The streets were half-empty when Ishaal left the café.The warning note was folded in her pocket, and every sound felt sharper than usual, the click of her heels, a passing car, a streetlight buzzing.Maybe she was being paranoid.Or maybe someone really was watching.
She turned a corner and froze.A car idled at the curb, same black model she had seen outside Raheel Estate.The window lowered.
"Get in," a deep voice said.Rayyan Raheel.
She hesitated."You followed me?""I protected you," he corrected. "There's a difference."
She crossed her arms. "You don't own me, Rayyan."He stepped out, calm as ever. "No. But someone thinks they can scare you to reach me. That's my problem."
Ishaal's heartbeat kicked faster, not just from fear. "So the note was real."He nodded once. "And the man who left it won't be near you again."
Her eyes narrowed. "You mean you already handled it?""Handled, questioned, warned. Whatever word helps you sleep."
Silence.The night wind carried the smell of rain and danger between them.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked quietly."Because I didn't want you running," he said. "You'd run straight into something worse."
She looked away, angry and shaken. "You think control is protection."Rayyan's tone hardened. "And you think innocence is safety. Both of us are wrong."
For a long moment neither spoke.Then he opened the car door again. "Let me drop you home."She wanted to refuse, pride screamed at her to, but her body moved before her mind could argue.
Inside the car, neither spoke.The city lights slid across the windows, painting her reflection beside his, the devil and the dreamer, side by side, both pretending they didn't care.
When they reached her street, he stopped the car.
"Next time someone leaves you a message," he said, "bring it to me first.""And if the message is about you?""Then you'll know which parts are true."
He didn't wait for an answer.The door shut, the car rolled away, and Ishaal stood under the streetlight, still hearing his voice.
She wasn't sure which scared her more now, the warning she'd received… or the man who claimed to have silenced it.