Chapter 8
Ariana's eyes fluttered open, her head pounding like a drum as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. She wasn't at the club anymore. She was lying on a bed a soft, unfamiliar bed in a room that smelled of clean linen and faint cologne. The dim light from the bedside lamp cast long shadows across the room, making everything seem surreal.
Her heart raced, her mind scrambling to piece together the events of the night. The last thing she remembered was the dark-haired man at the club, the one who hadn't taken no for an answer. And then… him. The stranger. The one she'd tried to forget.
Ariana sat up too quickly, dizziness hitting her like a wave. She pressed a hand to her forehead, trying to steady herself, when the door creaked open.
There he was. The stranger stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame, his arms crossed over his chest. His intense gaze locked on hers, a mixture of frustration and concern flickering in his eyes. He was just as she remembered tall, broad-shouldered, with that same unsettling aura of command. He didn't say anything at first, just watched her as if he were trying to figure out what to do next.
Ariana's heart pounded in her chest, a mixture of fear and confusion swirling inside her. "Where am I?" she asked, her voice hoarse from the alcohol and exhaustion.
"My place," he replied simply, his voice low and controlled. "You passed out at the club. I didn't know where else to take you."
Ariana's pulse quickened at his words. His place? How had she ended up here? Panic bubbled up in her chest, and she pulled the blanket tighter around her, suddenly feeling vulnerable. "I I need to go," she stammered, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, but the dizziness returned, forcing her to pause.
"Take it easy," he said, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. "You're in no shape to leave right now."
Ariana's mind raced as she tried to make sense of the situation. She didn't even know his name, yet here she was, in his home, completely at his mercy. "Why did you bring me here?" she asked, her voice tinged with suspicion. "You could've just left me at the club."
He let out a sharp breath, his jaw clenching as he looked away for a moment. "You were drunk, Ariana. Passed out in a place full of people who wouldn't think twice about taking advantage of you. I couldn't leave you there."
The way he said her name made her heart skip a beat. He said it with a certain weight, like it meant something more to him than just a name. But how did he know her name?
Ariana narrowed her eyes at him. "You didn't even know me. Why do you care what happens to me?"
He met her gaze, his expression unreadable, but there was something in his eyes that gave her pause. A flicker of emotion, something raw and unresolved. "You're wrong," he said quietly. "I know more about you than you think."
Her stomach twisted with confusion. How could he know her? She racked her brain, trying to remember if she had seen him before, if their paths had crossed somewhere other than that fateful night. But nothing came to mind.
"You're not making any sense," Ariana said, her frustration rising. "Who are you?"
For a long moment, he didn't answer. He just stared at her, his gaze piercing, as if he were debating how much to tell her. Finally, he let out a sigh, running a hand through his dark hair. "My name is Caleb."
Ariana waited, expecting more, but he didn't offer anything else. Just a name. "Caleb," she repeated, testing the sound of it on her tongue. It felt foreign, unfamiliar, but somehow significant. "Why are you doing this?"
Caleb's jaw clenched again, his eyes darkening as if he were fighting an internal battle. "You wouldn't understand," he muttered, turning away from her.
Ariana's frustration flared. "Try me," she challenged, pushing herself off the bed despite the dizziness that still lingered. She took a step toward him, her eyes narrowing. "I deserve to know what's going on. You can't just sweep into my life, turn everything upside down, and then act like none of it matters."
Caleb turned to face her, his expression hardening. "You think I wanted this? You think I wanted to get involved in your mess?"
"My mess?" Ariana shot back, her voice rising. "You don't even know me."
"I know enough," Caleb snapped, his eyes flashing with anger. "I know that you've been running from something someone ever since that night."
Ariana froze, her heart skipping a beat. How could he possibly know that? She hadn't told anyone about that night. Not Jessie, not anyone. Her mind raced, fear tightening her chest. "How do you know about that night?"
Caleb didn't answer right away. Instead, he took a slow step toward her, his gaze locking onto hers with an intensity that made her breath catch. "Because I was there," he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.
Ariana's blood ran cold. She stared at him, her mind struggling to process what he was saying. "What do you mean you were there?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Caleb's expression softened, the anger fading from his eyes, replaced by something else. Regret. "I was the one you slept with that night, Ariana."
The words hit her like a punch to the gut. Ariana's breath caught in her throat as the room seemed to spin around her. No. It couldn't be. The stranger from that night had been a blur in her memory, a shadowy figure she had tried so hard to forget. She had been drunk, out of control, and when she woke up the next morning, he was gone. She had convinced herself it was a mistake a one-time lapse in judgment.
But now, standing in front of her, was the very man she had been trying to erase from her mind.
"You " Ariana's voice faltered, her hands trembling at her sides. "You were the one…"
Caleb's eyes softened as he watched her reaction, but he didn't move closer. "I never meant for it to happen that way," he said quietly. "I didn't know who you were at the time. I didn't know what it would mean."
Ariana's heart pounded in her chest, a mixture of shock, anger, and confusion flooding through her. "Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you "
"I couldn't," Caleb cut her off, his voice thick with emotion. "By the time I realized who you were, you were already gone."
Ariana's mind raced, trying to make sense of it all. The stranger, the one-night stand, the guilt that had followed her ever since… it had all been him. Caleb.
She swallowed hard, her throat tight with emotion. "And now?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Why are you here now?"
Caleb hesitated, his eyes searching hers as if he were trying to find the right words. "Because I couldn't stay away," he admitted, his voice raw with honesty. "I've been looking for you ever since that night, Ariana. And when I finally found you…" His voice trailed off, his gaze darkening. "I couldn't just walk away again."
Ariana's breath hitched, her mind a whirlwind of emotions she couldn't untangle. Fear, confusion, anger… and something else. Something she wasn't ready to admit.
The room was heavy with silence, the weight of his confession hanging between them like a storm cloud, waiting to break. And in that silence, Ariana realized one terrifying truth:
Nothing would ever be the same again.