A Killer For Your Love

Don't Go Back

I turned my head slightly, my chest tightening as I looked at him, searching for something in his expression that would make the words feel less heavy, less final, “Back where?” I asked, even though part of me already knew the answer, already felt it settling somewhere deeper than logic, but he didn’t glance at me, his focus remaining fixed on the road ahead, steady and controlled, like nothing I said would change what he had already decided, “You know where,” he replied, and the certainty in his tone made something uneasy curl tighter in my chest, something that didn’t feel like concern anymore, it felt like direction, like expectation, like something I wasn’t meant to question; “I wasn’t planning to,” I said, but even as the words left me, they felt thin and uncertain, like they didn’t carry the weight they should have, and he only nodded once, like that was enough, like the conversation had already ended before I had the chance to understand it fully, but it hadn’t ended for me, not really, because the way he said it didn’t feel like a suggestion, it felt like something already decided, something I was supposed to follow without needing to be told twice; the next few days changed things in a way I couldn’t ignore no matter how much I tried to convince myself it was nothing, at first it was small, easy to overlook, easy to explain away, Ethan started picking me up earlier than usual, dropping me off later, staying longer, lingering in spaces he used to leave without hesitation, and it wasn’t overwhelming at first, just… constant, his presence filling in the gaps of my day in a way that left no space for quiet, no space for me to exist without being watched, and I told myself it was protection, that it made sense after what I had told him, that it was normal to react like this, but then it became more, “Text me when you get inside,” “Call me when your shift ends,” “Don’t take that street,” each word calm, controlled, wrapped in concern, but underneath it there was something heavier, something that didn’t sit right no matter how much I tried to accept it, and I followed them at first because it was easier, because arguing felt unnecessary, because part of me still believed he was just trying to keep me safe, but the longer it went on, the more it stopped feeling like protection and started feeling like something else entirely, something tighter, something that closed in instead of shielding; Lexie noticed it before I said anything, “You okay?” she asked one afternoon, her eyes narrowing slightly as she watched me from across the table, her attention sharper than usual, “You look… different,” I forced a small smile, glancing down at my drink to avoid her gaze, “I’m fine,” I said automatically, the words slipping out too easily, like something rehearsed instead of real, but she didn’t look convinced, she never did when it mattered, “You’ve been distracted all week,” she continued, leaning forward slightly, her voice softer but more focused, “And Ethan’s been acting weird too,” my chest tightened at that, my fingers curling slightly around the glass in front of me, “Weird how?” I asked, trying to keep my tone neutral, steady, she hesitated just for a second like she was choosing her words carefully, “I don’t know,” she admitted, her brows pulling together slightly, “Just… more intense. Like he’s watching everything. Not just you. Everything,” I didn’t respond because she wasn’t wrong, and hearing it out loud made it harder to ignore, harder to pretend it was just in my head; that night I stayed late at the café, longer than I needed to, longer than I should have, the last customer gone, the door clicking shut behind them as the quiet settled in heavy and complete, the lights dimmer now, softer, casting long shadows across the empty tables, and for a moment everything felt still in a way that should have been comforting, but it wasn’t, the silence felt different, too aware, and I moved through the familiar routine of closing, wiping counters that didn’t need it, adjusting things that were already in place, my movements slower than usual as something restless settled under my skin, then I heard it, laughter, low and crude, cutting through the silence in a way that made my entire body tense instantly, my hand stilling mid-motion as my attention shifted toward the back corner where two men stood near the exit, their presence wrong in a way that felt immediate, their voices carrying just enough to reach me, one of them leaning against the wall, his eyes already on me, “I’m telling you,” he said, his tone thick with something that made my stomach twist, “did you see her? I wouldn’t mind getting a piece of that,” my grip tightened around the cloth in my hand but I didn’t stop moving, forcing myself to stay calm, to continue like I hadn’t heard anything, like I hadn’t noticed the way they were looking at me, but as I passed them one of them stepped just slightly too close, his hand brushing against me, not accidental, not subtle, lingering just long enough to make my entire body go rigid before I pulled away immediately, a sharp wave of discomfort running through me, the other one laughing louder now, encouraged, “Yeah,” he added, his voice dripping with amusement, “she’s quiet too. Those ones are always the best,” I didn’t react, I couldn’t, not the way they wanted, I had learned that a long time ago, “Relax,” the first one muttered, watching me closely, waiting for something I refused to give him, “We’ll wait for you outside,” he added, his voice dropping lower, more deliberate, “Somewhere no cameras see,” the second one laughed again, louder, more confident, “Don’t take too long,” he said, “Wouldn’t want to miss you,” I stayed still for a second longer than necessary after they left, my breath controlled, my expression neutral even as everything inside me tightened sharp and cold, the door shutting behind them, their laughter fading into the night as silence returned, but it wasn’t empty anymore, it felt heavier, closer, and I didn’t see him at first, I felt him, that same shift, that same presence, only now closer, much closer, my body going still as I turned slightly, my gaze catching the reflection in the glass before I even looked directly, and then I saw him standing just outside, not looking at me, but at them, and something in my chest tightened immediately because this wasn’t the same as before, his presence wasn’t distant or controlled in that quiet unreadable way, this was different, colder, focused, dangerous in a way that made the air itself feel heavier, my heart racing as realization hit sharp and sudden, my fingers tightening against the edge of the counter as I watched him take a step forward toward them, “No…” I whispered under my breath, the word slipping out before I could stop it, but he didn’t stop, the door opening, the sound louder than it should have been cutting through the silence like something breaking, both men turning at once, their laughter dying instantly as they saw him, I couldn’t hear everything, not clearly, just fragments, confusion, a question, a shift, and then silence, the kind of silence that didn’t feel empty, the kind that felt like something had already gone too far, and my instincts screamed at me to look away, to step back, to pretend I hadn’t seen anything at all, but I didn’t move.