CURSED TO LOVE HIM

Aria woke up gasping for air. Her chest rose and fell too fast, like she had been running for her life. Sweat clung to her skin even though the room was cold. But it wasn’t the cold that scared her. It was the dream. Again. The same place… every time. A dark sky with no stars. A forest that whispered her name. And a boy standing in the middle of it—watching her like he had been waiting forever. She pressed a hand to her forehead. “Not again…” she whispered. This had been happening for weeks. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw him. She didn’t know his name. She didn’t know his face clearly. But she knew his eyes—cold, deep, and somehow… familiar. Like he knew her. Like he owned a part of her she couldn’t remember. Aria pushed the thoughts away and got out of bed. “Just a dream,” she told herself firmly. “It’s nothing.” But even as she said it, her reflection in the mirror didn’t agree. For a second—just a second—her eyes looked different. Not brown. Not normal. Something… glowing underneath. She blinked. Gone. Her heart skipped. “What… was that?” she whispered. A loud knock interrupted her thoughts. “Aria! You’ll be late for school!” her aunt called from outside. School. Normal life. Safe life. She grabbed her bag quickly, forcing herself to breathe normally. Whatever those dreams were… she didn’t have time for them. Not today. Outside, the morning air was bright, loud, and normal. Students walked in groups, laughing, shouting, living their ordinary lives. Aria tried to blend in. But she always felt like she was… slightly out of place. Like something in her didn’t belong here. On the way to school, she felt it again. That strange feeling. Like someone was watching her. She stopped walking. Looked around. Nothing. Just people. Just noise. Still… her skin prickled. Then it happened. A whisper. So soft she almost thought she imagined it. “Found you…” Aria froze completely. Her breathing stopped. “What?” she said quietly. A cold wind passed behind her. And for the first time in her life… She didn’t feel alone. At school, everything was normal again. Too normal. That made it worse. Aria sat in class, staring at the board but not seeing anything. Her mind kept going back to the whisper. Found you. “Aria?” her friend snapped her fingers in front of her face. “Hello? You’ve been spacing out since morning.” “I’m fine,” Aria said quickly. But she wasn’t. Something was changing. She just didn’t know what yet. The bell rang. Students rushed out of class. Aria stood slowly, grabbing her bag. And that’s when she saw him. At the end of the hallway. Leaning against the wall like he had been there the whole time. Watching her. The boy from her dream. Her breath caught in her throat. Because this time… He wasn’t just in her dreams anymore. He was real. And he was looking straight at her