MY BABY GIRL: Shadow Love S1 🖤

The night was quiet — nothing but the distant hum of crickets and the soft breeze slipping through the curtains of the open window. “I will never leave you…” His voice came low and gentle. His fingers slid beneath my chin, tilting my face upward until my eyes met his. And stayed there. For a second, neither of us moved. My heartbeat became unbearably loud, pounding against my ribs so hard it felt impossible for him not to hear it too. The moonlight spilled across his face in silver streaks, shadows resting along the sharp lines of his jaw, making him look almost unreal. Beautiful in the most dangerous way. Then he smiled. Slowly. Like he already knew exactly what he was doing to me. Heat rushed instantly to my cheeks. He leaned closer, close enough for his breath to brush against my skin, and his lips ghosted the edge of my ear. “You are my Baby Girl…” The whisper sent a sharp shiver through my entire body. Everything inside me stopped at once. The night air suddenly felt colder against my skin, but his presence burned hotter. Our lips hovered inches apart. I looked into his eyes — dark, steady, impossible to read. And before fear could stop me— I closed the distance myself. Wrapping my arms around his neck. As I let my instincts take over my consciousness. The moment our lips touched, he froze. Completely. Like even he hadn’t expected me to do it. Because I never made the first move. Never. But the shock only lasted a second before his hands found my waist, pulling me against him until there was no space left between us. I felt the warmth of his chest through the thin fabric between us, felt the rapid rhythm of his heartbeat matching mine almost perfectly. A soft blush crept across my face. The kiss deepened slowly. Unhurried. Intoxicating. Like breathing him in was the only thing keeping me alive. The world around us disappeared. No sound. No time. Nothing except the warmth of his lips and the way his fingers tightened slightly against my waist as though he was afraid to let go. The night wrapped itself around us like a secret never meant for anyone else. Then— He pulled away. Slowly. Reluctantly. For the briefest moment, the warmth of the kiss lingered between us before fading into the cold night air. His forehead rested lightly against mine as his eyes searched my face again, unreadable as ever. “Are you my Baby Girl?” My breath caught. I looked away instinctively, suddenly shy despite everything that had just happened. Then my eyes drifted back to him. To that dangerously beautiful face that had haunted my thoughts from the very first day I met him. And quietly— Almost breathlessly— I answered. “Yes.” I am his Baby Girl. … That was the last memory I had of him. Before he disappeared from my life like he had never existed at all. Funny, isn't it? ‎How the happiest moment of my life became the last one I ever shared with him. ‎ ‎The strange thing is… ‎Our story didn't begin with love. ‎It didn't begin with a kiss. ‎It didn't even begin with friendship. ‎ ‎It began with a boy who couldn't stand me. ‎And a girl who couldn't stop thinking about him. ‎ ‎But I'm getting ahead of myself. ‎Let’s go back to the beginning. ‎To the day I first met Chris. 🖤 ‎ — — — ISABEL'S POV Today was going to be a beautiful day. The morning sun made sure of that as golden light slipped through the curtains covering the east-facing window of my room and landed directly across my face. I frowned immediately. “Ugh… is it morning already?” The sunlight felt unusually bright today — almost offensive. “I wanna sleep more,” I mumbled lazily, turning to the other side of the bed to escape the light. My eyes slowly closed again. The warmth of sleep pulled me back in almost instantly— “Isa! Get up and prepare for school or you'll be late!” Seriously?! It hadn't even been two whole minutes since I started drifting back to sleep before my mum's voice destroyed every remaining ounce of peace in my life. Even on the last day of school, she still wakes me up this early. Yep. That's my mum for you. She may tolerate many things, but lateness is not one of them. Not even a little. “Okay, Mum,” I answered weakly, forcing my heavy eyes open while dragging my lazy body off the bed like someone being sentenced to execution. After struggling with myself for almost three full minutes, I finally managed to pull myself upright. Barely. I stretched slowly before walking to the corner of my room where my prayer mat was folded neatly. I spread it gently across the floor and sat down on it quietly, beginning my morning prayers. No matter how tired I was, prayer always came first. — “Mum, what are we having for breakfast?” I asked while stepping out of my room. I was trying to fix my hijab with one hand while holding my school bag with the other — a daily struggle I still hadn't mastered. On school days, I always make sure I'm completely ready before stepping into the living room. Prayers. Bath. Brushing my teeth. School uniform. Assignments. Arranging my books according to today's timetable. Everything. If I forgot even one thing, my entire day somehow managed to become stressful. Normally, my morning routine takes around fifteen minutes. Unless Maths is involved. Then it becomes war. Damn. I hate Mathematics. — I've had problems with Mathematics ever since I was little. Teachers always praised my performance in other subjects, but Maths? Never. Mathematics was the one subject that refused to like me no matter how hard I tried. I was usually among the top five students in class, but that was where it always ended. Fifth. Sometimes fourth. Never higher. My class teacher once told me that if I could improve my Mathematics grade, I would easily become the best student in class. Even Dad once suggested hiring a lesson teacher for me. But Mum immediately refused. Because of what happened when I was younger. She believed I could overcome that fear on my own someday. But honestly… I wasn't sure she was right.