Chapter 1 : The First Mistake
Desire is dangerous when you have nowhere to put it.I learned that on a Friday night.The music was too loud, the room was too warm, and everyone seemed to be looking for something they could take home with them.I was looking for nothing.At least, that was what I kept telling myself.Then I saw him.He was leaning against the bar with one hand around a glass, completely relaxed while everyone else moved around him. Dark shirt. Rolled sleeves. That careless confidence that made you wonder whether he knew exactly what he was doing.He looked at me.I looked away.Then I felt his eyes on me again.I turned back.He was still staring.A small smile appeared on his lips.My stomach flipped.I hated that smile.I wanted it again.I took a sip of my drink and pretended not to notice him approaching.“Do you always pretend you're not looking at people?”His voice was lower than I expected.I looked up.“Do you always approach strangers?”“Only the interesting ones.”I laughed. “You don't know me.”“I know enough.”“Oh?”“You've looked at me six times.”My face became hot.“Five.”He smiled.“So you were counting too.”That shut me up.He stood close enough for me to notice the faint scent of his cologne. Something warm, clean, addictive.I stepped back.He didn't follow.That somehow made me want him closer.“What’s your name?” he asked.I hesitated.“Why?”“So I know what to call you when I make you forget everything else.”My heart stumbled.“That sounds like a line.”“It is.”“At least you're honest.”“Always.”I should have walked away.Instead, I stayed.We talked for almost an hour.Nothing important.Favorite music. Worst dates. Places we'd never been. Things we pretended not to care about.But underneath every ordinary question was something else.A challenge.A spark.A warning neither of us wanted to hear.When he finally leaned closer, his voice dropped.“You're thinking too much.”“Maybe.”“Stop.”I looked into his eyes.For one dangerous second, the entire room disappeared.There was only him.His gaze dropped briefly to my lips before returning to my eyes.“Tell me to leave,” he whispered.I opened my mouth.Nothing came out.His smile returned.“That's what I thought.”He didn't kiss me.That was the worst part.He simply stepped away, picked up his jacket, and walked toward the door.I watched him leave.My phone buzzed before he even reached it.Unknown: You should probably forget me.I stared at the message.Then another appeared.Unknown: But I don't think either of us is going to.I should have deleted his number.Instead, I saved it.Adrian.And that was my first mistake.Not meeting him.Not wanting him.Saving his name.Because sometimes obsession doesn't begin with a kiss.Sometimes it begins with a name on your phone that you keep checking long after midnight.And before I went to sleep that night, one thought kept repeating in my head:I wonder what would happen if I stopped pretending I didn't want him.I didn't know it yet.But Adrian was about to become the habit I couldn't break.
