Chapter 6 – Rain and Shadows
The first drops of rain fell as Aria left the library, cool and sharp against her skin. She pulled her bag tighter around her shoulder, glancing at the sky. Within moments, the drizzle became a downpour, the city lights blurred by sheets of water cascading from above.
"Aria!"
She spun around. Damien was there, his shirt damp, his dark hair already plastered against his forehead. He moved toward her with an urgency that sent her pulse racing.
"You'll get drenched," he said, his hand closing gently around her wrist. Without waiting, he pulled her under the nearest archway, the sound of the rain roaring around them.
The space was small, intimate. Shadows wrapped around them, broken only by flashes of lightning that illuminated his face — sharp, beautiful, dangerously close.
Aria's breath came fast, the storm outside echoing the storm inside her chest.
"Better," Damien murmured, still holding her wrist. His thumb brushed lightly against her skin, and she swore the touch burned hotter than the lightning.
She nodded, unable to trust her voice. Their closeness was intoxicating — his chest rising and falling, the scent of rain and something deeper, darker, entirely him. The world outside dissolved into thunder and water, leaving only the two of them pressed into the shadows.
"Funny," he said softly, his lips dangerously near her ear. "No matter where we are, the world always seems to… force us together."
Her heart pounded. "Do you… mind?"
He laughed low in his throat, the sound vibrating through her. "Not at all. I think I like it."
The silence that followed was thick, heavy with unspoken want. He lifted his hand, brushing a strand of wet hair from her face, his knuckles grazing her cheek. Her lips parted slightly, a tremor running through her. The pull between them was undeniable now, a current stronger than the storm outside.
For a breathless second, his face hovered close enough that she could feel the warmth of his breath mingling with hers. The storm seemed to pause, holding its breath with her.
But just as their lips were about to meet, Damien drew back, his jaw tight, eyes smoldering with restraint. "Not yet," he whispered, as if to himself as much as to her.
The words sent both relief and frustration coursing through her. He wanted her. She knew it now. But he was holding back, teasing the flame instead of surrendering to it.
When the storm finally eased, Damien stepped away, his hand lingering on hers a moment longer before he released it.
"Get home safe, Aria," he said softly, his eyes locking with hers one last time. Then he disappeared into the rain, leaving her trembling, her lips aching for what hadn't happened.
She touched her cheek where his hand had been, her body alive with longing. The storm was passing outside, but inside her, it was only beginning.