Alina didn't sleep that night.
Not really.
She tried closing her eyes, turning over, pulling the sheets tighter around herself like that could somehow quiet the storm in her mind.
But every time she drifted close to sleep…
She felt it again.
His hand at her waist.
His voice near her ear.
The way he said her name like it meant something more.
And that kiss…
Her breath caught as she opened her eyes again, staring into the darkness of her room.
"God…" she whispered softly, pressing her fingers to her lips like she could erase the memory.
But she didn't want to.
That was the problem.
She should regret it.
She should feel embarrassed… or at least unsettled.
Instead
She felt restless.
Like something had started… and stopping it now felt impossible.
Alina turned onto her back, exhaling slowly.
"This is ridiculous," she muttered to herself.
It was just a kiss.
Just a man.
A stranger, even.
So why did it feel like more?
Why did it feel like he had lingered… not just in her thoughts, but somewhere deeper?
The next morning didn't help.
Neither did the afternoon.
By evening, she found herself distracted in ways she couldn't hide anymore missing small details, losing track of conversations, drifting off mid-thought.
"You okay?" a colleague asked, eyeing her curiously.
Alina forced a small smile.
"Yeah… just tired."
That was the easiest lie.
Because how could she explain this?
That a man she barely knew had somehow unsettled her entire sense of control?
That one moment one kiss had shifted something inside her she couldn't undo?
No.
That wasn't something you just said out loud.
Later that evening, she found herself standing in front of her mirror.
Staring.
Not at her reflection… but at the expression she couldn't quite recognize.
Softer.
Distracted.
Searching.
"For what?" she whispered to herself.
She didn't have an answer.
But her mind did.
For him.
Her chest tightened slightly.
"No," she said, shaking her head, stepping back.
"This isn't you."
She wasn't the kind of woman who lost herself over moments.
She didn't chase feelings.
Didn't linger on things that didn't make sense.
And yet
Her fingers unconsciously brushed her lips again.
And just like that…
He was back.
In her thoughts.
In her body.
In that quiet, dangerous way that made everything else feel less important.
Across the city…
Lucien stood by the window of his apartment, the city lights stretching endlessly beneath him.
Calm.
Composed.
Untouched.
At least… on the surface.
A glass sat untouched in his hand, his gaze distant, thoughtful.
He wasn't smiling.
But there was something there.
Something subtle.
Something rare.
He exhaled slowly.
"…You shouldn't have done that," he murmured to himself.
But not to her.
To himself.
Because he knew exactly what that kiss meant.
Not just for her.
For him.
And that was the part he didn't like.
Back in her room, Alina finally sat down on her bed, her thoughts refusing to settle.
She reached for her phone.
Paused.
Then dropped it again.
"What am I even doing?" she whispered.
She didn't have his number.
Didn't know where to find him.
And yet…
It felt like he wasn't far.
Like at any moment
He could just appear again.
Uninvited.
Unexpected.
Unavoidable.
Her heart tightened slightly at the thought.
Because if he did…
She wasn't sure she would walk away this time.
And somewhere deep down That scared her.
Not because of him.
But because of herself.
Because for the first time in a long time…
Alina wasn't in control anymore.
And the most dangerous part?
She wasn't sure she wanted to be.