I broke the stare, grabbed my things, and slipped through the gates of the university without looking back. I didn’t stop until I reached my dorm room, dropped my bag on the bed, and reminded myself why I was really here.
For a fresh start.
For my mom.
And for the one place that had always felt like a question mark I needed to answer.
Once I’d settled in, if you could call dumping everything on the floor “settling”, I headed straight for the one place I thought might make sense: Brewed Awakening.
The little café near campus was one of the first spots I applied to when I made the decision to come back here. The owner, Marcie, had been a close friend of my mom’s back in the day. I figured if anywhere would feel remotely safe, it would be there.
The morning shift at Brewed Awakening was calm, almost too calm. Outside, the fog still clung to the sleepy town like a secret. Inside, the hum of the espresso machine and the occasional clink of a coffee cup were the only signs of life. The air smelled like cinnamon syrup and old wood, comforting in a way that made me feel like I belonged here more than I probably did.
I’d only just started working here, but the rhythm of the place was already soothing. Mornings like this made it easy to forget the weight I carried, why I came back to this town, what I saw yesterday, or the way his eyes locked onto mine like I was something he recognized.
I was trying not to think about him.
Whoever he was.
The guy from the gas station. The one who stared like he saw through my skin. The one who showed up at the library like fate was playing a joke on me.
Then, as if fate had been joking, the bell above the café door jingled.
I froze.
There he was. Tall. Dressed in black. His eyes locked onto me like he’d been looking for something, and just found it. My heart skipped. Then stumbled. Then went racing.
He walked toward the counter with that same silent authority, like he didn’t belong to this world but had no problem owning it.
I scrambled to remember how to speak. “Uh… hi. What can I get you?”
“Black coffee. No sugar,” he said, his voice smooth, deep, unbothered.
I blinked. “Coming right up.”
My hands trembled as I reached for a cup. I told myself it was just coincidence. People came into cafés all the time. Even brooding, dangerously attractive strangers who stared like they could read your thoughts.
“You work here?” he asked, as if it weren’t already obvious.
I glanced at my apron. “Unfortunately.”
He smirked. “My name’s Zade. You?”
I nearly dropped the cup. “Uh, Jade.”
As I handed him the coffee, he leaned in just slightly, his voice dropping. “If you’re new here, don’t walk alone at night. Especially not around this area.”
I stiffened. “Excuse me?”
“There are… things in this town, Jade,” he said. “People who notice outsiders and new comers.”
His tone wasn’t threatening. It was warning.
“Thanks for the advice, stranger,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “But I can take care of myself. And the owner of this cafe is a family friend, so I’m good.”
His lips twitched into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “For sure.”
Before I could ask what the hell he meant by things in this town, a new customer walked in, loud, entitled, reeking of cheap cologne and arrogance.
“Hey sweetheart,” he called to me, ignoring Zade completely. “How about a smile with that coffee?”
I stiffened. “What can I get you?”
“A date. But I’ll settle for your number.” He leaned across the counter, his eyes dropping lower than my face.
Zade stepped forward.
It wasn’t subtle.
One second, he was quietly sipping coffee. The next, he was beside me, towering over the guy like a wall of ice and heat. His jaw was tight. His voice dropped.
“She said, what can she get you. Not what you can take.”
The customer laughed, clueless. “Relax, man. I’m just being friendly.”
“Take your drink,” Zade growled, “and leave.”
For a second, just a second, Zade’s eyes flickered. Not with anger. With something… unnatural. Gold. Burning. And gone so fast, I almost thought I imagined it.
The guy must’ve seen it too. His smirk faltered. “Okay. Okay, chill.”
He grabbed his drink and backed out of the café like he was walking away from a fight he knew he’d lose.
Silence fell.
My pulse was in my throat.
“What was that?” I finally whispered, barely able to find my voice.
Zade turned to me slowly. “Some people don’t understand boundaries.”
“That’s not what I meant.” I swallowed. “Your eyes… they—”
He didn’t blink. “You saw what you saw.”
My skin prickled. “Who are you?”
But he already turned around and was heading for the door.
“I’ll see you around,” he said without turning back.