𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 | 18+

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟏

I'm so glad I finally get to write the drama and introduce you to the characters a bit more. Even though this is a dark romance with a lot of suspense, this chapter might feel a little lighter on the tension. But trust me, the next chapter is going to be a BIG one, so stay tuned!

⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆

𝟸 𝚍𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛

𝙾𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟾, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟹 - 𝟹:𝟸𝟻 𝙿.𝙼.

The lounge was unusually packed today, students milling around with their overpriced coffee and overpriced problems. I sat in the corner, sipping on my caramel frappe, trying to shake off the unease that had been clinging to me since that night. The cops hadn't found a damn thing, and now, here I was, stuck between paranoia and a caffeine buzz, watching Professor Mikkelsen chat up some blonde as if he wasn't possibly the twisted bastard who killed Jake.

Next to me, Alex was flipping through his notes, his expression unusually serious. We were supposed to be working on our criminal justice assignment together, but my mind was elsewhere. I kept glancing at professor Mikkelsen, trying to piece together the puzzle that had become my life, but nothing was fitting the way it should.

Alex finally noticed where my attention was. "You good ?" he asked, his voice low. He wasn't prying—he never did—but there was an edge to his tone, like he was trying to figure out what was going on inside my head.

"Yeah, just... distracted," I muttered, taking another sip of my frappe. The cold sweetness did little to soothe the gnawing anxiety in my gut. I couldn't stop replaying the night of Jake's death in my head, but I wasn't about to dump that on Alex. He didn't know what had happened, and he didn't need to. The less he knew, the better.

Alex looked over at Mikkelsen, then back at me, raising an eyebrow. "You stalking him or something?"

I scoffed, shaking my head. "No, just... watching."

"Watching, huh?" Alex grinned, leaning closer. "That's the polite way of saying stalking. You following him around campus now? Hiding in the bushes outside his office? Got a little scrapbook of his class schedules?"

"Please," I rolled my eyes. "I'm not that desperate."

Alex snickered. "Sure, sure. Next thing I know, you're going to be crawling through his bedroom window with binoculars and a notepad. Maybe steal some hair for a creepy shrine?"

"Fuck off," I said, smirking despite myself. "If I was gonna stalk him, I'd do it right. No bushes, no windows. Just some casual surveillance. A couple of candid photos. Maybe sneak a tracker in his briefcase. You know, for research."

Alex laughed, shaking his head. "You say 'research,' but that sounds like a full-blown obsession. What's next? GPS on his car? Monitoring his Amazon orders to see if he's buying duct tape and chloroform?"

I shrugged, playing along. "Why not? Could come in handy. Maybe he's got a secret lair somewhere. A nice little murder dungeon where he keeps trophies."

"Christ," Alex said, mock horrified. "And people think I'm the werido."

I chuckled, my tension easing just a bit. "Just doing my civic duty. Keeping tabs on potential murderers. Maybe I'll get a medal for it one day."

Before I could respond, Mia walked in, scanning the lounge until she spotted us. She made a beeline for our table, dropping her bag next to me and sliding into the seat with a huff. "What are we talking about?" she asked, her eyes flicking between me and Alex.