Daniel.
I turned so fast I almost tripped. He stood there at the edge of the red light , shirt sleeves rolled up, eyes locked on the guy like he'd been waiting for this exact moment.
The mystery man laughed. "This your girl, old man?"
Daniel didn't answer. He just stepped forward once, the way predators move when they know they'll win.
"Walk away," Daniel said.
But the guy didn't. He reached for me again.
And that's when Daniel snapped.
The first hit was so quick I barely saw it. A punch straight to the jaw — a thud that cut echoed through the room.The guy stumbled, swung back, but Daniel ducked, grabbed his arm, and flipped him hard onto the floor.
Daniel leaned over him, voice low, dangerous: "Next time you touch someone without consent, I'll make sure you can't move your hands again."
Then he turned to me, breath still heavy, eyes softening in an instant. "Come on, Maya."
He pulled his jacket off and wrapped it around me, tight , the fabric warm, smelling like him, like cedar . My hands were shaking, so he helped me up, holding me steady by the shoulders.
No words after that. Just movement. He guided me out through the crowd, one arm around me the whole way, like he was shielding me from the world.
His car was parked right by the curb. He opened the door, helped me in, and didn't say anything until we were miles away from noise!
Daniel's hands gripped the steering wheel tight, knuckles pale. His jaw was locked, like he was holding back a whole storm of words he didn't trust himself to say out loud.
I sat there wrapped in his jacket ,oversized, smelling like him, warmth clinging to me even though everything inside me felt cold. My mascara was a mess. My hair too. I looked like the kind of girl who'd lost control , and I hated that.
He pulled into his driveway, engine still running for a second before he finally spoke.
"You shouldn't have been there, Maya."
His voice wasn't yelling — it was worse. It was disappointed.
I looked away, staring at the raindrops sliding down the window. "I didn't know what kind of place it was," I mumbled. "My friends… they"
He cut in, sharper this time. "You could've been seriously hurt."
I bit my lip hard enough to taste metal. "Yeah, I figured that out when some creep tried to turn me into his toy."
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. The tension in the car was thick , guilt, anger, relief, all tangled up.
Before I could protest, Daniel was there. "Hold on," he said, and lifted me effortlessly into his arms.
I barely had a chance to gasp ,
The world shifted, the sheer adrenaline of being safe in his arms.
He carried me toward the couch. "Sit," he said gently. "You're safe now."
When he returned with a glass of water, the silence stretched between us!!!
He knelt beside me, eyes searching mine. "You scared the hell out of me," he said softly.
I met his gaze. "You came for me."
His lips twitched into a small, tired smile. "Of course I did." "What you think, I would abandon you like some those brat young boys "
I chuckled, softly
For a moment, we just sat there !
Then, after a pause, he stood, offering his hand. "Come on. Let's get you somewhere you can rest properly."
"I'm taking you to Lila's room," he said, his voice low, careful. "You can rest there."
I frowned, my chest still pounding from the adrenaline. My words barely left my lips. "Please… take me to your room instead."
He froze for a second, just long enough to make my stomach flip.
His eyes searched mine, reading me "Your place is… safer?" he asked, voice a little softer this time, almost teasing.
I shook my head, whispering, "I don't want to be anywhere else. I just… want to rest in your presence."
The air between us thickened. I could feel the weight of him, the warmth radiating off his body as he adjusted me carefully in his arms.
He gave a small, knowing smile, and I caught the flash of something in his eyes , concern, relief, and… maybe something else. "Alright," he said finally, his voice a low rumble. "We'll do it your way."
I let him carry me down the hallway, heart hammering in a mix of exhaustion and… something else.
My hands brushed lightly against his chest for balance, but I didn't move away. Not yet. Not when just being this close felt like the only safe place in the world.
When he reached his room, he gently set me down on the bed. I could feel the subtle heat of his body.
"Rest now," he murmured. "I've got you."
And just like that, panic and guilt flooded me. My chest tightened.
I grabbed his hand.
Just one hand.
"Don't… don't go," I whispered, my voice trembling with something I couldn't name.
He stopped, frozen in that half-step, eyes searching mine
And I pulled him closer,
careful but urgent,
letting the warmth of his body close the distance.
The room shrank until it was just us ,breathing, racing, alive.
His hands found mine, hesitating for a heartbeat, then the tension between us made hesitation impossible.
And then… our faces were inches apart.
His eyes darkened,
a storm of emotion swirling in them concern, relief My heart slammed in my chest. The air between us was electric.
When our lips met,
it started soft,
tentative,
But the second his mouth pressed against mine,
everything I'd been holding back ,
fear, guilt, longing, adrenaline
all of it spilled out.
The kiss deepened, greedy, hungry, as if trying to make up for every second we'd been apart,
I pressed against him instinctively, my hands finding his chest,
feeling the steady beat beneath his skin, the warmth radiating from him.
His lips moved over mine with a slow, teasing intensity that made my knees weak, my breath hitch, my pulse spike.