Every day feels stranger than the last. Shadows follow me, lurking in the corners of my mind, like eyes tracing my every step, unblinking, invisible. The feeling leaves an icy trail down my spine, creeping into every nerve.
"Hi."
"You're weird. Stop following me." My voice was flat, my steps unhurried. I didn't have the energy to entertain unnecessary drama or forced politeness. I'm well aware—I'm a bit childish. Snobbish? Sure. A goddess? Absolutely.
"You're quite interesting," he said with a smirk, a dark glint in his eyes. My lips curled up slightly as I looked him over, his gaze unyielding, his presence both annoying and somehow magnetic.
"Can you just quit it?" I stopped abruptly, turning to face him, catching the hint of an amused expression on his face. His gaze was cool, almost as if he took pleasure in my irritation.
My chest tightened, thinking about the anonymous letters and unsettling threats I'd received lately, each note disturbing in its way. Each was signed with a cryptic symbol, every word chosen to unsettle me. I hated how it worked.
"Why, aren't you the least bit curious about me?" he asked, voice low, an edge of provocation slipping through. I nearly gasped at his audacity.
"Excuse me, Mr. Anthony Kiel Cruise—Aki, right? You don't belong here. Why don't you return to your gang: the guy with broad shoulders, the big-nosed one, the weirdo, Mr. Long Chin, Mr. Shines-Like-a-Diamond, and the alien?" I raised a challenging eyebrow. "You're just wasting my precious time."
"And you think I'm the stalker?" His tone was light, mocking, but there was an edge of danger beneath it.
What is the—
"Please. If anything, I'd be a beautiful stalker." I stared him down, daring him, but something in his gaze didn't falter. For a split second, I felt something stir in my chest, a ripple of excitement mixed with caution.
"Tinnie!" A familiar voice called from the distance, and I spun around, relieved yet unnerved.
"Tinnie?" Aki chuckled, his voice dripping with amusement.
"KING—" I barely got the name out before he stepped forward, close enough for his breath to mingle with mine. His lips found mine, warm and unexpected, a collision that left me reeling.
It lasted no more than ten seconds, but time stilled, and the heat of his lips lingered long after he pulled away. A soft smile played on his lips as he stepped back, his dark eyes scanning my stunned expression.
"I've marked you as mine. Remember that. Mine. No one else gets that privilege." He smirked, then brushed past me, leaving a shivering thrill in his wake.
I lifted my fingers to my lips, still tingling from his touch. The warmth of his kiss was maddening, impossible to ignore.
Oh my god—my first kiss. And he just… stole it as if it was always his to take.