This Escalated Quickly Novels & Stories

That evening, Adrian composure tightened into something brittle, when he found me shake my head to the meal the hotel had prepared for us. “Something is escalating,” he said finally. “Whether you want to admit it or not.” “Because I have no appetite? and you are right... I am admitting it,” I replied. “I have admitted it. You just stopped listening. Yes, things are escalating. Just not the way you want.” “And what way is that.” I held his gaze, steady despite the tremor in my chest. “I will tell you when I decide it is safe. Not when you decide it is owed.”

“It told them I was reachable.” I closed my eyes. “That was never the plan,” I said. “There was always a plan,” he replied. “You just weren’t the one writing it.” My phone buzzed. Unknown number. This is not what we agreed. I looked at the screen. Typed back. You said distance would protect him. It did, the reply came. From escalation. I felt something snap. This is escalation. The response was instant. This is calibration. I stood abruptly. Ethan looked up. “What is it?”