A DANGEROUS DINNER 🥘
1079 Words
Aria’s POV
Dinner that night felt like a trap.
Everything looked normal.
The table was set. Plates neatly arranged. The soft clinking of cutlery filled the quiet space, and the smell of food lingered in the air like any other evening.
But nothing about this felt normal.
Not when he was sitting right across from me.
Not when I could feel his presence without even looking up.
Not when my mother sat between us, smiling like everything in her world was perfectly in place.
“Aria, sit down,” she said, gesturing to the chair.
I hesitated for just a second.
Then I walked over and sat.
Right across from him.
Of course.
Out of all the seats, it had to be that one.
I kept my eyes on my plate.
Anywhere but him.
Anywhere but those eyes that I knew would undo me if I looked too long.
“You’ve been quiet,” my mother said, placing food onto my plate. “How was school today?”
“Fine,” I replied.
Short.
Careful.
Safe.
“Just fine?” she asked. “Nothing interesting happened?”
My fingers tightened slightly around my fork.
Images flashed in my head.
The classroom.
Nina staring at me.
And then—
Him.
Last night.
This afternoon.
That whisper.
“This is where it begins.”
I swallowed.
“It was just a normal day,” I said.
A lie.
Everything was a lie now.
---
“And you?” my mother turned to him. “How was your day?”
I froze.
I didn’t want to hear his voice.
Not here.
Not like this.
“It was productive,” he replied calmly.
That voice.
The same tone from last night.
Controlled.
Measured.
Dangerous in a quiet way.
---
I made the mistake of looking up.
And our eyes met.
Just for a second.
But it was enough.
---
Something passed between us.
Something no one else at the table could see.
Something that shouldn’t exist.
---
I quickly looked away.
My heart was beating too fast.
Too loud.
Like it was trying to expose me.
---
“You two are really quiet,” my mother laughed lightly. “I thought at least one of you would talk more.”
“Maybe we’re both just tired,” he said.
There was something behind his words.
Something I couldn’t quite explain.
But I felt it.
---
“Aria is always quiet when she’s thinking too much,” my mother said, smiling at me. “She’s been like that since she was little.”
“Is that so?” he asked.
I felt his gaze on me again.
Heavy.
Intentional.
---
“Yes,” she continued. “She overthinks everything.”
I forced a small smile. “Mom…”
“What? It’s true,” she laughed.
---
If only she knew what I was thinking about right now.
---
Silence fell again.
But it wasn’t peaceful.
It was tense.
Thick.
Like something was waiting to snap.
---
I tried to focus on eating.
Tried to ignore the way I could feel him even without looking.
Tried to pretend this was just another dinner.
---
It wasn’t working.
---
“Aria.”
His voice.
My name.
Soft.
Low.
---
I looked up before I could stop myself.
---
“Yes?” I asked.
---
He leaned back slightly in his chair, his expression calm.
But his eyes—
His eyes were not calm.
---
“You should be more careful,” he said.
---
My heart skipped.
“What do you mean?” I asked, my voice barely steady.
---
A small pause.
Just long enough to make it worse.
---
“Walking around alone at night,” he continued smoothly. “It’s not safe.”
---
My breath caught.
---
He was talking about last night.
Right in front of her.
Without actually saying it.
---
“I’ll be fine,” I said quickly.
Too quickly.
---
His gaze didn’t leave mine.
“Are you sure?”
---
Something about the way he said it made my chest tighten.
---
“Yes,” I said again, quieter this time.
---
A faint look crossed his face.
Almost like he didn’t believe me.
Or maybe—
Like he didn’t care.
---
“Still,” he said, his voice lowering slightly, “you shouldn’t take unnecessary risks.”
---
The words sounded normal.
Reasonable.
Something any adult would say.
---
But I heard the meaning underneath.
---
This isn’t over.
---
I gripped my fork tighter.
---
“Okay,” I said.
---
That was all I could say.
---
Because anything more would expose everything.
---
My mother smiled, clearly pleased. “See? He’s just concerned.”
Concerned.
If only she knew.
---
Dinner continued.
Conversations moved.
But I barely heard anything.
---
Because every second felt like I was sitting too close to a fire I couldn’t escape.
---
And the worst part?
---
A part of me wasn’t even trying to.
---
When dinner finally ended, I stood up quickly.
“I’ll go to my room,” I said.
---
“Already?” my mother asked.
“Yeah, I’m tired.”
---
That part wasn’t a lie.
---
I turned and walked away before either of them could say anything else.
---
But just as I reached the hallway—
---
“Aria.”
---
I froze.
---
His voice again.
Behind me.
Closer this time.
---
Slowly, I turned.
---
He was standing there.
Too close.
Far too close.
---
My breath caught.
---
“We need to talk,” he said quietly.
---
My heart started racing again.
---
“There’s nothing to talk about,” I replied quickly.
---
A mistake.
---
Because his expression shifted slightly.
---
“Are you sure?” he asked.
---
His voice dropped.
Lower.
More dangerous.
---
“Because I remember things differently.”
---
My chest tightened.
---
“Keep your voice down,” I whispered.
---
A faint, almost amused look crossed his face.
---
“Relax,” he said. “I’m not the one who should be worried.”
---
My heart pounded.
---
“Then who should be?” I asked.
---
He leaned closer.
Just enough for his words to brush against my ear.
---
“You.”
---
My breath hitched.
---
“Because this situation?” he continued softly,
---
“is only going to get worse.”
- Writer
