The rain had picked up, a soft drizzle soaking into my jacket as I stared at him.
"I don't owe you anything," I said, my voice steadier than I felt.
Adrian tilted his head like I was a curious puzzle. "You don't?"
"You stopped a mugger. That doesn't mean I—"
"You're alive because I stepped in." His tone was flat, cold. "That's not free."
My stomach churned. "You think saving me gives you… what? Some kind of claim over me?"
He didn't answer. He didn't have to.
Instead, he stepped closer, close enough that I could see the faint shadow of stubble on his jaw, close enough that his cologne drowned out the sour city air.
"I'll walk you home," he said.
"I didn't ask you to—"
"I wasn't asking."
Something in his voice left no room for argument.
I turned and started walking, my steps quick, but his were unhurried, confident, like the entire city would part for him if he willed it.
"Do you always follow strangers home?" I asked.
"Only the interesting ones," he replied.
I wanted to roll my eyes, but I couldn't. Every word he spoke felt deliberate, like he was setting some kind of trap I couldn't see yet.
When we reached my building — my crumbling, half-lit, fifth-floor walk-up — I paused at the door, fumbling for my keys.
"You live here?" His tone was unreadable.
"Yes."
He said nothing for a moment, then: "Get better locks."
It sounded like an order, not advice.
"I can handle myself," I lied.
He leaned against the doorframe, blocking the faint glow from the hallway light. "No, Ava. You can't. Not here."
The way he said my name — calm, measured, dangerous — made my heart race for all the wrong reasons.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked, hating how small my voice sounded.
"Because I don't like debts," he said simply. "And now you're mine until it's repaid."
I swallowed hard. "And how exactly do you expect me to repay you?"
He smiled — not kind, not reassuring, but sharp. "When I decide, you'll know."
And just like that, he turned and walked away, vanishing into the night as if he'd never been there at all.
But the chill he left behind lingered.