but enough to leave a trace. Alaiz had given me the address, the time, the instructions. Eight o'clock. Sharp. Clear.

s, my pulse betrayed me. I told myself it was nothing. Just anticipation. Just nerves.

structed. The night was quiet, still, the kind of silence that draped itself

wa

the edges. Maybe it was a surprise? Maybe something had delayed him? Ma

thrill had curd

e way his voice had wavered just slightly, like he had wanted to confess something, to pull me closer even through the phone

. No car pulling up. No foo

the walls. I reminded myself,he was complicated. He had responsibilities, a life, a family... p

thought about the phone call. About his words. About the i

ched, mercil

i? Maybe someone coming to check if I'd gotten lost? My heart

sing minute carved deeper into my chest, hollowing it out, rem

thing my hair as if I could straighten out the tension in my

y he looked at me, the weight of his presence, the dangerous comfort that always se

hen...

stuttered again, more violently than before. I

and my father were returning, their presence looming.

spering along the streets. I hugged my arms around m

iar. My breath caught. My stomach twisted. My heart lurched. Alaiz wasn't here in the driveway, no

stay on the curb, frozen in

. composed. The closer I got, the more I realized that the shadows themselves seemed to cli

then,n

light, shadows dancing across glass and concrete. I sank

. Nothing. The emptiness pressed in from all sides. My c

nch. It was Aris and my father. Their car doors slammed. I could hear th

Meelan?"

oice followed. Calm, but underneath i

was unreachable. The idea that I was completely alone, u

wall, the city around me cold and indifferent. And then... I reali

ted. I had obeyed, had waited, had follo

ts of the promises I thought I'd received. My thoughts spun........wa

, pressed against my mind. The thought of it combined with his absence now made my chest ache i

d around, expecting him but no. Just another reminder of the world continu

said he couldn't wait to see me. I had believed him, had surrendered to the

e was a drumbeat against my temples, against

But the knowledge that my absence had been noticed finally hit me. Aris and

ment, heart hammering, mi

every sound of the distant city felt magnified, sharpened. The ache i

im. About Alaiz. About the words, the voice, the look in

s, whys, and fears. I replayed every interaction, every glance, every word. Nothi

ted. I had followed his r

Aris beside him, voices sharp with concern. Questions t

ced uncontrollably. The city around me was a blur. E

't him. Nothing. I pulled it out. No notifications, no messages. Just the

my forehead against my knees. The wo

hadn't called. He hadn

d be home soon, wondering why I was

racing, my chest aching, my heart

mory of his voice, the promise of his

e. I couldn't.

ppened. Yet ever

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