Riah stood frozen beneath the cold night air, staring at the empty space where he had just been
Lucian. The name rolled off her tongue in a whisper that trembled like her heartbeat. The alley was silent now no footsteps, no trace of him only the faint echo of his voice that refused to fade,she pressed a hand to her chest, trying to calm the wild rhythm beneath her ribs, "You already have…..What did he mean by that?" Her mind tried to make sense of everything the way his eyes looked at her, like he had seen her before… not just once, but many times, in dreams she couldn't recall but felt deep within her bones, a shiver ran through her spine,it wasn't fear not exactly, It was something deeper, something strange, like her soul recognized his before her mind did. Riah's phone buzzed in her hand, snapping her back to herself, she quickly dialed Nessa's number. It rang once. Twice.No answer.Her stomach tightened. She called again — still nothing.
"Come on, Nessa…" she muttered under her breath. Panic started to claw at her chest.
Then finally — click. The call connected.
"Nessa!" Riah said in a rush. "Girl, where are you? How could you leave without telling me? Do you know how scared I was?"But instead of Nessa's voice, a calm male voice replied,
"Hi, I'm Louis ray . You must be Riah."We might have met at the fundraiser",
Riah froze. "Oh hi, erm.. Where's Nessa?" "She's fine, Louis said quickly, his tone reassuring. "Don't worry she might have had too much to drink,so I helped her out I'm at the parking lot you can come get her, She's safe I promise"
Riah's pulse slowed slightly as relief washed through her. "Okay… I'll be right there."
When she reached the parking lot, she spotted him Louis, tall and neat, leaning beside his car, Nessa asleep in the back seat.
"Thank you," Riah said sincerely. He smiled, waving it off. "No problem. Riah blinked,
"It's late," he said, glancing at the dark street. "I could give you both a ride home if you want."
"Thank you," Riah replied politely, "but I'll manage. I already called a cab."Louis nodded, not pushing further. "Alright then. Just make sure she gets home safe."
A cab pulled up minutes later, headlights slicing through the night. Riah helped Nessa inside, then climbed in beside her. She glanced once more toward the parking lot but Louis was already gone.The drive home was quiet till they both got home, Riah lay Nessa on the bed removing her shoes and the cloth she had on so Nessa could sleep comfortably, Riah checked her mother in her room, she was sound asleep, she rushed to the bathroom took a warm shower came out dressed in her nighties, ready to go to bed, Riah sat up on her bed looking through the window , the scene at the club came crashing in, she couldn't help but blush,they way he looked at her,the way he raised her chin to face him, his gaze on her, how warm he made her feel. Riah took her pillow and buried her face in it groaning shyly, the way he left without a word tugged something in her chest, he was the ghost that lingers in her head, " Lucian" she whispered his name shyly before drifting to sleep,
Meanwhile, across the city,
Lucian got to his cold empty penthouse, his dark spacious room only moonlight peaked in from the windows, walking toward the window he poured himself his liquor and stared at the city lights, as though replaying the event of the evening , in the darkness of his penthouse, his drink untouched, his reflection staring back at him through the glass walls overlooking Lucid City, he could still smell her, that soft blend of lavender and something sweet, human yet familiar, the way her voice kept playing over and over in his head, smiling at how his name sounded so pure and sweet from her mouth "Mr lucian". He wondered what's sounds her small yet inviting lips could make, and how those bloosom lips will taste when being sucked on, he imagined how warm she will feel and how it will feel when she's under him, house thought keeping tugging at something deep down his empty soul.
Louis[ POV]
Louis drove in silence, the city lights stretching in long, golden lines across his windshield,the night air was heavy, humming with leftover adrenaline or maybe it was her,
Nessa.
He could still hear her voice, low and teasing, "You have such pretty lips… I wonder how they'd taste."
The words replayed in his head like a broken record. Each time, it stirred something sharp and unexpected in him, Louis laughed under his breath, shaking his head. "I must be losing it," he muttered.
Louis Ray didn't get distracted. He didn't feel. But the memory of her breath against his skin had crawled under it — warm, intoxicating, uninvited his fingers tightened around the steering wheel, knuckles pale against the leather, the city blurred past, but his mind stayed with her the wildness in her eyes, the tremor in her voice, that maddening mix of strength and fragility, he remembered how close she'd gotten, how easily he could've kissed her back, the thought made his lips twitch, half in amusement, half in irritation, "Childish," he said with a faint scoff. "Absolutely childish."
But even as he said it, a quiet part of him wanted to turn around to see if she'd wake and say something reckless again.He exhaled slowly, leaning back in his seat, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"She's dangerous," he murmured. "And I think I like it."
Louis drove in silence, the night dripping past his window like ink, Lucid City gleamed in the distance restless, loud, alive but inside his car, everything was still, the engine's hum was the only sound, steady and low, like the rhythm of his thoughts.
He could still feel her, the faint brush of her fingers on his lips, her breath, warm and wild, hitting his skin as she whispered those words — "You have such pretty lips… I wonder how they'd taste."Louis let out a low laugh, one that didn't quite sound like him. "What the hell was that?" he muttered under his breath, his grip tightening on the wheel,
It wasn't just what she said — it was the way she said it. Bold. Reckless. Real. Like she wasn't afraid of him… like she saw him.
The city swallowed his laughter as he drove on, the taste of her words still lingering like smoke