It was one of those evenings that felt wrong before anything even happened. The air was heavy, the streetlights dimmer than usual, the city quieter in a way that made Elena quicken her pace. She had stayed late at the design studio, finishing a project, and Daniel hadn’t been able to pick her up—some emergency meeting that ran over.
Her apartment wasn’t far, just a ten-minute walk, but halfway there she realized she wasn’t alone.
At first, it was the soft echo of footsteps behind her, almost in sync with hers. She told herself it was just someone heading in the same direction. But when she crossed the street, so did they.
A flicker of unease moved through her.
Elena tightened her grip on her bag, pulling her coat tighter. The man behind her closed the distance slightly, his voice slurring when he called out, “Hey, beautiful… where you headed?”
She didn’t answer. She kept walking.
“Don’t be rude, sweetheart,” he called again, his tone sharpening.
Her pulse quickened. She glanced around—empty street, no open shops this late. She reached for her phone, but before she could pull it out, his footsteps sped up.
And then, out of nowhere, a tall, dark figure stepped from the mouth of an alley just ahead.
The stranger’s presence was immediate, commanding. His eyes locked on hers, steady, intense. “You alright?” he asked, his voice deep and calm, but there was an edge beneath it—a warning, though not to her.
She didn’t recognize him. But the man following her suddenly stopped.
Adrian turned his head slowly toward the would-be harasser, his expression unreadable. “Walk away,” he said. Not loud. Not aggressive. Just certain.
The other man muttered something under his breath, but after one look at Adrian, he backed away, disappearing down the street.
Elena exhaled, realizing she’d been holding her breath. “Thank you,” she said, her voice a little shaky.
Adrian’s eyes softened, just slightly. “You shouldn’t walk alone at night.”
“I usually don’t,” she admitted. “Just… bad timing today.”
He studied her for a moment longer, as if memorizing the way the streetlight touched her face. “Let me walk you home.”
She hesitated—every instinct telling her she didn’t know this man—but something about his steady gaze felt safer than being alone right now. She nodded.
They walked in silence. She didn’t see the way his hand flexed occasionally at his side, as if resisting the urge to touch her. She didn’t see the flicker of satisfaction in his eyes when they reached her building, and she thanked him one last time.
“Goodnight, Elena,” he said.
She froze. “I… didn’t tell you my name.”
He only gave the faintest smile before stepping back into the shadows. “Goodnight,” he repeated, and then he was gone.
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