Bait
307 Words
Elara didn’t like being watched.
She liked watching.
The difference was crucial.
When she was the observer, she had control. But now… someone was turning the lens back on her. And she didn’t like the way it felt — like an itch just under her skin.
She thought about the man from yesterday. The one leaning against the lamppost. Average height. Dark jacket. Face calm, but his eyes… too focused. He wasn’t a random passerby. She’d bet her life on it.
Fine. If he wanted to watch, she’d give him something worth watching.
Elara planned the route carefully — a weaving trail through the market district at dusk. People were everywhere: bargaining, shouting, laughing, the air thick with the smell of roasted meat and spices. The perfect place to hide… or to stalk.
She let herself slow at certain stalls, pretending to examine jewellery. She paused near the fruit vendors, her fingers brushing over apples she had no intention of buying. She wanted him to think she was distracted and careless.
Her peripheral vision caught him twice. Once in the reflection of a shop window. Once in the dark glass of a parked car. He kept the same distance, like he’d rehearsed it.
Then she made her move.
Slipping into a narrow alley between two shuttered shops, she let her steps go silent, pressing herself into the deep shadow behind a delivery crate. The alley’s bend gave her perfect cover.
Now, it was her turn to watch.
Seconds stretched. The market noise dimmed.
Footsteps.
Steady. Measured.
He appeared — and stopped.
For the first time, she saw him up close without looking directly. Strong jawline. Cold, assessing eyes. And a faint smirk, as though he knew she was there.
Her pulse quickened — not from fear, but from recognition.
He wasn’t just watching.
He was testing her.
- Writer
