#1.5

That was sharp enough to cut through bone. “We’re late for our meeting.”

Dante appeared unfazed. His hand lingered on mine for an extra second

before he released it.

“It was lovely to meet you, Stella. I’m sure I’ll see you around again.”

His rich drawl contained a hint of laughter.

I suspected his amusement was directed not at me but toward the man

watching us with ice in his eyes.

“Thank you. It was nice meeting you too.” I almost smiled at Dante, but

something told me that wouldn’t be a smart move right now. “Have a good

night.”

I glanced at Christian. “Good night, Mr. Harper. Thank you for the ride.”

I injected a playful lilt into my voice, hoping the callback to our absurd

formality earlier would crack his granite expression.

But it didn’t so much as flicker as he inclined his head. “Good night, Ms.

Alonso.”

Okay, then.

I left Christian and Dante in the lobby, the subjects of more than a few

admiring stares from passersby, and took the elevator up to my apartment.

I didn’t know what had caused Christian’s sudden mood shift, but I had

enough worries of my own without adding his to the mix.

I rifled through the bag, trying to locate my keys among the jumble of

makeup, receipts, and hair ties.

I really needed a better way of organizing my bag.

After several minutes of searching, my hand closed around the metal key.

I’d just inserted it into the lock when a familiar chill swept over my skin

and raised the hairs on the back of my neck.

My head jerked up.

There was no other sign of life in the hall, but the quiet hum of the

heating system suddenly took on an ominous tone.

Memories of typed notes and candid photos turned my breaths shallow

before I blinked them away.

Stop being paranoid.

I wasn’t living in an old, unsecured house near campus anymore. I was at

the Mirage, one of the most well-guarded residential buildings in D.C., and I

hadn’t heard from him in two years.

The chances of him showing up here, of all places, were slim to none.

Nevertheless, urgency broke the spell freezing my limbs in place. I quickly unlocked the front door and shut it behind me. The lights blazed on

as I slid the deadbolt in place.

It was only after I checked every room in my apartment and confirmed

there was no intruder lurking in my closet or underneath my bed that I was

able to relax.

Everything was fine. He wasn’t back, and I was safe.

But despite my self-reassurance, a small part of me couldn’t shake the

sense that my gut had been right and that someone had been watching me in

the hall.

please ignore this

ओ रे पिया हाय ओ रे पिया

ओ रे पिया हाय ओ रे पिया

ओ रे पिया हाय ओ रे पिया

उड़ने लगा क्यों मन बावला रे

आया कहाँ से ये हौसला रे

ओ रे पिया ओ रे पिया हाय

तानाबाना तानाबाना बुनती हवा हाय बुनती हवा

बूंदें भी तो आये नहीं बाज़ यहाँ हाय साज़िश में शामिल सारा जहां है

हर ज़र्रे ज़र्रे की ये इल्तिज़ा है

ओ रे पिया

ओ रे पिया हाय ओ रे पिया हाय ओ रे पिया

नी रे रे रे ग ग ग म म म प प म ग रे सा सा रे रे सा ग ग रे म म ग प प म ध ध प नि नि सा सा प प सा म प ध नि सा नि रे नि सा सा सा

नज़रें बोलें दुनिया बोले दिल की ज़बाँ हाय दिल की ज़बाँ

इश्क मांगे इश्क चाहे कोई तूफां हाय

चलना आहिस्ते इश्क नया है पहला ये वादा हमने किया है

ओ रे पिया हाय ओ रे पिया हाय ओ रे पिया

पिया रे पिया

नंगे पैरों पे अंगारों चलती रही हाय चलती रही

लगता है कि गैरों में मैं पलती रही हाय

ले चल वहाँ जो मुल्क तेरा है जाहिल ज़माना दुश्मन मेरा है

ओ रे पिया हाय ओ रे पिया हाय ओ रे पिया हाय ओ रे पिया हाय ओ रे पिया हाय

ओ रे पिया ओ रे पिया

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