the car, and as soon as we walked toward the front door, a familiar scent filled the air.

Marcus sniffed, his brows furrowing. "Are you smelling what I’m smelling?"

"Yes," I answered, my stomach growling involuntarily.

Marcus’s frown deepened. "Who the hell is cooking?"

His voice was sharp, laced with suspicion.

Without waiting for me, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. His steps were quick and determined as he made his way toward the kitchen.

I followed, my heart hammering.

But before we even reached the kitchen, I froze.

The air around me seemed to drop in temperature.

Standing there, casually stirring a pot on the stove as if he belonged there, was Adrian.

My entire body went cold.

Adrian.

Marcus’s ex.

The same Adrian that killed Marcus in the future due to jealousy.

The tension in the room thickened.

Marcus’s hands clenched into fists. His entire body was rigid, like a coiled spring ready to snap.

"What the hell are you doing here?" His voice was sharp, filled with anger.

Adrian turned around slowly.

And then, he smirked.

That same smug, knowing smirk that had haunted my nightmares.

I could feel the rage bubbling inside me. My fists itched to hit him, to wipe that expression off his face permanently.

But I had to be careful.

I didn’t know what Adrian was about to say.

I didn’t know why he was here.

But one thing was certain— I wasn’t going to let history repeat itself.