Her heart pounded as she raced down the stairs and out the front door. The night air was cool against her skin, doing little to calm her nerves. She reached the spot where she had seen the shadow, her eyes darting around, searching for any sign of movement. The figure had vanished, leaving her alone in the dimly lit street.
Enola's breaths came in quick, shallow gasps as she scanned the area, her eyes straining to penetrate the darkness. Her mind raced with questions. Who was that person? She took a cautious step forward, then another, her senses on high alert. The quiet of the night seemed oppressive, every rustle of leaves and distant sound amplified in her ears. She reached the lamppost where she had seen the figure, Her breath stuck on her throat seeing the person still standing there with his back facing her. She stood there, her hand trembling. The cold air hit her face, and she could sense that her presence was known to the person before her, even though he remained still. Her lips dried, and with a shaky voice, she uttered,
"Who is there?" Silence. Only silence greeted her, making her heart race even more. There was something familiar about the person standing before her. She tried again, her impatience growing,
"Who are you?" Still, the figure did not respond, making no effort to acknowledge her. Enola fisted her hands, frustration and fear mingling within her.
Determined, she took another step forward.
"Why are you silent?" she demanded once more, her voice firmer this time. The figure remained silent, unmoving. Enola's impatience turned to anger and fear. Just as she was about to call out again, the figure began to turn towards her. Enola was utterly shocked. She stepped back, as her eyes enlarged her sharp breath audible as she took in the sight before her. The man turned his head slowly, and their eyes met. His face was shrouded in the shadows, but she could make out enough to recognize him.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she whispered,
"Damien Alder!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with a mix of surprise and disbelief.
He stepped forward, emerging from the darkness, his expression unreadable. Enola's mind raced. She felt a mixture of surprise, fear, and confusion. What was he doing here? Why had he been watching her?
Damien's intense gaze bore into hers.
"Enola," he said, his voice low and measured. The sound of her name on his lips sent a shiver down her spine. Snapping out of her trance, she hesitantly asked, "Mr. Adler, what are you doing here? In the dark?" She glanced at him, then back to her balcony, wondering why he was here.
He remained silent for a moment, his eyes inscrutable. The cold air bit at her face as the night grew darker around them under the lamppost. "I was here for a deal. My network got lost, and I was unable to call my driver. I was waiting for my car."
"At this time?" she asked, skeptical. He looked at his watch and replied, meeting her eyes directly. "It's only 11 PM, Ms. Enola." His words didn't convince her. She scrutinized him, noting his black jacket and the way his bulky frame towered over her. He was just a few inches away, and she found herself staring into his brown eyes. Enola's gaze bore into Damien's brown eyes, a sense of déjà vu washing over her like rain on a stormy night. His eyes held an intensity that mirrored the memory of another rainy day, when she had felt the weight of someone's gaze upon her. As she stared into Damien's eyes, she couldn't shake the feeling that Damien's gaze had that same cold intensity, as if he wanted to possess her. She was lost in thought when he called her name.
"Enola?" His voice brought her back to reality.
"Are you anyhow getting suspicious of me?"
"Huh?" she stammered.
"The way you are looking at me, it seems like you ran to catch me here," he said, making her shake her head hastily.
"I saw you from my balcony and thought something unusual was happening, that's all." She lied of course she was not able to say what she was feeling inside
"Unusual?" he repeated in his cold, hoarse voice, stepping closer. Instinctively, in her reflex, she backed away. "Isn't it unusual for you to encounter something you feel suspicious about, At this time?"
"It's just 11, not very dark." She immediately replied clearing that it was not that heavy night. He smirked hearing her, she cut her tongue remembering she just said what he had stated a while ago.
She understood what he was insinuating and smiled awkwardly.
"No, I just thought you were someone else. Thought that someone was looking at my balcony" he looked back over his shoulder at her balcony. he pointed there and looked at her. Enola nodded.
"I didn't think you would be here otherwise.."
"Otherwise? What?" he asked, erasing the distance between them. She moved backward hastily, and in her carelessness, Thought where she had caught herself again. She was walking backward when she tripped on a rock. She shut her eyes, bracing for the fall, but a strong grip on her hand made her open them again.
Enola blinked up at Damien, his strong hand steadying her. Her heart raced as she found herself in his firm grip. "Careful, Ms. Enola," he said with a smirk, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
"Aren't you falling for a suspicious man too quickly?"
Enola's eyes popped out of her socket, what's up with this man?
Her cheeks flushed as she quickly righted herself.
"I-I am not falling for you," she stammered, brushing herself off. "Just...tripped over my own feet."
"Sure," he replied, his smirk widening. He pulled her in a second as she balanced herself. She remembered their encounter at his office there also he was speaking like this. She looked at him coughing a little bit. Damien moved a bit from her as he shoved his hand in his pocket observing her to say something.
"Do you always make such comments?"
"Only when I'm right," he teased, leaning against the lamppost with easy confidence.
"Why are you blushing? Did I make you blush?"
"I am not blushing!" she protested, feeling the heat in her cheeks betraying her words.
He chuckled, the sound low and rich, sending another shiver down her spine.
"Whatever you say, Ms. Enola. By the way, you didn't answer my question. Why are you trying to catch me?" She sighed hearing him and replied,
"I told you, I thought you were someone else. That's all. It's not like I was spying on you."
"Spying on me?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Sounds like you have an interesting life."
She rolled her eyes, trying to hide her embarrassment. "It's nothing like that. You just seemed...suspicious."
"Suspicious?" He leaned closer, his face mere inches from hers. "Or intriguing?"
Her breath caught in her throat. "Intriguing?" she managed to squeak out.
"Yeah," his voice dropped to a whisper. "Intriguing. Like why a beautiful woman like you is out here in the dark of the night, chasing shadows.!"
She swallowed hard, her heart pounding.
"I could ask you the same thing." He raised his eyebrows
"Why would you be here standing in the dark, what a normal people will assume?" She dared to throw her question at him. He grinned at her voice. She utterly amused him. Suddenly the horn of the car grabbed their attention. Damien turned his head and looked at her again.
"Told you I was waiting for my car." He stated with a long stride he came before her and whispered.
"Guess you were trying to dig something deeper, isn't it" Damien's words sent Enola's heart into a frenzy, his mere presence warming her even on this chilly night.
"But no worries, give it your best shot next time." With a final intense gaze, he stepped back, disappearing into the shadows as he left her behind. She watched him walk away, her heart still pounding in her chest, wondering what exactly had just happened. She touched her lips and why she couldn't seem to stop smiling.
"Wait why are you smiling stupid" She asked herself frustrated at her behavior.
Enola went back to her room. She couldn't shake the feeling of his presence lingering in the air. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her racing heart. Despite the confusion and uncertainty, there was a strange allure in their brief exchange, a magnetism that drew her in despite her better judgment.
With a sigh, Enola closed the balcony door behind her, the sound echoing in the silence of her room. She couldn't deny the pull Damien had on her, even as she tried to push him out of her thoughts. Little did she know, this encounter was just the beginning of a journey that would intertwine their fates in ways she never imagined, or maybe she it just fated for a long time without her heart knowing it.