Chapter 2
613 Words
Aria Monroe
Everyone thinks the hardest part about being famous is being recognized everywhere.
They’re wrong.
The hardest part is realizing that everyone has an opinion about you before they ever meet you.
They know my name.
They know my songs.
They know the version of me that exists under bright lights and perfect angles.
But they don’t know me.
They don’t know how exhausting it is to smile when you don’t feel like smiling.
They don’t know how many times I’ve wanted to walk into a room without everyone turning to look.
They don’t know what it feels like to have a million people watching you and still feel completely alone.
My assistant tells me my schedule for the fifth time today, and I pretend I’m listening.
Interview.
Photo shoot.
Rehearsal.
Meeting.
Another event.
Another night of pretending everything is perfect.
Then she says the words I’ve been avoiding.
“Your new security detail is here.”
I stop walking.
“I already have security.”
“You have a team,” she corrects. “This is different.”
Different.
That’s usually a word people use when something is about to make my life worse.
I turn around and see him.
Kai Anders.
The first thing I notice is that he doesn’t look impressed.
Most people look at me and see Aria Monroe.
They see the celebrity.
The headlines.
The person they think they know.
Kai looks at me like I’m a problem he has to solve.
And somehow that bothers me more.
“You’re the new person assigned to follow me everywhere?”
“Protect you.”
The way he says it annoys me.
Calm.
Confident.
Like he’s already decided how this is going to go.
I cross my arms.
“Sounds like a nicer word for babysitting.”
Nothing.
No reaction.
Seriously?
Most people at least pretend to be offended.
He just looks at me.
Like he’s trying to figure me out.
I hate that.
I hate feeling seen.
“I’m not here to control your life, Ms. Monroe.”
I almost laughed.
Because that’s exactly what everyone says before they start controlling my life.
My schedule.
My choices.
My safety.
Everything.
Then he starts listing rules.
Rules.
Of course.
I’ve spent my entire life being told what I can and can’t do.
And now a stranger thinks he gets to add more.
But then something strange happens.
For a second, I noticed something behind his serious expression.
Not arrogance.
Not annoyance.
Something else.
A wall.
Like he’s spent years making sure nobody gets close enough to hurt him.
The thought disappears as quickly as it comes.
I don’t care.
I don’t need another person I have to pretend around.
Especially not him.
I look at his hand when he offers it.
I don’t take it.
Not yet.
“Do you always talk to people like they’re one of your missions?”
His eyes narrow slightly.
A tiny reaction.
The first one I’ve gotten.
Interesting.
“Only when they’re in danger.”
I don’t have an answer for that.
Because for once, someone isn’t treating me like a celebrity.
He’s treating me like someone who needs protection .
And I’m not sure which one bothers me more.
I walked past him, refusing to let him see that his words affected me.
But as I head toward my next appointment, I can feel him following behind me.
Watching.
Waiting.
A shadow I never asked for.
I tell myself I hate it.
I tell myself I don’t need him.
But deep down, there’s a small part of me that wonders…
What if Kai Anders is the first person who actually sees me?
- Writer
