Rouhi's Darkest Melody

She had always been invisible. At least, that's what Aria believed.

As a plus-sized, average student at Queensbury University on a campus crawling with wealth, power, and people who mattered, Aria was easy to overlook. That belief only deepened the night her childhood best friend, the boy she had quietly loved for six years, laughed at her feelings and left her standing in the cold.

Then came Rouhi.

A final-year senior the entire campus knew of but no one dared approach. Quiet in the way that made people nervous. Intense in the way that made her stupid heart pay attention. Aria told herself to stay wary - and she meant it, until she didn't.

Rouhi always finds a way to get what he wants, and this time, his eyes are on her.

And now Aria is starting to wonder - was she ever truly invisible? Or had a pair of dark, patient eyes been watching her all along?

She doesn't know which answer frightens her more.

The car filled with a low bass of soft music and the hypnotic hum of Aria's breathing. I don't know how long I had spent watching how her lashes flattered like butterfly wings, how her lips arced into a smile from time to time, how she let herself relax in my presence. I enjoyed all of it.

In a daze, my hand stretched out. I could only stop myself when my finger tips were mere inches from her cheeks. An internal war raged within me - to either carress her cheek, or withdraw it. I clenched my teeth. I knew that she would pull away if I got too close too fast.

The course of my hand then changed to her arm.

"Baby - ah ... Aria, it's time to wake up. You're home."