5

And yet, there was something else too, something that made me want to stay, to see what he would say, what he would do next.

I didn’t understand it.

How could I feel both fear and... something else?

Something darker?

“Closing up for the night?” he asked, his voice smooth, too calm for the way my heart was pounding in my chest.

I nodded, finally managing to unlock my voice.

“Yes. Just finished.”

He smiled, a slow, deliberate smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“I wanted to stop by again. I didn’t get a chance to look around much yesterday.”

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to keep my eyes on his.

“We’re closed now. You can come back tomorrow.”

He didn’t seem to care about the time.

His gaze was fixed on me, sharp and piercing, like he was trying to see right through me.

It made me uncomfortable, like I was standing there completely exposed.

“I’ll come back,” he said softly, his voice a promise. “Tomorrow.”

I didn’t reply.

I didn’t know what to say.

I just stood there, my hands trembling slightly as I clutched the keys.

He was too close, too intense.

I needed him to leave, but part of me didn’t want him to.

He turned then, walking away with the same slow, deliberate steps he’d taken when he approached.

I watched him until he disappeared down the street, my breath coming in shallow gasps as I tried to calm myself.

13

AMIR

I could feel her eyes on me as I walked away.

She was scared, but there was more than fear in those eyes.

I saw the way her breath hitched when I spoke, the way her hands trembled when I got close.

She didn’t understand it yet, but she would.

The game was just beginning.

I didn’t need to rush.

She was already caught in my web, already starting to feel the pull toward me.

She wouldn’t be able to resist for long.

As I disappeared into the night, I knew one thing for certain: she was mine.

It was only a matter of time.

14

MARIANA

I couldn’t sleep.

All night, I tossed and turned in my bed, trying to shake off the lingering feeling that hung over me since Amir had appeared outside the shop.

His eyes, his calm voice, the way he seemed to know more about me than he let on—it all left me rattled.

I was afraid, but I couldn’t deny the strange pull I felt toward him.

It wasn’t logical, and it didn’t make sense.

I barely knew the man.

Yet something about him had wrapped itself around my thoughts, tugging at me even when I tried to push him away.

Why did he come back?

What did he want from me?

I got up and went to the window, looking out at the quiet streets below.

The early morning light was beginning to filter in, casting a soft glow over the city.

But the usual comfort I found in the stillness of the morning wasn’t there.

I wrapped my arms around myself, as if that would shield me from the uneasy feeling curling in my stomach.

He had said he would come back today.

The thought sent a shiver down my spine, but it wasn’t entirely from fear.

There was something else too, something that both terrified and excited me at the same time.

I wasn’t ready to see him again, but I knew I would.

I wasn’t sure if I had a choice anymore.

15

AMIR

I spent the night thinking about her, the way her face had gone pale when she saw me outside the shop, the fear in her eyes mixed with something deeper.

She didn’t know what to make of me yet, but that was fine.

 Fear was good.

It would keep her on edge, make her more aware of me.

I wasn’t just anyone to her now.

I had made myself known, stepped out of the shadows.

She couldn’t ignore me anymore.

And I knew she was thinking about me, too.

I could see it in the way she had looked at me, those nervous glances, her trembling hands.

She was already questioning herself, already wondering why she felt this way about someone like me.