The city was alive once again.
The streets pulsed with early morning energy, cars honking, people hurrying to work, vendors setting up their stalls. But despite the movement, Aria still felt heavy.
She hadn't slept. Not really.
Her dreams had been haunted by piercing blue eyes, by a deep voice she hadn't even really heard yet, just two words, yet she somehow knew it would unravel her.
This is insane.
Frustrated, Aria yanked on her running shoes and threw her hair into a messy ponytail. She needed to shake this off. A run would help clear her mind, it always did.
She stepped out onto the cracked pavement, the brisk morning air hitting her skin. After a few stretches and a steady inhale, she took off.
Aria's legs burned as she pushed herself harder and harder, her sneakers slapping against the sidewalk in rhythmic beats.
She needed this, the pain, the distraction.
But no matter how fast she ran, she couldn't outrun the feeling creeping under her skin. The all consuming thoughts, that money, that man. The way his gaze branded her like a silent promise.
Her stomach tightened. No. This is just paranoia.
It was just a rich asshole playing some kind of game and she was letting it get under her skin. That's all.
And yet, the unease wouldn't fade.
She slowed to a stop in front of a small corner café, chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. It was where Jade worked and it was their tradition that Aria would pop in during her morning run.
The bell jingled as Aria pushed inside, the warm scent of espresso and baked pastries wrapping around her like a hug.
Jade stood behind the counter, her dark curls tied up, a tired but knowing smirk curling her lips.
"Late night?" Jade teased, arching a brow as she poured coffee for another customer.
"You have no idea."
Jade grabbed a fresh cup and started making her usual. "Let me guess, some drunk asshole tried to grope you again?"
Aria snorted. If only it were that simple.
"No. Just… weird vibes. Long story."
Jade slid the steaming cup across the counter, waving off her attempt to pay. "On the house."
Aria's lips curled into a small, genuine smile.
"Thanks, Jade."
Jade shrugged. "Just remember me when you're rich and famous."
Aria laughed, but deep down, a part of her clenched. If only she had that kind of future.
Back at her apartment, Aria curled up on the couch, her coffee in hand. She hesitated, staring at her phone before finally pressing the call button.
Her mom answered on the third ring.
"Aria! Sweetheart, how are you?"
Aria swallowed the lump in her throat. She missed her mom. But she couldn't let her hear the exhaustion in her voice, she always worried too much.
"I'm good, Mom. Just busy with work."
A pause. Then, a forced lightness in her mother's tone. "That's good, honey. I hope you're taking care of yourself."
Aria frowned. She could already hear the underlying worry.
"How are things back home?"
"Everything's fine!" Her mother said too quickly.
Liar.
Aria's chest tightened. Bills. It was always the bills. Her mother was struggling, but she didn't want Aria to carry the burden. They both knew Aria already was and it was already drowning her.
For a fleeting second, her mind flashed to the envelope in her bag. To the money she hadn't earned.
She could send it to her mom. It would help. But something deep inside warned her not to.
Later that evening Vixen was buzzing with energy by the time Aria arrived for her shift.
As soon as she stepped inside her skin began to tingle and somehow she just knew it was him.
Seated in the same dimly lit VIP area, surrounded by some of the same men from the night before.
The man with blue eyes.
Aria's stomach knotted. Not again.
Before she could overthink it, she found another waitress, Lexie, a blonde with a fake tan, big boobs, a real playboy bunny type, and she had an attitude to match.
"Switch sections with me?" Aria asked, keeping her voice light.
Lexie smirked. "Depends. You working the high rollers?"
Aria nodded.
Lexie didn't hesitate. "Deal."
With that, Aria blew out a relieved breath, she had escaped.
But by the end of the night, Monica approached her again, holding a familiar white envelope in her hands.
Her stomach dropped.
"Table Five left this for you."
Aria shook her head. "Give it to Lexie. She took the table."
"No," Monica said, her voice final. "He said it was for you. And only you."
Aria's hands trembled as she took the envelope.
Looking inside she saw another stack of crisp hundred dollar bills.
Night after night, it happened again. He came back. Sometimes he was with the same men. Sometimes there were different ones. But each time, Aria had managed to avoid him.
Every night, she switched sections, switched waitresses, stayed far, far away. But at the end of every shift, the envelope was always there. Always just for her. Always full of money.
The first night, she'd been too stunned to refuse it.
The second night, she told herself it must be a mistake.
The third night, she thought that he must be playing with her.
By the fourth night she simply took it without question.
Aria refused to spend any of the money. The envelopes sat untouched in her sock drawer, each one a pile of unanswered questions wrapped in crisp hundred dollar bills.
Because no matter how much she tried to ignore it, she knew this wasn't kindness. It wasn't generosity. It was something else. Something dangerous.
And deep down, she hadn't avoided him at all. She didn't think she would ever shake him.