Novel & Cerita Everybody's Watching Her But She's Looking At You

"Don't know what for, you're turning heads when you walk through the doo-or-or." "Hey, it's One Direction." She smiled dreamily. "Don't need make-up, to cover up. Being the way that you are is eno-ug-ugh. Everyone else in the room can see it, everyone else but you." She was already dozing off. He looked at her and smiled.

Is someone watching me right now? I check everywhere, the corners of the ceiling, the bookshelf, behind the mirror. I even drop to the floor and look under the bed frame, my heart thudding against my ribs. Nothing. Just this one camera. But one is enough. More than enough. Someone has been watching me. Watching Ezra. Watching everything. What the fuck is going on.

Slow clapping pulls us out of the moment as we turn to see the woman standing there watching all of this play out. Athena!

“And he’s asking for you...” My heart stutters in my chest, and I blink at her, unsure if I heard that right. “For me?” I ask, my voice unsteady as I look around the group and realise that everyone now has their eyes on me. She nods, offering a faint smile. “Yes. You can see him now.” She answers, turning her body to the side, just as she keeps one of the doors open. Everyone turns to look at me, and I suddenly feel like I’m standing in a spotlight I never asked for.

It awakens a lot of things inside me, with it's soft and warm familiarity. I swallow hard. This is dangerous. She tilts her head up to look at me through damp lashes and her breath fans against my jaw. Her hands press against my chest and just as I'm about to close the gap, she stops me. “People are watching,” she murmurs, dipping her chin so she can avoid my eyes. I don't care about then. I don't even look. My eyes remain on her parted lips, the way her breath stutters. She wanted it too. I know she did.

My breath froze in my lungs. The figure wasn't moving with the crowd, wasn't dancing or laughing or taking photos. Just standing absolutely still and watching. And the body language was wrong… feeling too tense, too focused, radiating intensity even from this distance. And she wasn't just watching anywhere randomly, her gaze was locked directly, unmistakably, on Hannah and Lucas. "Shit," I whispered, my pulse spiking so hard I could hear blood rushing in my ears.

She was not hardened exactly, but sharpened like a blade that had finally accepted its own edge. She turned when she sensed me, that instinct still intact, still perfectly attuned to mine. “Everyone’s staring again,” she said lightly. “Let them,” I replied. “They’re trying to figure out where to stand.” “And you?” she asked, studying my face. “Have you figured it out yet?” I crossed the room and stopped in front of her. Up close, I could see the exhaustion she didn’t let anyone else notice. The weight of being watched. Judged. Calculated.

She hadn’t moved, not once. She stood exactly where she had been, still staring, ignoring everyone and ignoring herself. I took a step, wanting to go to her, wanting to ask if she was alright? But a hand landed on my shoulder, cold and steady. Kai. His voice lowered. “The people are watching.” I closed my eyes briefly, he was right. If I crossed the square now it wouldn’t look like concern, it would look like choosing sides. I looked at Zahra again. Then spoke quietly.

"I know what it looks like when everyone in a room is watching you and waiting for you to fall apart. It's not fun. I wouldn't wish it on someone, even you." "Is there a version of this conversation that gets to the point?" "Not really." She almost smiles. "Just don't let them watch you fall apart. That's the only advice I've got." She walks off before I can decide if that was kindness or strategy, and honestly, I don't think she could tell me either. --- POV: Kai

They go over my shoulder, somewhere toward the far end of the room, and her whole face changes. I watch as the bored thing drops off completely. She looks, for one second, like a person who just saw something she wants. I've been talking to her for two minutes but she hasn't looked at me like that once. I turn around to see what she's looking at but don't catch who it is because the room is crowded tonight. "Hey Red, who has your attention when I'm here trying to talk to you?" I asked, still trying to find who she has her eyes on.