TORN BY ECSTASY BY Vail blackRose

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Zara

He kissed me... I kissed him. And it was amazing. A little rough, yes—more than a little, actually. But still, it was overwhelming in a way I had never imagined. For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt wanted. Like someone was here for me, someone who saw me, who desired me.

His scent lingered in the hoodie I was still wearing, faint but undeniable. It clung to me like a reminder, and strangely, it felt safe. Being wrapped in it, in him... it was all so new, so unfamiliar, and yet so wonderful.

And those eyes... His blue eyes. I could get lost in them. Beautiful, piercing, like they were holding secrets I wasn't ready to uncover.

But then reality crept back in. He wants more than a kiss from you, Zara...

Oh great, that inner voice—my cautious anuty, always-watching one—decided to show up again. Where were you earlier, huh?

He wants more... I know that. He didn't have to say it. The way he kissed me, the intensity behind it—it was clear. He wanted more than just my lips, more than just a passing moment.

And what's worse... I didn't even bother to ask his name. After all this time, after all those months of him watching me, I didn't even know him. How had I let myself fall for someone I knew nothing about? Not his past, not his family... not even his faith.

Ya Allah, please let him be Muslim...

The thought twisted in my chest. What if he wasn't? What if this pull I felt towards him was something that could never work, something I shouldn't be feeling? If he wasn't Muslim, this... whatever this was, it couldn't last. It wouldn't work.

But if he was...

The hope made my heart race, and the fear made it sink at the same time. Everything felt so complicated now, and I was in too deep to just walk away.

Was it too late to ask for his name?

Adrian

I couldn't stop thinking about her. Even after she disappeared into her dorm, even after I drove away, her face—those wide, uncertain eyes—was burned into my mind. And the kiss... it wasn't just a kiss. It was raw, desperate, imperfect, but real. It was everything I'd wanted for months.

She didn't run this time. She didn't push me away. She let me in. I saw the change, felt it in the way she responded, hesitant but there. She felt it too, whether she wanted to admit it or not. That pull between us, that undeniable connection—it was real. I saw it in her eyes, the way she whispered about my blue eyes, like she was surprised by them, as if noticing me for the first time.

But that kiss, it wasn't enough. Not even close.

I need more. I've waited for too long, holding back every desire, every instinct to claim her, and now that I've had a taste, I'm not sure I can stop. I won't stop.

I don't even understand why I'm so consumed by her. I've had women in my life before—none of them permanent, but they were always there. But none of them ever drove me to the edge like this. None of them made me feel this constant, gnawing need.

I saw the conflict in her eyes, though. She's torn, battling herself, unsure of what to do. I can almost hear her thoughts, screaming at her to run again. She's trapped between what she thinks she should do and what she wants.

And then there's that question she hasn't asked yet: Does she even know me?

It's almost amusing. No, she doesn't know me—at least, not the real me. I'm the man who's been lurking in the shadows of her life, watching, protecting, waiting for the right moment to reveal myself. But that's about to change. She'll know everything. She doesn't realize it yet, but I'm not just a passing moment. I'm not some fleeting obsession. I'm going to be permanent in her life, whether she wants it or not.