Leo's breath caught in his throat, panic swirling in his chest. His eyes darted toward the entrance of the alleyway, his mind calculating how fast he could run. But he knew — deep down, he knew — that there was no escaping *him*. Not now.
The figure stepped closer, the sun casting long shadows across his face, making his dark eyes glint in a way that sent shivers down Leo's spine. His heart raced, hammering against his ribs, the steady hum of the city suddenly drowned out by the blood rushing in his ears.
"What's yours?" Leo's voice was barely above a whisper, a shaky attempt to keep control, but his hands were trembling, his legs rooted to the spot.
The figure smiled wider, his head tilting ever so slightly, studying Leo like a predator assessing its prey. "You," he said, the word lingering in the air like a threat. "You've always been mine."
Leo's stomach churned. His hands balled into fists at his sides, trying to hide the fact that he was shaking. "I'm not yours. I don't belong to anyone." He tried to make his voice firm, but it came out weaker than he intended.
The figure's expression shifted, the smile fading, replaced by something far darker, more dangerous. His eyes hardened, and the warmth of the sun seemed to vanish, replaced by an oppressive, suffocating cold.
"You don't get it, do you?" he whispered, taking another step closer. "You never did. It's not about what you want, Leo. It never was." His voice was soft, almost gentle, but it was laced with something far more sinister. "You think you can just walk away, live your little life, and forget?"
"I never wanted any of this!" Leo snapped, surprising even himself with the sharpness of his voice. His chest heaved as anger mixed with his fear. "You disappeared! You left me—"
"I didn't leave you," the figure interrupted, his voice dropping dangerously low. He was so close now, just a few feet away, his presence overwhelming. "I've always been here, Leo. Always. Watching. Waiting." His lips curled back into that eerie smile. "And now I'm back. For you."
Leo's pulse raced, his breath quickening. "No. No, you're not doing this to me again." He stepped back, his feet brushing against the rough brick wall of the alley. "I've moved on. I don't want anything to do with you."
The figure's smile vanished entirely, his eyes narrowing. "You don't have a choice."
Leo's back pressed into the wall, the rough bricks biting into his skin through his thin shirt. His mind screamed at him to run, to scream for help, but his body was frozen, every muscle tense, as if paralyzed by fear.
The figure reached out, his hand brushing against Leo's cheek. Leo flinched, turning his face away, but the touch lingered, cold and deliberate. "You've grown soft, Leo," he murmured, his fingers trailing down Leo's jawline with an eerie intimacy. "City life has changed you. I remember you differently."
Leo's skin crawled under the touch, his breath shallow as he forced himself to speak. "Stop."
The figure's eyes flashed with something dark, something possessive. "Stop?" he repeated, his voice a low whisper, like a soft hum in Leo's ear. "You don't really want me to stop."
Leo's heart pounded, his vision blurring at the edges. "I'm not—" His voice broke, and he clenched his jaw, trying to pull himself together. "I'm not the same person you knew."
The figure's smile returned, colder now, more menacing. "Neither am I."
Before Leo could react, the figure's hand wrapped around his wrist, gripping tightly, pulling him closer. Leo gasped, his body stiffening as he was yanked forward, their faces now inches apart. He could feel the figure's breath on his skin, cold and unsettling, his eyes burning into him with an intensity that made Leo's stomach twist.
"What do you want from me?" Leo's voice wavered, his chest tightening as the reality of the situation settled in.
The figure's lips curled into a smirk, his grip tightening. "I want you to remember. I want you to feel what you've tried to forget."
Leo's mind raced, his thoughts scrambling for a way out. But before he could say anything, the figure's hand slid from his wrist to the back of his neck, pulling him in sharply. Their lips collided, a hard, forceful kiss that sent a shock through Leo's entire body.
Leo's breath hitched, his mind screaming in protest, but his body was frozen, trapped in the overwhelming force of the moment. The figure's grip tightened, his kiss rough, claiming, as if trying to erase every part of Leo that had moved on, every part that had healed.
Leo's heart pounded in his chest, his pulse deafening in his ears as he pushed against the figure's chest, trying to break free. But the grip on him was too strong, and the kiss deepened, suffocating him.
Tears welled in Leo's eyes, a mixture of fear and frustration as he struggled to pull away. Finally, with a surge of adrenaline, he wrenched his head to the side, gasping for breath, his chest heaving as he stumbled back against the wall.
The figure's eyes darkened, his expression shifting to one of frustration and hunger. "You can't escape me, Leo."
Leo wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "You're insane," he spat, anger bubbling up inside him, mixing with the fear. "I'm not your toy. I'm not yours."
The figure's eyes glinted with something dangerous, a predatory gleam that made Leo's stomach churn. "You've always been mine. You just forgot."
Leo's fists clenched, his body shaking with a mixture of rage and fear. He had to get out of here. Now. He couldn't let himself be pulled back into this darkness. Not again.
With a sudden burst of energy, Leo pushed past the figure, darting toward the alley's exit. His legs carried him faster than he thought possible, his heart pounding as he bolted into the open street, weaving through the crowd. He didn't dare look back.
But even as he ran, he could feel the weight of the figure's gaze, cold and unyielding, burning into his back.
*This isn't over.*
Leo's breath hitched as the words echoed in his mind, chilling him to his core.
It was never over.
It had just begun.