Twisted desire

Chapter 11

The storm started just after midnight.

Luna heard the thunder before she saw the rain. Heavy drops slammed against the tall windows of her room while flashes of lightning lit the dark walls for seconds at a time.

She sat up slowly in bed, pulling the blanket tighter around herself.

The mansion felt different at night.

Bigger.

Colder.

Almost alive.

Another loud crack of thunder shook the windows slightly, making her flinch.

“Great,” she muttered quietly.

She glanced toward the clock beside the bed.

12:43 AM.

Sleep was impossible.

Again.

Luna pushed the blanket away and climbed out of bed, walking toward the window. Rain poured endlessly over the gardens outside, turning everything blurry beneath the storm.

For a moment, she just stood there listening.

Then suddenly—

The lights went out.

Darkness swallowed the room instantly.

Luna froze.

A second later, another flash of lightning lit the room briefly before disappearing again.

“What the hell…”

The mansion went completely silent.

No lights.

No sound except the storm outside.

Luna’s chest tightened unexpectedly.

She hated darkness.

Not because she was childish.

Because darkness made her thoughts louder.

And lately, her thoughts had become unbearable.

She grabbed her phone from the nightstand, turning on the flashlight quickly. The small light barely helped.

The room still felt wrong.

Too still.

Another loud thunderclap echoed through the mansion.

Luna exhaled shakily.

“Okay,” she whispered to herself. “You’re fine.”

But she did not feel fine.

Without thinking too much about it, she stepped out into the hallway.

The mansion looked eerie in darkness. Long hallways stretched endlessly ahead, faintly illuminated by flashes of lightning through the windows.

Everything suddenly felt unfamiliar.

A floorboard creaked somewhere nearby.

Luna stopped instantly.

Her heartbeat quickened.

“Hello?”

No answer.

Only silence.

Then—

Another sound.

Closer this time.

Before Luna could react, a figure stepped out of the darkness ahead.

She gasped softly, stumbling backward.

“Relax.”

Hamilton.

Relief hit her immediately so hard it almost annoyed her.

“You scared me,” she whispered sharply.

“You shouldn’t be wandering around in the dark.”

His voice was calm, low, almost drowned out by the storm outside.

Luna crossed her arms slightly.

“The lights went out.”

“I noticed.”

Another flash of lightning illuminated his face briefly. His dark shirt clung slightly to him like he had already been outside in the rain.

Luna frowned.

“Where were you?”

“Outside.”

“During a storm?”

His expression barely changed.

“I needed air.”

That answer felt familiar somehow.

Neither of them moved for a second.

The darkness around them made everything feel closer. More intimate.

Luna hated how aware she suddenly was of him.

“You okay?” Hamilton asked quietly.

She looked away.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re lying.”

That irritated her instantly.

“You always think you know everything?”

“No,” he replied calmly. “Just when people are uncomfortable.”

Luna exhaled softly.

“The house feels creepy in the dark.”

A small pause.

“Only in the dark?”

Despite herself, she laughed quietly.

The sound surprised both of them.

Hamilton’s expression softened slightly for the first time in days.

And suddenly the tension between them shifted again.

Not gone.

Just different.

Warmer.

Another loud thunderclap echoed through the hallway.

Without thinking, Luna flinched slightly.

Hamilton noticed immediately.

“You’re scared of storms?”

“No.”

“You just jumped.”

“I was startled.”

A small almost-smile appeared on his face.

Luna rolled her eyes.

“You’re annoying.”

“And you’re nervous.”

“I’m not nervous.”

“You keep playing with your sleeve when you are.”

Luna immediately stopped touching her sleeve.

Hamilton noticed that too.

Now he was definitely trying not to smile.

“You’re enjoying this way too much,” she muttered.

“Maybe.”

Another silence settled between them.

But this time it did not feel uncomfortable.

The lightning flashed again, illuminating his face for a second.

Luna’s breath caught slightly.

He was looking at her differently now.

Not cold.

Not distant.

Something deeper.

The air suddenly felt too heavy.

Too warm.

Hamilton stepped closer slowly.

Not enough to touch her.

But enough that her pulse quickened instantly.

Luna should have moved.

She did not.

Their eyes locked.

Neither of them spoke.

The storm outside faded into background noise as the tension between them thickened painfully.

Luna’s heartbeat became impossible to ignore.

Hamilton looked down briefly.

At her lips.

Then back to her eyes.

And suddenly she knew.

He was thinking about kissing her.

The realization sent heat rushing through her chest.

For one dangerous second, she thought maybe she wanted him to.

Then—

The hallway lights snapped back on.

Both of them stepped apart immediately.

The moment shattered instantly.

Luna looked away first, trying to steady her breathing.

Hamilton ran a hand through his hair, tension visible in his jaw now.

Neither of them spoke.

Then a voice cut through the silence.

“Well.”

Luna froze.

Richard.

He stood at the end of the hallway, watching them calmly.

Too calmly.

His expression revealed nothing.

But his eyes moved slowly between them.

Luna’s chest tightened instantly.

“How interesting,” Richard said softly.

And somehow…

That terrified her more than if he had sounded angry.