~~~~~~♤~~~~
I should have listened.
That thought came too late.
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It started with Tunde.
He insisted on seeing me that evening.
Said it was "important."
Said I was "changing."
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I didn't even argue.
I just went.
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We met not far from my street.
The air was normal at first.
Too normal.
Like the world was pretending nothing was about to happen.
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"You've been lying to yourself," Tunde said suddenly.
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I frowned.
"I haven't."
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He stepped closer.
"I see the way you look when you mention him."
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That name didn't need to be said.
I already knew who he meant.
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I sighed.
"Tunde, it's not like that."
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But even I didn't believe my own voice.
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"You don't know him," he said firmly.
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"And you do?" I replied quickly.
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That made him pause.
Just for a second.
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Then he said something quieter.
More serious.
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"I don't trust him around you."
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Before I could respond—
the temperature dropped.
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I felt it before I saw it.
That familiar silence.
That pressure in the air.
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And then I turned.
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Adrian was there.
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Standing still.
Watching.
Not saying a word.
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Tunde exhaled sharply.
"So he's still following you."
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Adrian didn't look at him first.
He looked at me.
Only me.
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"You're still meeting him," Adrian said quietly.
Not a question.
A fact.
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I stepped forward slightly.
"It's not what you think."
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His jaw tightened.
"That's exactly what it is."
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Tunde stepped in.
"Bro, why are you acting like you own her?"
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That was the mistake.
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Adrian turned his head slowly.
And for the first time…
he looked angry.
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"I warned you," Adrian said lowly.
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Tunde scoffed.
"You warned me? For what? Existing?"
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That was it.
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Adrian moved.
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One second he was standing.
The next—
he had Tunde pinned against the wall.
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Fast.
Inhumanly fast.
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I gasped.
"Adrian—stop!"
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But he didn't look at me.
Not yet.
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His grip tightened slightly.
And his voice dropped.
Dangerously calm.
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"You keep stepping into things you don't understand," he said.
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Tunde tried to push him off.
"What are you? Some psycho?"
---
That word changed everything.
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Adrian froze.
Just for a second.
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And when he looked up again…
something had shifted.
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His eyes darkened.
Not just anger.
Something deeper.
Something unstable.
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I saw it immediately.
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"Adrian…" I whispered, my voice shaking slightly.
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That was the only thing that reached him.
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His grip loosened just a little.
But not enough.
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"I told you," he said quietly.
"Stay away from her."
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Tunde swallowed but didn't back down.
"You're not normal."
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A pause.
Then Adrian answered softly.
Almost like admitting it hurt.
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"No."
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Silence.
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And for a moment… everything stopped.
Even the noise of the world felt far away.
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I stepped between them quickly.
"Stop this. Both of you."
---
Adrian finally looked at me again.
And in his eyes…
I saw it.
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Not just anger.
Not just jealousy.
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Fear.
Of himself.
---
"I didn't want it to be like this," he said quietly.
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My chest tightened.
"Like what?"
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He hesitated.
Then said it.
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"Like I care this much."
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Silence.
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Tunde went quiet.
Even he felt the shift.
---
Adrian took a step back.
Like distance would fix what was happening inside him.
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But it didn't.
I could see it.
Something inside him was slipping.
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"I should leave," he said.
But he didn't move.
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"You always say that," I whispered.
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His eyes met mine again.
And this time…
they weren't fully controlled.
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"I'm not safe," he admitted.
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My heart pounded.
"But you're still here."
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That stopped him completely.
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Because it was true.
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And for the first time…
he didn't have an answer.