MEETING HIM

Chapter nineteen: The Eyes That Watch

Natacha’s POV

The days had become a blur.

Natacha went through the motions—going to class, attending study sessions with her friends, and avoiding the one thing that weighed heavily on her mind: the growing sense of unease she couldn’t shake. She’d tried to push away the guilt, the confusion, but it clung to her like an unshakable shadow. The more she tried to pretend everything was fine, the more the truth seemed to surface.

And what truth was that?

It was the nagging thought that perhaps, no matter how much she denied it, Alex still had a hold on her. And then there was Eric—her boyfriend, who she had convinced herself was her safe harbor. Yet, something about him felt distant now, like there was a divide growing between them that she couldn’t cross. The warmth that had once been there now felt cold and distant, like she was looking at him through a veil.

But what was she supposed to do about it? The emotions swirling inside her were too complicated to make sense of. She had loved Alex, truly loved him, but that had been a different time. A time when things were simple, when her heart had been untainted by the betrayals and the broken promises.

It had been easy to hate him then, to distance herself, to pretend the passion he had once ignited in her didn’t exist. But now, after seeing him again, after feeling that familiar pull of desire, she wasn’t sure who she was anymore. Was she still the girl who had walked away from him? Or was she someone else entirely, someone whose feelings had shifted beyond her control?

Her phone buzzed, snapping her out of her thoughts. She glanced down at the screen. It was a message from her mother.

Mom: “Natacha, I need to speak with you. It’s important.”

Natacha rolled her eyes. Her relationship with her mother had always been strained, to put it mildly. Her mother, with her sharp tongue and critical eye, had never been supportive of Natacha’s choices, whether in love or life. Yet, Natacha knew that whatever her mother had to say, it wouldn’t be a pleasant conversation.

Natacha: “I’m busy. Can we talk later?”

She stared at the message for a moment, waiting for a response, but none came. Instead, she found herself looking out the window, wondering what was really happening around her.

It was almost like someone was watching her.

It wasn’t the first time she’d had the feeling. She had noticed it more in recent days—small, insignificant things that made her skin crawl. A car parked too long outside her building, someone walking past her when she was alone, an odd sensation that she wasn’t alone when she thought she was. It felt like she was being followed, but she hadn’t seen anything concrete to make her believe it.

Her phone buzzed again, this time a message from Eric. She opened it without hesitation, hoping for some sense of normalcy in the chaos.

Eric: “Where are you? I’m outside your dorm.”

Natacha sighed and typed back, her fingers moving absentmindedly.

Natacha: “I’ll be out in a minute. Just finishing up some work.”

She closed the message and grabbed her jacket, ready to leave. A small part of her was relieved to see Eric, to feel like she could have a moment of calm. But there was a bigger part of her—something deep inside her—that wanted to hide, to retreat into the shadows and pretend the world outside didn’t exist.

As she walked out of her dorm, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows across the campus, she saw Eric’s familiar figure leaning against his car. He smiled when he saw her, and for a moment, it felt like nothing had changed. But Natacha couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

“Hey,” Eric greeted her, his voice light. “How’s your day been?”

“Same old,” she replied, trying to sound casual. “Busy, you know. Classes and work.” She gave him a small smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

He reached out to take her hand, his grip warm and steady. But Natacha couldn’t ignore the discomfort in the pit of her stomach. Everything felt off. Maybe it was just her nerves—she hadn’t been sleeping well lately—but she couldn’t help the growing sense of paranoia.

“Let’s go grab a coffee,” Eric suggested. “I thought it might help clear your head.”

She hesitated for a moment. It was a nice offer, and she knew he meant well, but she was afraid of what would happen if she spent too much time with him. She didn’t want to talk about Alex. She didn’t want to confront the confusing emotions she was harboring.

But she also didn’t want to push Eric away, not when he was the one person who had always been there, who had never questioned her.

“Sure,” she said finally, giving in. “That sounds good.”

---

Later that evening, as they sat in the quiet corner of the campus coffee shop, Natacha’s mind drifted. Eric was talking about some project for school, but she wasn’t really listening. She was too distracted by the nagging feeling that someone was watching her again.

Her gaze flicked around the room, scanning the faces, the people who came and went. But no one stood out. Nothing seemed unusual.

Yet, the feeling persisted.

Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared at the doorway, and Natacha’s heart skipped a beat. Her breath caught in her throat as Alex walked in, his sharp eyes immediately finding hers.

It was as if the air in the room shifted, the space between them shrinking even though they were separated by the width of the coffee shop.

Her pulse quickened, and she could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks. What was he doing here?

Natacha’s body tensed, but she couldn’t look away. It was like a magnetic force drawing her in, and for a moment, she forgot about Eric sitting across from her.

Alex’s gaze locked onto her, his lips curling into a small, knowing smile. He didn’t even acknowledge Eric, though Natacha knew he saw him.

And then, in that quiet moment, Alex did something that made Natacha’s heart race: he walked toward her. Slowly, deliberately, with the confident stride she had once found irresistible.

Her stomach twisted with a combination of fear and desire. She knew this wasn’t good. She shouldn’t even be thinking about him, let alone letting him get this close.

“Hey,” Alex said as he reached their table, his voice smooth, calm, as if nothing had changed.

Natacha opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, she glanced at Eric, who was watching them both with growing confusion.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Alex asked, his eyes never leaving hers. “Alone.”

Her body froze. She didn’t want to be alone with him. She didn’t want to fall into the same trap she had before, where her emotions led her down a path she wasn’t ready to walk. But she also couldn’t deny the pull, the way her body ached for his attention.

Eric shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. “Natacha?” he asked, his voice soft, as if seeking reassurance.

She glanced at him, guilt and uncertainty swirling within her. “I’ll be right back,” she murmured, before standing up and following Alex out of the coffee shop.

---

Once they were outside, the cool night air hitting her face, she felt exposed. The city around them was quiet, the distant hum of traffic the only sound that filled the space.

Alex turned to face her, his expression unreadable. “What’s going on, Natacha?” His voice was low, but the tension in his tone was clear.

“I don’t know what you mean,” she said quickly, trying to play it off, but the lie tasted bitter on her tongue.

“You’re avoiding me,” Alex said, his eyes darkening. “Why?”

“I’m not avoiding you,” she replied, though her words felt empty. “I’m just... I’m just trying to focus on other things.”

Alex took a step closer, his presence overwhelming her. “Other things? Or someone else?”

The question hit her like a punch to the gut. She tried to look away, but he reached out and cupped her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.

“You don’t get to run away from me, Natacha,” he said softly, his words laced with an edge that sent a shiver down her spine. “Not this time. Not after everything we’ve been through.”

Her heart hammered in her chest as she struggled to control her breathing. “What do you want from me, Alex?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

He smiled, though it wasn’t the comforting smile she remembered. It was dark, possessive, and it made her pulse race.

“I want everything, Natacha,” he said, his voice low, his thumb brushing over her lower lip. “I want you. I always have.”

Natacha’s mind screamed for her to pull away, to stop this madness before it consumed her. But her body betrayed her, leaning in, craving the warmth of his touch. Everything inside her was screaming for release, for the chaos that he brought into her life.

But at that moment, she realized something—something that she couldn’t ignore any longer.

She was tangled in this web, a web spun by Alex, by Eric, by her own tangled emotions.

And she didn’t know how to escape.