Ira pov...
The morning after our stolen moment in the bookstore was an uneasy blur. The sun barely peeked over the horizon when I woke, my head heavy with a mixture of wine and regret. Aarav’s face lingered in my mind—the way his hands had caged me against the bookshelves, the way his lips had unraveled me piece by piece. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the memory to disappear. But it didn’t.
I forced myself out of bed, determined to push it all aside. Yet, the weight of the previous night clung to me like a second skin. I couldn’t let him distract me, not when everything around me seemed to be falling apart.
As I went to open the door to grab the newspaper, a familiar sight greeted me—a small, brown parcel sitting innocently on the floor. My breath caught as dread coiled in my stomach. Not again.
I tore the package open right there, my trembling hands revealing a single sheet of paper. The sharp, slanted handwriting made my chest tighten:
"You’re getting too close. Watch your back."
I stared at the note, my heart racing. Whoever was behind this wasn’t just playing games anymore. They were sending a warning—and it was personal.
---
Work offered no solace. The newsroom buzzed around me as usual, but the constant chatter only added to the pounding in my head. Aarav was already at my desk when I arrived, leaning back in his chair with his usual smirk.
But as soon as he saw my face, his expression hardened.
“What happened?” he asked, his voice low, his playful demeanor gone.
“It’s nothing,” I said, trying to sidestep him.
He wasn’t buying it. Aarav grabbed my arm, gently but firmly, forcing me to look at him. “Ira, don’t lie to me.”
For a moment, I hesitated, the note burning a hole in my bag. Aarav’s intense gaze pinned me in place, and before I could second-guess myself, I handed it to him.
He scanned the words, his jaw tightening with every line. “This isn’t nothing,” he said, his voice clipped.
“It’s just a prank,” I muttered, though even I didn’t believe it.
He scoffed, the sharp sound making me flinch. “This is far from a prank. Someone is trying to scare you, Ira. And judging by the look on your face, they’re doing a damn good job.”
I wanted to argue, but the truth lodged itself in my throat. Aarav’s hand rested on my desk as he leaned closer, his presence a mix of reassurance and danger.
“I’m not letting this go,” he said firmly.
---
Later that afternoon, Aarav cornered me in the archive room, the dim light casting shadows over his face.
“Why are you so determined to shut me out?” he asked, his voice softer this time.
I avoided his gaze, pretending to be engrossed in a stack of files. “Because letting you in means giving you power over me. And I can’t afford that.”
He stepped closer, and suddenly, the room felt much smaller. “You already did, last night.”
My breath hitched as his words hit their mark. “That was a mistake,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
“Was it?” he asked, his tone laced with challenge.
The tension crackled between us, thick and unrelenting. Aarav reached out, brushing a stray strand of hair from my face. The gesture was almost tender, but his gaze burned with something far more dangerous.
“I’m not going anywhere, Ira,” he said, his voice low and resolute. “No matter how hard you try to push me away.”
---
I left work early that day, needing to escape the suffocating weight of everything—the note, the tension with Aarav, the feeling that I was constantly being watched. The cool drizzle of Edinburgh’s streets did little to clear my mind, but I kept walking, hoping the rhythm of my steps would drown out my racing thoughts.
But as I neared my apartment, unease prickled at the back of my neck. I glanced over my shoulder, the feeling of being watched crawling over my skin like a phantom.
The street behind me was empty. I shook my head, trying to brush off the paranoia, and quickened my pace.
By the time I reached my building, the unease had settled deep in my bones. I locked the door behind me and sank onto the couch, but the quiet of my apartment felt oppressive. The note’s words played on a loop in my mind, their weight crushing me.
A sudden knock on the door made me jump, my heart lurching into my throat. I hesitated, every instinct screaming at me to stay silent.
But then Aarav’s voice came through the door, low and familiar. “Ira, it’s me.”
I exhaled shakily and opened the door to find him standing there, his expression a mix of concern and frustration.
“You left the office in a hurry,” he said, stepping inside uninvited.
“I needed air,” I replied, shutting the door behind him.
Aarav turned to face me, his presence filling the small space. “You’re scared,” he said bluntly. “And you have every right to be. But shutting me out isn’t going to help.”
I crossed my arms, trying to put some distance between us. “This is my problem, Aarav. Not yours.”
His jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought he might argue. But instead, he sighed, his shoulders relaxing slightly.
“You’re impossible,” he muttered, his lips twitching into the faintest hint of a smile.
“So I’ve been told.”
---
After Aarav left, the silence in my apartment became unbearable. I tried to distract myself with a book, but my eyes kept darting to the windows, half-expecting a shadow to pass by.
And then it happened—a flicker of movement just beyond the glass.
I froze, my breath catching as I stared at the window. Slowly, I approached, my pulse hammering in my ears.
But when I pulled back the curtain, the street below was empty.
Still, the feeling lingered—that I wasn’t alone.
---
To Be Continued...
YOU ARE READING
Infatuated Hate (18+)
Romance"Cloaked in the shadows of his ruthless world, he finds her - a burst of color in his monochrome existence. She is his rainbow, the one he despises with a fervor as intense as his desire. In the delicate balance between love and loathing, their tumu...
