ChapterFour
237 Words
CHAPTER FOUR
Strip Bar and Lounge, Los Angeles
Ethan’s POV
She walked away from me without looking back. But I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
There was something about the way she moved. Like she was trying to hold herself together but barely succeeding.
She seemed confident, yet fragile. I knew that look. I’d worn it once, years ago, before I learned how to keep my face a mask.
I should’ve let her go. Should’ve turned around, finished my drink, gone home.
But I didn’t.
Instead, I followed, again.
Not in the obvious way just a few steps behind.
Hands in my pockets. Just enough distance to keep her from noticing. But close enough that I could see the sway of her hips, the little stumble in her step, the way she paused before turning into the empty hallway.
She didn’t go to the restroom.
She just stopped, leaned against the wall like she needed something to hold her up.
I watched her take a deep breath, eyes closed. Her chest rising and falling slowly, like she was trying to steady the chaos inside.
I felt it too. That pull. That tension. Like the moment before a storm breaks.
When she opened her eyes and saw me again, I expected her to walk away. But she didn’t.
Not right away.
“I thought you were going back to your friends,” I said, voice low, careful.
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