Meera
The low buzz of my phone sliced through the stillness like a blade. I flinched. Tobias's gaze lifted from the wine glass, the movement so slow and deliberate that my breath caught. He didn't say anything, he didn't need to. His silence carried weight. "Sorry," I muttered quickly, fumbling to flip the phone over. An unknown number glowed against the dark screen. Saying "He's not who you think it is". My heart was racing.
Tobias leaned back on the edge of the counter, one hand tucked into his pocket, his other holding the wineglass by the stem. He noticed something was up, his confidence so natural it almost felt cruel. "Someone important?" he asked, voice deep and calm. The kind that slid under your skin rather than raised it.
I shook my head too quickly. "No. Just... work."
He hummed, the sound low and disbelieving. "Work that makes you flinch?"
I hated that he noticed things, every tiny shift, every change in my breath. His eyes, that strange grey, held me like they were searching for something. "I'm just… tired," I said softly, sliding my phone face down on the counter. But it buzzed again. The vibration seemed louder this time. Persistent. Tobias didn't move, but something in his expression shifted, a knowing look that said he could see straight through me.
"Answer it," he said finally.
My head snapped up. "What?"
"Whoever it is, clearly, they want your attention. It's gotta be important right?" His tone wasn't commanding, but it didn't leave room for refusal either. I hesitated, thumb hovering over the screen before I finally tapped it open. Unknown Number: "You can't keep ignoring me, Meera. We need to talk. Please." My stomach twisted. Adrian. I didn't even think twice. He's the only one I've been ghosting. I could almost hear his nervous, eager voice, the same tone he used that night outside my door. I should've blocked him. I thought I had. I quickly locked my phone, avoiding Tobias's eyes, but it was too late.
"You look pale," he said quietly, setting the wine glass down. "Who's trying so hard to reach you?"
"Just someone I used to know," I said, forcing a small laugh. "Nothing dramatic." His silence stretched. He didn't believe me.
Then, softly, "A man." It wasn't a question.
The way he said it made my skin prickle. Tobias didn't sound like a man who got jealous but because it sounded like observation and I find it attractive. Like he was filing it away somewhere for later.
I swallowed hard. "It doesn't matter. Really." He stepped forward, slow, almost soundless. The space between us seemed to shrink without me noticing. "If it didn't matter, you wouldn't be trembling," he said, his voice now quieter, deeper.
"I'm not trembling," I whispered.
"You are," he said. "But it's not fear. Is it?" The words sent something electric through me.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
He smiled faintly "Of course you do." I exhaled, trying to remember how to breathe properly. The mansion around us seemed too quiet now. Tobias poured another glass of wine and slid it towards me, his movements, elegant, almost too casual. "You look like someone who carries too many walls. Drink. It helps."
I hesitated, then took it. The glass was cold against my palm. "You always talk like that?"
He tilted his head slightly. "Like what?"
"Like you know too much. Too many."
He chuckled softly. "I don't try. It just happens."
That quiet arrogance should have annoyed me, but somehow, it didn't. It intrigued me, the calm assurance of someone who never had to chase, because everything already came to him. I took a sip of the wine. It was rich, dry, slightly smoky. "You didn't invite me here just to talk about rent, did you?"
His eyes flicked up to mine. "You're sharper than I expected."
"Is that a compliment?". My face changed.
"Maybe." His lips curved faintly. "Depends on what you do with it." Something in the air shifted again, it always did when he looked at me like that. Who does he think he is. Like I was a puzzle he wanted to understand, out of curiosity.
"You know," I said after a moment, "you're very…full of shit."
"I've been told that."
I couldn't help it, a laugh slipped out. "You're impossible."
"Not impossible," he said, stepping closer again. "Just… inconvenient." My heart skipped. He was close enough now that I could smell the faint trace of his cologne, cedar, smoke, something darker underneath.
"I should go," I murmured, though I didn't move.
"Should you? We just started getting to know each other" The way he asked it made it sound like a test.
"I have to go to work tomorrow."
He smiled slow, deliberate. "So do I." He took another step forward, and suddenly the distance between us vanished entirely. My back brushed against the counter. He leaned down slightly, not touching me, just close enough that his breath ghosted against my skin. "You shouldn't lie to a man who can read you this easily, Meera."
My pulse stuttered. "I wasn't lying." Oh God
His voice was soft, dangerous. "Then why does it sound like your heart is racing?" I wanted to step back, to look anywhere but at him but I couldn't. Tobias wasn't just looking at me. He was looking through me. And somehow, It felt like standing too close to a storm you secretly wanted to touch. My phone buzzed again on the counter. Neither of us moved. Tobias's gaze flickered down to it, then back to me. "He's persistent." You have no idea.
I swallowed. "He's… nobody."
"I don't believe that," he murmured. "Nobody sends that many messages unless you've left a mark on them. Wait, hold on, is he the guy from that night also? That stood you up in that snowy night?." He asked like it was displayed in his head.
"No, I mean….I didn't," I said quickly. "I barely know him."
Before I could respond again, Tobias reached for my phone. My breath hitched, but he didn't touch it. He stopped just short, his fingers brushing the marble instead. "Relax. I don't invade privacy."
"I didn't say you did."
"You didn't have to." Like, we match with each other so well. I hated how easily he could make me blush. I hated that I liked it. He finally straightened, his expression softening slightly. "You can block him," he said simply. "Or don't. But if he's the reason you look like you haven't slept properly in days… I'd suggest ending it."
I met his gaze. "You barely know me, Tobias."
He smiled a quiet, dangerous smile. "That's what makes this more interesting." For a moment, neither of us spoke. The silence wasn't uncomfortable anymore. The shadows made him look both unreal and deeply human. I wanted to look away, but my body betrayed me again.
"You don't have to worry about me," I said finally.
"I'm not worried," he replied. "I'm curious."
"About what?"
He paused, then said in a low voice, "What it would take for you to stop pretending you're fine."
The air between us felt suddenly heavier. I didn't realize I was gripping the edge of the counter until my fingers ached. His eyes didn't move from mine. "You build walls faster than anyone I've met."
Did he expect me to just pour him a glass of wine and tell him my story? "Maybe I have a reason."
"I don't doubt that." He took a slow breath, then leaned closer just enough that I could see the faint trace of a smile at the edge of his mouth. "But I also don't believe anyone can keep them up forever." Something in me cracked a little at that.
I didn't know how long we stood there, seconds, minutes maybe. All I knew was that the world outside the mansion felt far away. Then, his hand brushed against mine, light, accidental, maybe intentional. The contact was barely there, but it burned all the same. "Tobias…" I whispered, not even sure what I was about to say.
He tilted his head, eyes flicking between mine. "You should go," he said quietly, finally stepping back.
My heart sank a little, relief and disappointment twisted together. "What if I don't want to ?" I asked.
He smiled faintly and his eyes spoke. I blinked, unsure how to respond. He turned, walking toward the window, his back to me now. "Goodnight, Meera." My throat tightened. I nodded, even though he couldn't see me. I reached for my coat and phone, my hands still shaking slightly. Another message buzzed. Adrian again but I didn't look. Not now. As I walked to the door, something made me pause. "Tobias?"
He turned halfway, that unreadable expression back in place. "Yes?"
I hesitated, then said softly, "You really are impossible."
His lips curved into that slow, disarming smile. "So I've been told."
And then, as I opened the door to leave, he added almost as an afterthought. "Don't block that number yet."
I frowned. "Why not?" Who said I was going to block him? He met my gaze, his voice low enough to make me shiver. "Because I have a feeling whoever's behind it… won't stop until I….."
I quickly shut the door behind me and went home.