Aj and niko - enemies to lovers

Pickle

Zev's grabbed Aj's hand in a tight grip, his fingers digging his hand with a painful pressure.

Aj tried to pull away, but Zev's hold was far too tight.

Ignoring Aj's nervous question, Zev's smile reemerged on his face, cold and insincere, no sign of any warmth.

Aj's eyes darted back towards the house. Through the gate, he saw Niko watching them intently from a window. Aj's heart sank, and he gave Niko a desperate, pleading look. He hoped for some form of rescue or at least an indication that Niko would do something.

Niko's face was a mix of confusion and concern, but he didn't move. His eyes followed them as Zev began to drag Aj away, leaving Aj feeling really worried.

As they reached the park, Zev led Aj to a set of swings. He gestured for Aj to sit, and though Aj hesitated, he eventually complied, lowering himself onto one of the swings. Zev took the swing beside him, setting a steady rhythm as he began to push himself gently back and forth.

"So, Aj." Zev began, his tone deceptively casual. "How are you feeling today?"

Aj responded with a bored tone. "I'm okay." He barely looked at Zev, his gaze fixed on the ground as he swung.

The questions started innocently enough.

But soon Zev began to ask more personal questions.

"How's your mum?" Zev asked, his eyes scanning Aj's face for any hint of emotion.

Aj shrugged, feeling increasingly uncomfortable. "She's fine." He replied, trying to keep the conversation as brief as possible.

Zev's smile remained unshaken as he continued, his questions growing more invasive. "Are you into men, Aj?"

Aj's blood ran cold at the question. His mind raced as he realised that Zev had been referring to him by his name.

A detail he hasn't shared.

He was taken aback. "I don't think I've told you my name before..." Aj said, his voice barely above a whisper, a note of fear seeping through.

Zev's eyes flickered with an unreadable expression as he leaned forward slightly, still maintaining that unnervingly fake smile. "It was listed in your contacts. I assumed your name was Aj."

Aj felt a shiver crawl up his spine. Panic gripped him as he processed Zev's statement.

It seemed valid enough...

But his instincts screamed at him to run away, to escape.

Without another word, Aj pushed himself off the swing and bolted from the park.

As Aj sprinted away from the swings, his heart pounding, he glanced back to see Zev's figure standing at the park's entrance.

Zev's posture was unnervingly still. He stood at the park's exit with a rigid, almost statue like stance. His shoulders were squared, his arms hanging loosely by his sides, but his hands were clenched into tight fists. The way he stood there, motionless, was starkly out of place amid the soft swaying of the trees and the gentle rustle of leaves in the breeze. His eyes were the most unsettling part. They were fixed on Aj with a predatory intensity that sent chills down Aj's spine. There was no warmth or empathy in his gaze, only a cold, calculating stare that seemed to bore into Aj's very soul. The unblinking, wide-eyed stare was almost as if Zev was studying a creature rather than watching a person in distress.

The fake smile Zev had worn earlier was gone and it was now replaced by a tight, emotionless line. The smile that had seemed so insincere before now seemed like a cruel mask that had slipped, revealing a more sinister reality.