Hearts in Bloom

Chapter 9

The evening sky was painted in hues of purple and pink as the sun dipped below the horizon. Aria stood in front of her mirror, pulling on her jacket. She checked her phone and smiled at Tobias’s message:

“I’ll meet you at the cafe in 30. Mom’s sending me to the market for a few things. Don’t walk alone, okay?”

“I’ll be fine. See you soon,” she replied and rolled her eyes at Tobias's overprotectiveness.

Tobias could be overprotective sometimes, but she found it endearing.

After one last glance at herself, Aria grabbed her bag and headed out the door, feeling the cool evening breeze against her skin. The streets were quiet, with only a few people walking around. The peacefulness of the night calmed her, and she decided to take the longer route to the cafe, cutting through a nearby park.

As she turned down a quiet street, her phone buzzed in her pocket, but before she could check it, a group of men leaning against a wall caught her attention. Their loud laughter echoed down the empty street, and Aria’s heart sped up. She kept her head down, quickening her steps, but the men noticed her.

“Hey there, sweetheart,” one of them called, stepping forward to block her path. His grin was unsettling, and his eyes glinted in the dim streetlight.

Aria's pulse quickened, but she kept her voice steady. "I'm meeting someone, excuse me."

“Meeting someone, huh?” another man sneered, his tone mocking. "Why don’t you hang out with us instead? We’ll show you a good time."

Her stomach tightened as fear began to take hold. She tried to move past, but one of the men grabbed her arm, his grip like iron. “Let go of me!” she demanded, her voice trembling.

The man’s smile widened, his eyes gleaming with malice. “Come on now, don’t be like that…”

Before she could scream, a voice she knew all too well cut through the air like a knife. “LET. HER. GO.”

Tobias stood a few feet away, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. His face was a mixture of anger and control, but what caught Aria’s attention was that his full face was red. It was a obvious sign that Tobias was furious—furious like she’d never seen before.

“Or what, pretty boy?” the man holding Aria mocked, tightening his grip on her arm. His friends chuckled darkly behind him.

Tobias didn’t waste another second. He stormed forward, and with a swift, powerful punch to the man’s jaw, sent him crashing to the ground. The others froze, eyes wide in shock.

“You want to be next?” Tobias growled, his voice dangerously low as he glared at the remaining men. His whole body radiated a fury that left no room for argument.

The man on the ground groaned, struggling to get up as his friends quickly backed away. “Screw this,” one of them muttered before they all turned and hurried off into the night.

As soon as they were gone, Tobias turned to Aria. His face was still red and jaw was clenched tight. “WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING ARIA, WALKING AROUND ALONE LIKE THAT?” he snapped, his voice harsher than she’d ever heard.

Aria flinched, taken aback by the anger in his tone. “I… I didn’t think it would be dangerous,” she stammered, guilt and confusion swirling inside her. Her heart was still racing from the encounter, and now Tobias’s scolding only made her feel worse.

“YOU DIDN'T THINK?!” Tobias’s eyes flashed with frustration. “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT COULD'VE HAPPENED TO YOU?”

Tears welled up in her eyes. She hadn’t fully processed what had just happened, but her body was shaking, her knees weak. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.