The rain poured relentlessly, pounding against my window as I sat curled up on my bed, staring blankly at the wall. My parents’ near-accident earlier that evening had shaken me to my core. I couldn’t stop picturing the shredded tire, the way the car swerved, and the look of fear on my dad’s face.
The stalker wasn’t just targeting me anymore. They were going after the people I loved.
A loud knock at the front door jolted me out of my thoughts. I glanced at the clock—who would be here this late? My parents were asleep upstairs, and I wasn’t in the mood for visitors.
The knocking turned into pounding, and my heart leaped into my throat.
I grabbed my phone and crept down the stairs, my bare feet silent against the hardwood. When I reached the door, I peered through the peephole, my breath catching when I saw who it was.
Grayson.
He stood there, completely drenched, his black hoodie clinging to his frame as the rain poured down around him. His usually sharp features were softened by the water dripping down his face, but his eyes burned with an intensity that made me hesitate.
“Lila, open the door,” he called, his voice muffled but urgent.
I opened it just enough to glare at him through the crack. “What are you doing here?”
“Let me in,” he demanded, his tone sharp.
“No,” I snapped. “It’s the middle of the night, and I don’t have the energy for another cryptic warning or one of your half-truths.”
“Lila,” he said again, his voice softening. “Please.”
Something in the way he said it made my defenses falter. With a frustrated sigh, I opened the door fully, and Grayson stepped inside, bringing the rain with him.
“You’re soaking wet,” I said, frowning. “Do you ever think things through?”
He ignored me, running a hand through his wet hair as he paced the small foyer. “What the hell were you thinking?” he finally snapped, turning to face me.
“What are you talking about?”
“Your parents,” he said, his voice rising. “Do you have any idea how close they were to getting killed tonight? And it’s because of you, Lila!”
His words hit me like a punch to the gut, and I took a step back. “You think I don’t know that?” I shot back, my voice trembling. “You think I’m not already blaming myself for this?”
“You should’ve listened to me,” he said, his tone cold. “I told you to stop digging. I told you to stay away, but you just couldn’t help yourself, could you?”
Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. “Don’t you dare put this all on me,” I said, my voice shaking with anger. “If you and your brothers had just told me the truth from the beginning, maybe I wouldn’t have to dig.”
Grayson’s jaw tightened, and for a moment, he looked like he was about to yell again. But instead, he took a step closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. “You don’t understand, Lila. You’re not supposed to be part of this. I’ve been trying to protect you, but you keep throwing yourself into the fire.”
“I didn’t ask for your protection,” I said, my voice cracking. “I didn’t ask for any of this!”
Grayson’s expression shifted, the anger melting away to reveal something raw and vulnerable. “You think I want this?” he asked, his voice barely audible over the rain pounding against the windows. “You think I want to see you get hurt? I’m terrified, Lila. I’ve already lost someone I cared about. I can’t lose you too.”
His words hung in the air between us, heavy and charged.
I stared at him, my heart racing. “Grayson…”
He closed the distance between us, his hand reaching up to gently cup my face. His touch was cold from the rain, but it sent a warmth spreading through me that I couldn’t ignore.
“I’m trying so hard to stay away from you,” he murmured, his voice low and filled with emotion. “But I can’t. No matter how hard I try, I can’t stay away.”
Before I could respond, his lips crashed against mine.
The kiss was desperate, full of frustration and longing and everything we hadn’t said to each other. His other hand gripped my waist, pulling me closer as the world seemed to fade away.
For a moment, it was just us—the tension, the pain, the fear—all of it melting into the kiss.
But then reality came crashing back, and I pulled away, breathless. “Grayson, we can’t—”
“I don’t care,” he interrupted, his voice rough. “I don’t care about the rules or the risks. I’m done pretending I don’t feel this.”