Chapter 5 A Dangerous Game of Looks (Jasmine's POV)

"Try me," I challenged, leaning in, completely intoxicated by the sudden, terrifying proximity. "Because right now, my life is a giant black hole, and your face is the only thing that triggers anything real in my head. I'm sick of everyone treating me like I'm made of glass."

Ethan reached out, his long fingers hovering just inches away from my cheek before he gripped the cold metal stair railing instead. His knuckles went completely white, his jaw tightly clenched.

"Go back to class, Jasmine," he said, his tone dropping into a possessive command that made my pulse race. "You're testing boundaries that are meant to keep you breathing."

"I don't care about boundaries anymore," I said, my voice cracking emotionally. "Kaia says you're a psycho. She says your family has a dark history and that you're dangerous. Is that true? Are you going to hurt me?"

A flash of genuine pain crossed his sharp features, a heartbreaking vulnerability that shattered his cold exterior for a split second.

"I would destroy this entire world before I ever let a single scratch touch you," he murmured, his gaze dropping to my lips before snapping back to my eyes. "But you being near me... it complicates everything. Walk away."

"I can't," I whispered, the honesty tearing out of me. "Every time I look across the street, you're there. It's like you're keeping tabs on me. Why are you so obsessed with watching me?"

"Because you're reckless," he muttered, stepping back up the stairs, creating a suffocating distance between us once more. "You're testing your limits today, aren't you? Walking around school with that leg, pushing yourself until you break. I see right through you."

"I have to move forward," I said, tears of frustration gathering in my eyes. "I can't just sit in my room and stare back at a silhouette. Tomorrow, I'm walking down my driveway. I'm going to stand right on the edge of the asphalt, right where you can see me clearly. If you want to watch me, do it without hiding behind a curtain."

"Don't do that," he said, his voice dropping into a dangerous, warning register. "Do not push me, Jasmine."

"Watch me," I retorted, spinning around on my good foot and pushing through the heavy stairwell door, leaving him standing in the shadows.

The rest of the school day passed in a completely numb blur. I couldn't focus on a single lecture, my mind entirely trapped in that cold stairwell, vibrating from the raw intensity of Ethan's voice. By the time the final bell rang and I returned home, the weather had cleared into a tense, heavy heat.

The next morning, the sun was completely relentless. My parents left early for a community meeting, leaving the house entirely empty and quiet. This was my chance. I strapped on my knee brace, the velcro tearing loudly in the quiet living room, and walked out onto the front porch.

The physical toll of walking down the long, sloping concrete driveway was immense. Every step sent a sharp, throbbing reminder of the car accident straight up my thigh, but I refused to slow down. I gripped the wooden cane tightly, my knuckles sweating under the heat.

I made it to the very edge of the property line, right where the gravel met the main road. The heat radiated off the black asphalt in shimmering waves. I stopped, turned around, and looked directly up at the second story window of the Villanueva house across the street.

The dark glass was empty for a second. Then, the heavy curtain shifted.

Ethan emerged from the shadows of his room. He stood right against the glass, wearing a gray t-shirt that showed the tense muscles of his shoulders. He didn't blink. He didn't pull back. He just stared down at me with an unyielding, possessive intensity that made the humid air feel completely freezing.

My phone suddenly vibrated violently in my pocket, shattering the silence. I pulled it out with a shaking hand, seeing Kaia's name on the screen. I pressed answer, keeping my eyes locked on the window across the street.

"Jas, what are you doing?" Kaia's voice screamed through the receiver, sounding completely unhinged and frantic. "I'm driving past your block right now and I see you standing out there like a target. Are you completely insane?"

"I told him I would do this," I said softly, my voice devoid of fear, filled only with a strange, dark thrill. "He's watching me, Kaia. He hasn't looked away once."

"You're going to get yourself killed!" Kaia sobbed, her emotional instability echoing through the speaker. "You don't understand the trouble you're bringing to our neighborhood. Your dad is going to find out, and everything is going to blow up in our faces! Get back inside the house right now!"

"Why are you so terrified of him?" I demanded, my eyes still fixed on Ethan's dark silhouette. "What do you know that you aren't telling me, Kaia? Why is everyone acting like his existence is a death sentence?"

"Because it is, Jasmine!" Kaia cried out, her voice dropping into a desperate, terrified whisper. "If he figures out what happened before the crash, none of us are safe."

Before I could process her words, a black sedan slowly turned the corner of our street, its tinted windows rolled completely up. The car slowed down as it passed my driveway.

Up in the window, Ethan's expression completely changed. His face contorted into pure, protective rage. He slammed his hand against the glass, his lips moving frantically as he shouted something I couldn't hear over the distance.

The sedan accelerated suddenly, disappearing down the road, but the warning was crystal clear.

"Kaia, what was that car?" I asked, my heart hammering against my ribs.

"Get inside the house, Jasmine, he's coming down!" Kaia screamed before the line went completely dead.

I looked back up at the window, but Ethan was already gone. A second later, the front door of the Villanueva house flew open, and Ethan came charging across the hot asphalt, his eyes wild with a possessive, terrifying panic.

"Inside, right now," Ethan roared as he reached the edge of my driveway, his hands grabbing my upper arms with a fierce, iron grip.

"Who was in that car, Ethan?" I cried, refusing to move, looking up into his panicked face.

"The people who put you in that wreckage," he whispered, his eyes scanning the empty street with absolute deadly seriousness.

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter