Otsana
I was working amid the bustling crowd, my focus entirely on the task at hand when a familiar scent hit me like a wave. My heart skipped a beat, and my eyes immediately widened in alarm. It was unmistakable. My mind raced as I struggled to maintain my composure, feeling the rising panic that I couldn’t afford to show. I didn’t know what to do next, and the fear, like an old friend, crept up my spine. He was near. Far too near for comfort.
I swallowed hard, fighting the urge to run. I couldn’t afford to draw attention, not here, not now. The last thing I wanted was to face him—or any of them, for that matter. I hated that I had to keep my distance, but I wasn’t afraid of him. No, the fear came from something deeper. I was trying to protect a secret—our secret. A relationship that I
