God of Mischief (Light of Obsession #2)

Chapter 17

Amelie

Rain. Again. What a shocker.

I stared out of the coffee shop window, the gray drizzle drenching the city and making everything look like a watercolor painting someone forgot to finish. People hurried along the slick sidewalks, heads ducked under umbrellas that looked like they'd seen better days. It was a fitting backdrop for my life lately: messy, blurry, and utterly soaked in confusion.

"Amelie, order's up!"

The barista's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I hopped off the stool and made my way to the counter, avoiding the puddle some guy had tracked in. My boots squeaked as I grabbed my latte, the only thing keeping me warm in this miserable weather. Well, that and my growing annoyance with the world.

Taking a sip, I settled back into my corner seat, eyes wandering around the café. It was a cozy enough place, filled with the kind of people who wore scarves indoors and talked about books they'd only half-read. Normally, I'd roll my eyes at the pretentious vibe, but today I was just... restless.

Yuto.

His stupidly handsome face popped into my head for the millionth time. Broad shoulders, that smirk that made me want to both slap and kiss him, and the way his dark eyes seemed to see right through me. Ugh. What was his deal, anyway? One second, he's charming and thoughtful, like some knight in shining armor sent to rescue me. The next, he's distant and brooding, like he's carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

It was infuriating. And yet, here I was, thinking about him again.

I tapped my fingers on the table, trying to shake the image of him from my mind. Instead, my brain latched onto the nagging feeling I'd been trying to ignore for weeks now. Something was off. Not just with Yuto, but with everything. It was like there was this invisible thread connecting all the weirdness in my life, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't unravel it.

The nightmares were back, too. Flashes of dark corridors, muffled voices, and cold, unyielding hands dragging me into the shadows. I woke up most nights with my heart racing, drenched in sweat. It wasn't just bad dreams, though. They felt real, like memories clawing their way to the surface.

I hated it. Hated feeling vulnerable. Hated not knowing what the hell was going on.

The door to the café swung open, and a gust of cold air followed. I glanced up, half-expecting to see Yuto sauntering in like he owned the place. Instead, it was some poor sap who looked like they'd lost a fight with a particularly aggressive umbrella.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. Of course he wouldn't show up here. Why would he?

I shook my head, frustrated with myself. "Get it together, Amelie," I muttered, earning a curious glance from the guy at the next table. I ignored him and turned my attention back to the rain-soaked street.

But as I sipped my latte and tried to lose myself in the rhythm of the downpour, that nagging feeling wouldn't let go. Like someone was watching me. Like there were pieces of a puzzle scattered all around me, just waiting to be put together.

And maybe... maybe Yuto was one of those pieces.

If he thought I was going to sit around and wait for answers, though, he clearly didn't know me.

I drained the last of my coffee, grabbed my coat, and marched out into the rain. The cold drops hit my face, but I didn't care. I had questions, and I was done waiting for someone else to hand me the answers.

If Yuto had secrets, I was going to uncover them.

If someone was messing with me, I'd make them regret it.

And if the universe thought it could keep screwing me over, well, it was about to learn just how stubborn I could be.

The rain wasn't letting up, but neither was I. Whatever this was—whatever had been haunting me—it ended now.
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A/N:
Hello!!! I'm so so sorry about not updating! But i'm back and in full swing! The country has just been going through a war and combines with the school work has been a lot!
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Thank you for reading!