The rest of my shift blurred into soft voices and the warm clinking of mugs. But even surrounded by people, my mind kept drifting back to the same icy thought:
Someone was watching me.
On purpose.
And Elias… he looked like he knew more than he was saying.
When my shift finally ended, the sky outside had turned a soft orange, the city bathed in evening glow. I stepped outside with my bag slung over my shoulder, breathing in air that tasted like salt and roasted coffee beans.
I was halfway down the street when someone called my name.
"Ava."I turned sharply.
Elias stood beside a black car parked along the curb. One hand in his pocket, the other resting casually against the roof as if the car itself belonged to his mood.
He didn't smile.
He didn't try to be charming.
He just looked at me in that intense, unreadable way of his.
"You shouldn't walk alone after dark," he said.
I blinked. "It's not even dark yet."
"It will be in twenty minutes." His eyes swept the street. "And this neighborhood changes after sunset."
There it was again…that warning tone.
Like he was talking about something specific, not general danger.
"I don't even know you," I said carefully.
"I didn't say you should trust me."
He stepped closer. Not invading my space, but close enough that I could smell expensive cologne with a hint of cedar and something darker.
"You saw him again today."
It wasn't a question,My heart thudded.
"So you believe me."Elias's gaze sharpened.
"I believe what I see."
"Did you see him?"
"Not today."
"Then how….?"
He cut me off softly. "Ava. Get in the car."
"No."
"Then let me walk you home."
"I don't need a bodyguard."
"You don't," he agreed, "but you do need not to be alone."
The way he said it,quiet, controlled, serious made something warm and cold collide inside me.
I crossed my arms. "Why do you care?"
His jaw tightened for the first time since I'd met him.
"I don't like loose ends," he said.
"And you… are starting to look like one."
I swallowed. "Is that supposed to make me feel safe?"
"No," he answered.
"It's supposed to make you listen."
Before I could decide if I was annoyed or shaken or weirdly drawn in, someone called out from behind me.
"Ava!" I turned
Rowan jogged toward us, a backpack slung behind him, paint stains on his fingers. His face lit up when he saw me,warm, bright, the complete opposite of Elias's cold light.
"Are you heading home?" Rowan asked me, ignoring his brother completely. "I can walk with you. I'm going that way."
Elias's shoulders tightened, barely noticeable… but there.
I looked between them.
Two brothers.
Two energies,One cold,One warm.
Both too interested.
"I can walk myself," I said.
Rowan raised a brow. "Are you sure? It's better with company."
Elias said, "She's not going alone."
Rowan shot him a look. "Then I'll go."
"No," Elias said calmly. "You won't."
A silent tension cracked between them.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Just… sharp.
They weren't fighting.
This wasn't new.
They were used to disagreeing.
Rowan turned back to me.
"You choose."
His voice was soft,
Hoping, not demanding.
Elias didn't move,didn't blink…just waited
The city hummed around us.
Car horns,Distant music,the ocean breeze.
And the feeling that making a choice between them was not a small thing.
Not for them,not for me
Not for the story we were stepping into.
I took a breath...
And that's when I felt it.
That prickling sensation on the back of my neck.
The one I felt last night.
And today,someone's eyes watching me ,Not from far.
Not hidden , close ,Too close.
My breath shook as I whispered, "He's here."
Elias's head snapped up instantly.
Rowan's smile vanished.
They both shifted closer to me at the same time.
Not touching just positioning themselves
Like instinct,like protection
Like danger, they recognized before I even did.
Elias's voice dropped to a whisper sharp enough to cut the air.
"Ava. Don't look behind you."