— NOLAN'S POV—
I left his apartment tangled in thoughts I couldn't untangle. My lips still burned from how close he'd gotten. The way his hand gripped my face it wasn't soft. It wasn't kind. But it lingered.
Why the hell did I let him do that?
He's always teasing me. Always circling like I'm some fragile thing he's claimed for himself. I can't let this happen again. If I give him an inch, he'll take everything and worse, he'll think I want him to.
I clenched the steering wheel and exhaled as I started the car. It was still early, the sky a dull grey, clouds dragging behind like the weight on my chest. I needed to focus. I had rounds today. Patients. Real problems. Not the hallucination of warmth that his presence always leaves behind.
But halfway through the drive, something felt... off.
I noticed a black car trailing behind mine. At first, it didn't seem odd. But the same car… two turns later… still behind me. Not too close. Not too far. Just the right distance to stay unnoticed.
Except I noticed.
I always notice.
People think I'm detached, but I was raised in corners. Quiet rooms. One-way mirrors. I learned to watch without blinking, to listen without reacting. I see things no one else bothers to see.
But someone had been watching me. All this time. Paying attention to what I like, how I move, what I avoid. Maybe… maybe that's why I feel this strange pull toward him. Maybe that's the reason he's always in the back of my mind when I'm scared. When I want to feel safe.
Even though I don't know if he's safe for me.
I shook the thought off. Irrelevant. Focus.
I pressed harder on the gas, trying to lose the car, but it stayed on me like a shadow. Steady. Patient.
My breath caught in my throat. My fingers went clammy on the steering wheel.
No. Not again. Not this kind of fear.
It clawed up my spine the helpless kind, the hunted kind. Just like the nightmares.
It felt like being hunted was triggering Some old faded memories. My head throbbed and my vision blurred.
I reached for my phone with clumsy fingers, unlocked it with a shaky breath.
I should call the police. That's the rational thing to do. But instead—
I called him. Varek
I don't even know why.
Maybe because the last time I was this scared, his voice was the only thing that pulled me back.
Maybe because some stupid part of me believes he'd find me no matter what.
Just one ring.
He picked up immediately. Immediately.
"Nolan?" His voice was sharp, like he'd been waiting, watching.
"S-someone's following me," I managed to say, my voice cracking.
There was a pause. Not long. But I could hear him breathe, like he was grounding himself and me.
"Nolan," his voice cut through the panic, low and steady, The way he said my name steady, low, firm, did something strange to me.
The pressure behind my eyes didn't go away, but it didn't get worse either. "calm down. Breathe in slowly. Just breathe. Then tell me exactly what's going on."
Even through the phone, his voice had that strange effect on me, it anchored me. I sucked in a shaky breath.
I tried to find my voice. "Black car. Tinted windows. They're keeping distance but haven't turned off once. They're behind three other cars now, but they've been tailing me since I left home"
"Home, huh?" he said, a teasing lilt slipping into his voice.
"Don't start your bullshit right now, Varek," I snapped, my panic making me sharper than I intended. "I'm already on edge. Try being serious for once in your life."
Another beat.
"Is the plate number... [XYZ-####]?" he asked calmly.
I blinked.
"What?" I looked at the rearview mirror again. "How the hell do you—"
"Before you jump to conclusions," he cut in, "let me explain. I hired them. Bodyguards. They're with you because I can't risk leaving you unprotected after what happened."
Silence stretched between us. My panic gave way to something else. A hot, biting frustration.
"You what?"
"I didn't tell you because I knew you'd overthink it. I just wanted to keep you safe without making you feel… watched."
"Oh, that's rich," I hissed, barely keeping my voice steady. "You're worried about me feeling watched—you—you've been stalking me for years and now you're assigning strangers to shadow me?"
"Relax, baby—"
"Don't call me that!" I shouted. "Who the hell gave you the right?"
My voice rose with every word until I was practically yelling.
"You don't get to decide what I need! I don't want any damn bodyguards," I said, voice trembling. "I'm not some glass doll. I can protect myself. Everyone at the hospital will freak out. Call them off."
"Nolan—"
"Now, Varek."
He exhaled, a little amused, a little annoyed. "Alright, alright. Relax. But unless you want me to come down there personally and take over, I won't feel right pulling them back."
"I didn't ask for that," I muttered, suddenly tired. "You do all this without asking. You keep making decisions for me."
"Because I know you won't ask for help. Not until it's too late."
That hurt. Because it was true.
"Fine!" I groaned. "I can't argue with you anymore. My head's about to explode."
I hung up in frustration, slamming the phone into the seat beside me.
God. I really just panicked over bodyguards.
He could've just told me.
Now I look like an idiot.
The silence in the car returned like a blanket. But it wasn't comforting. It pressed against my ribs and made me feel small.
I turned the corner toward the hospital. The black car disappeared from my rearview mirror, maybe turned off, maybe still lurking. I didn't know.
All I knew was that I hated how right he sounded.
And how much it scared me that his voice, not logic, is what I reached for in fear.