Lila's campus café smelled like burnt coffee and sugar.
It was loud, cramped,alive — and that was exactly why she liked it.Noise made her feel less alone with her thoughts.
You're not listening,Amara said,narrowing her eyes....Lila blinked "I am."
"You've nodded three times and haven't touched your drink."
Amara leaned forward,lowering her voice,that's your tell."
Lila wrapped both hands around the cup,letting the heat ground her.Amara had known her since freshman year — before the alley,before Roman DeLuca,before everything felt sharp around the edges.
l'm just tired,Lila said.....That's not tired.Amara studied her face carefully.....That's spooked.
Lila's throat tightened....she considered lying properly — a full story,something believable — but the words refused to organize themselves.
Something happened,she admitted....I can't talk about it yet.
Amara exhaled slowly "Okay."
No pushing...that was why Lila loved her.
"But,"Amara added, pointing a finger,if you start disappearing or acting like you're in a crime documentary,I'm stepping in.
Lila huffed a weak laugh...Fair.
Outside the café window,a black car rolled past slowly....too slowly.
Lila's gaze followed it without meaning to.
Amara noticed....she always did.
You're sure you're safe?she asked quietly.
Lila didn't answer right away.
I think,she said finally,I'm being… watched.
Amara stiffened...."By who?"
Lila shook her head..."I don't know,and that's the problem."
Roman
Roman DeLuca did not believe in coincidence.
The café wasn't part of his territory.....the street wasn't strategic,the girl inside — Lila — wasn't supposed to matter beyond containment.
Yet he was aware of her.
Not because he was watching her directly — he didn't need to — but because his men were reporting patterns,her routes,her habits and the people close to her.
Especially the friend.
She's clean, Luca had said over the phone earlier,no connections,no curiosity beyond concern."
Concern was dangerous.
Roman stood by the window of his office,phone pressed to his ear, city lights reflecting faintly against the glass.
She talks too much?Roman asked.
No,Luca replied...."She talks normally."
Roman ended the call without another word.
Normal people were unpredictable,they asked questions,they noticed when something changed.
Lila had already changed.
Roman poured himself a drink he wouldn't finish. His reflection stared back at him — calm,precise, untouched by the small human fractures that complicated other people's lives.
He didn't dislike Lila.
Dislike required emotion.
She's still compliant,he said aloud to no one,for now.
Lila
That night,Lila walked home with Amara.
They talked about assignments,about a mutual friend who was failing statistics,about nothing that mattered — and everything that did.
At the entrance to her building,Amara stopped.
You're sure you don't want me to come up?
Lila shook her head..."I'm okay."
Amara hesitated, then hugged her tightly....Text me when you're inside.
"I will."
Lila waited until Amara turned the corner before unlocking her door.
Inside,the silence greeted her like a held breath.
She dropped her bag,kicked off her shoes,and leaned against the door,eyes closed.
Her phone buzzed.
Not a number this time.
No name.
Just a message.
Roman:You were followed for three blocks.
They weren't mine.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
She typed before she could stop herself.
Lila:Why are you telling me this?
The reply came seconds later.
Roman:Because now you know the difference.
She stared at the screen,chest tight.
Difference between protection and interest.
Between management and threat.
Outside her window,the city kept moving,cars passed,people laughed somewhere below.Life continued,indifferent to her fear.
And somewhere in that same city,Roman DeLuca adjusted a system that had nothing to do with her — and everything to do with keeping control.
For the first time, Lila understood something clearly:
She wasn't the center of this world.
She was standing dangerously close to its edge.