I didn't sleep.
Not even for a second.
Because every time I closed my eyes… I felt him again.
His hand on my waist.His breath against my lips.The way he kissed me… like it was the last thing he'd ever do.
And the worst part…
wasn't the kiss.
It was the way he pulled away.
Like I was the mistake.
At 3:17 a.m., I gave up.
I turned on the light.Sat on the edge of my bed.
And for the first time in a long time… I felt afraid.
Not of him.
But of what he had awakened in me.
"This is ridiculous," I muttered.
But it wasn't.
Because I couldn't explain it.
I couldn't justify how a complete stranger with a dangerous gaze had managed to get inside my head in a single night.
It didn't make sense.
And yet… there it was.
My phone buzzed.
A message.
From Valeria.
Tell me you didn't do anything with him.
I closed my eyes.Exhaled slowly.
Then replied:
Depends on what you consider "nothing."
Three dots appeared.Disappeared.Came back again.
You're an idiot.
Thanks for the emotional support.
You have no idea what you just got yourself into.
My stomach tightened.
Then explain it to me.
Seconds passed.
Too many.
Until she finally replied:
Not over text.
Then in person.
Tomorrow. And don't be late.
I didn't ask anything else.
But the tone…
It wasn't normal concern.
It was the tone of someone who knew something I didn't.
And that… I didn't like.
The next morning, the world looked normal.
Too normal.
People walking.Cars passing by.Cafés full.
As if nothing had changed the night before.
As if I wasn't completely out of place in my own life.
Valeria was already at the table when I arrived.
She didn't smile.
Didn't even try.
"Tell me you didn't kiss him," she said immediately.
I sat across from her.
"Good morning to you too."
"I'm not joking."
"Neither am I."
Silence.
Heavy.
"I kissed him."
Valeria closed her eyes like I had just confirmed her worst fear.
"God…"
"Are you going to explain or just keep reacting like that?"
"You don't understand," she whispered.
"Then make me understand."
She leaned closer.
Lowered her voice.
And said something that sent a chill down my spine.
"That man is not who you think he is."
I let out a humorless laugh.
"I don't think anything about him. I don't even know his name."
"Exactly," she said. "And you still kissed him."
"What's the problem?"
Valeria hesitated.
And that…
That changed everything.
"Valeria."
"I can't drag you into this."
"I'm already in."
"You don't know how deep."
"Then tell me."
Another pause.
Another decision.
"His name is Adrian."
The name meant nothing.
Not yet.
"And?"
"And you should stay away."
"You already said that."
"Because he's dangerous."
"You already said that too."
"But you're not listening."
"Because you're not saying anything."
Valeria pressed her lips together.
And then, finally…
"He's involved in… bad things."
"That's pretty vague."
"He's not a normal guy."
"I noticed."
"This isn't funny."
"I'm not joking."
She held my gaze.
And for the first time…
I saw real fear in her eyes.
"There are people who can't leave his world," she said. "And people who should never enter it."
"And he's one of them?"
"Yes."
"And me?"
Valeria didn't answer.
And that was enough.
"Too late," I murmured.
I left the café with more questions than answers.
But with one thing clear:
I wasn't going to stay away.
I couldn't.
Not after what I had felt.
And maybe that made me stupid.
Or maybe…
inevitable.
I didn't plan to see him again.
Not consciously.
But something inside me did.
Because that night, without thinking too much, I ended up walking through the same area as the event.
Like my body knew something my mind refused to admit.
The lights were dimmer.
The atmosphere quieter.
More dangerous.
And then I saw him.
Leaning against a black motorcycle.
Different jacket.
Same eyes.
"You're worse than I thought."
His voice hit me before I could react.
"Excuse me?"
"I told you to stay away."
"And I told you I don't obey."
"This isn't a game."
"There you go again."
He straightened.
Slow.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
"You shouldn't be here."
"And yet I am."
"Do you even know what kind of place this is?"
"No."
"Exactly."
He stepped closer.
Too close.
Again.
"Leave."
"No."
"I'm not going to repeat myself."
"Then don't."
His jaw tightened.
So did his patience.
"Why are you doing this?" he asked.
"Doing what?"
"Looking for me."
I shook my head.
"I'm not looking for you."
"Then this is a very convenient coincidence."
"Maybe fate exists."
"I don't believe in that."
"I'm starting to."
Silence.
Again.
But this time… heavier.
"You don't understand who you're messing with," he said finally.
"I'm not messing with anyone."
"Then you're more reckless than I thought."
"Or braver."
"It's not the same."
"Sometimes it is."
He ran a hand over his face.
Frustrated.
Tired.
Like he was fighting something inside himself.
"I can't do this," he muttered.
"Do what?"
"This."
He gestured between us.
That tension.
That silent fire.
"Then don't."
"It's not that simple."
"It is."
"No. It's not."
And then…
He said it.
"There are people who would hurt you just for being near me."
The air turned colder.
Heavier.
"What did you do?" I asked.
He didn't answer right away.
But when he did…
His voice was different.
"Things you don't come back from."
A chill ran down my spine.
"And you expect that to scare me?"
"I expect you to leave."
"That's not the same."
"It should be."
I looked at him.
Really looked.
Beyond the surface.
Beyond the attitude.
And there it was.
Pain.
Weight.
Guilt.
"You're not what you say you are," I murmured.
His expression shifted.
"You have no idea."
"Maybe I do."
"No."
"Then tell me who you are."
Silence.
A long one.
One that seemed to break him from the inside.
"I'm the mistake you don't want to make."
And before I could respond…
He grabbed my arm.
Pulled me toward him.
Again.
The kiss was different this time.
More intense.
More urgent.
More… desperate.
Like time was running out.
Like someone could see us.
Like this… was actually dangerous.
And maybe it was.
Because this time…
I wasn't the one who started it.
And that made it worse.
His lips were firm.
Dominant.
But there was something else…
Something that hadn't been there the night before.
Fear.
He pulled away abruptly.
Looked around.
And that's when I understood.
We weren't alone.
"Shit," he muttered.
"What's wrong?"
"You need to go. Now."
"Why?"
"Now!"
That tone…
Wasn't negotiable.
But I didn't move.
"Adrian…"
"Go!"
And then I saw them.
Two men.
In the distance.
Watching.
And it wasn't curiosity.
It was surveillance.
"Who are they?" I asked quietly.
"The kind of people you don't want to know."
"And you?"
"The kind of person who works for them."
The world stopped.
"What?"
"There's no time."
"Explain."
"I can't."
"You always say that."
"Because it's the truth."
One of the men stepped forward.
"Go," Adrian repeated.
"Not without understanding."
"There's nothing to understand!"
But there was.
I could feel it.
"This isn't over," I said.
"For you, it is."
"You don't get to decide that."
"This time, I do."
And then…
He did something I didn't expect.
He walked away.
From me.
Straight toward them.
Like he belonged to that world.
Like he had always been part of it.
And I…
I stayed there.
Frozen.
Confused.
Trapped.
Because it wasn't just attraction anymore.
It wasn't just curiosity.
It was something worse.
It was danger.
Real.
Close.
Irreversible.
And still…
I didn't want to walk away.
Because deep down…
I knew this was only the beginning. 🔥