The taxi stopped in front of the restaurant, and my stomach twisted itself into knots. I straightened my dress for the third time, wishing I could disappear instead of stepping into what everyone insisted was "just a casual blind date". My heels clicked nervously on the pavement, each step echoing the panic that had been growing inside me all afternoon.
I told myself this was safe. Normal. Ordinary. I repeated it like a mantra, but something in the pit of my stomach screamed that it wasn't. The air felt heavier here, charged, like every shadow watching.
I paused at the door, took a shaky breath, and forced myself inside. Warmth and the murmur of voices hit me, but I barely noticed. My eyes scanned the room, trying to calm my nerves, and then I saw him.
He was already there.
Taller than I expected, sharp suit, eyes that didn't just look at you~they scanned you, cataloged you, understood things you hadn't said. My heart ripped in my chest, betraying me. My lips were suddenly dry, and the world seemed quieter around him, like someone had turned the volume and left only his presence.
He rose slightly as I approached, his movements smooth, deliberate, controlled. He didn't rush to greet me. He simply studied me with an intensity that made me shiver.
"You must be..." He smiled, calm, deliberate, his gaze lingering too long on my lips. The kind of smile that promised warmth~and whispered danger. "Yes", I whispered, almost ashamed of how quiet my voice sounded. "That's me".
He offered his arm. My first instinct screamed run, every fiber in my body warning me that danger was closer than comfort. But something.... something in the way he moved, in the way he held himself, like he already knew secrets I hadn't even admitted to myself, rooted me in place.
We walked to the table in silence, but the silence wasn't empty. It was weighted, expectant, electric. I felt every eye in the room blur past me, and yet all i could see was him. Every step made my chest tighter, my mind buzzing with the impossible question: Who is he really?
The table was set for two, and I lowered myself into the chair, heart hammering, hands pressed together as if I could stop them from trembling. The waiter handed us menus, I didn't even look at mine. My attention was entirely on him~the curve of his jaw, the slight twitch of his lips, the way his gaze could pierce right through me while pretending to be casual.
"You look....nervous," he said, not unkindly, but like he already knew more than I intended to show. His words brushed over me like a warning. My cheeks burned, but I forced a small smile, keeping my tone light.
"I'm fine. Just.... first~date jitters", I said, though I wasn't sure if I believed it myself.
He leaned slightly closer, the faint scent of his cologne brushing against me. something dark and intoxicating, like leather and rain. My heartbeat stuttered, betraying me further.
"First dates are... dangerous", he murmured, almost to himself. Then his eyes locked on mine, and my stomach sank with a weight I couldn't name. "I already know how tonight ends."
The words hit me like a cold wave. My stomach dropped. My blood froze. And just like that, I realized.... I was not safe. I was not prepared. I was in way over my head. And still.... I couldn't look away.
Every instinct screamed to flee, but every cell in my body was magnetically drawn to him. I hated it. I needed it. And somewhere deep inside, a part of me wondered if survival was even part of the equation anymore.
The man in my bed knew how I'd dieee.
And just like that, I understood: love shouldn't hurt this much. But it did.