Rival Ascending
1723 Words
The next morning, Daniel was distant.
Not cold.
Not harsh.
Just… distant in that way people are when they’re afraid of themselves.
He barely looked at me during breakfast. Barely spoke. Barely breathed in my direction.
Good.
He was cracking.
And cracks only ever spread.
⸻
By noon, I was dressed to go on a walk—completely innocent. Completely casual.
Except Daniel appeared in the hallway as I was tying my shoes.
He froze.
His eyes dropped—once—down my outfit. A slow, startled sweep. Then they snapped back up with military precision.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“Outside.”
“For how long?”
“I don’t know.”
“With who?”
“No one.”
He nodded stiffly, jaw working. “Stay close to the neighborhood.”
“I will.”
“And text me if you need anything.”
“Anything?” I teased.
His nostrils flared.
Before he could form a comeback, a car horn beeped outside—short, friendly, familiar.
I frowned. “Oh… that must be Leo.”
“Leo?” Daniel repeated slowly, like he was tasting the name for poison.
“He said he’d come by today.”
Daniel blinked once. Twice. Something dangerous shifted in his eyes.
“You invited him here?”
I shrugged lightly. “He asked if I was free.”
Daniel’s voice came out low. “And you said yes.”
Before I could answer, the front gate buzzed.
The timing was perfect.
The timing was awful.
Daniel’s jaw clenched so sharply I heard his teeth grind.
“I’ll get it,” I said brightly.
He stepped in front of me.
Just stepped.
Blocked my path.
Heat rolling off him in waves.
“You’re not opening that gate,” he said, voice soft and lethal.
“Why not?”
“Aurora, you know why.”
“I don’t.”
His eyes locked onto mine.
Possessive.
Raw.
Undeniably jealous.
“Daniel,” I whispered, “I’m just seeing a friend.”
“That’s the problem.”
Before I could react, he walked to the intercom with the tight, clipped stride of a man fighting a war with himself.
He pressed the button.
“What do you want?” he said, too calm.
A cheerful male voice crackled through. “Hey! I’m here for Aurora.”
Daniel didn’t answer.
He didn’t even blink.
I stepped beside him and reached for the button—but he caught my wrist.
Not hard.
Still gentle.
But firm enough that my breath caught in my throat.
“She doesn’t need a ride,” Daniel said into the speaker. “She’s staying in.”
Leo laughed lightly on the other side. “Oh—she told me she wanted fresh air.”
Daniel’s voice dropped to something dark. “She’ll get air later.”
“Daniel,” I hissed under my breath, “you’re being ridiculous.”
His grip tightened a fraction. Not painful. Just impossible to ignore.
He leaned close, voice for me alone.
“Aurora, I’m not letting him in.”
“Why?”
His eyes burned.
“You know why.”
I pulled my wrist free, chest heaving. “I’m going to talk to him.”
His jaw locked, throat working with something barely contained.
“If you step outside,” he said quietly, “I’m going with you.”
I scoffed. “To supervise?”
“To make sure you don’t get into trouble.”
“With Leo?”
“With yourself.”
My mind stuttered.
My pulse stuttered harder.
I opened the door before he could stop me.
Leo stood by his car, leaning casually, smiling wide when he saw me. “Aurora! Wow, you look—”
Daniel stepped out behind me.
Not next to me.
Behind me.
Like a shadow flickering too close.
Leo’s smile faltered. “Uh… hey, man. Didn’t know someone else was here.”
Daniel didn’t offer a hand. Didn’t smile. Just stared, silent and unreadable.
The tension was suffocating.
I forced a bright smile. “Leo, this is Daniel. My—”
Guard?
Caretaker?
Heartache?
I settled on: “—housemate.”
Daniel stiffened at the word.
Leo nodded politely. “Cool. Good to meet you.”
No response.
Just Daniel’s gaze, slicing clean through the air.
Finally, Leo turned back to me. “Ready?”
I opened my mouth—
Daniel spoke instead.
“No,” he said. “She’s not.”
Leo blinked. “Oh. Is… something wrong?”
Leo raised a brow. “With all due respect, man… that’s not your call.”
Daniel stepped closer, his height casting a shadow over both of us.
“It is.”
“No,” I cut in sharply. “It isn’t.”
Daniel’s chest rose—once, sharply.
Like I’d hit him.
Leo smiled, clueless to the emotional landmine he’d just walked into. “Come on, Aurora. I’ll have her back soon,” he said to Daniel like he owned the confidence.
Daniel finally spoke, voice so low it was barely sound:
“You’d better.”
Leo blinked. “Okay… intimidating. Got it.”
I shot Daniel a warning look.
Then I went.
Because if I stayed, I’d drown in him.
THE WALK WITH LEO
Leo was easy.
Light.
Talkative.
Funny in a messy, confident way.
He asked about my plans.
My ambitions.
What I wanted from life.
Daniel never asked those things.
Daniel asked if I had eaten.
Leo asked what I dreamed of.
It was disarming.
Kind of sweet.
But the whole time, I felt a pressure in my ribs—
a tight, coiled awareness of the man I’d left behind.
Almost like I could feel Daniel watching from miles away.
We reached the small café near the park. Leo held the door for me, smiling warmly.
Inside, he ordered for both of us without asking—bold, but surprisingly thoughtful. “You look like you like caramel,” he said.
He wasn’t wrong.
He was observant.
Attentive.
And he wasn’t ignoring his interest.
Not even a little.
We took a seat in a corner booth.
The moment we sat, Leo leaned in. “So… does he always glare at people like that?”
I stirred my drink. “Pretty much.”
“He’s protective.”
“Possessive,” I corrected.
Leo grinned. “That’s good. Means he cares.”
I swallowed. “It also means he’s stubborn.”
Leo leaned closer—too close. “Does that mean he doesn’t know he’s into you?”
My breath caught. “Leo—”
“Because it’s obvious,” he said simply. “I saw the way he looked at you.”
Heat rushed up my neck. “He’s just—complicated.”
Leo tilted his head. “And do you want complicated?”
No one had asked me that before.
I opened my mouth—
He suddenly brushed something off my cheek.
A light, intimate touch.
Too intimate.
“You had foam,” he said.
His thumb lingered on my cheekbone.
Longer than necessary.
My stomach flipped—
not because of Leo,
but because I knew what this looked like.
What Daniel would think.
Then Leo’s voice dropped.
“I’m really glad you came with me.”
I forced a smile. “Yeah, it’s nice.”
“No,” he said, softer, bolder. “I mean it. I like being around you. And I’d like to get to know you better.”
He leaned in.
Close.
Closer.
Too close.
“Aurora,” he murmured, “can I—?”
He didn’t finish.
He didn’t need to.
He was going to kiss me.
I should’ve stopped him.
I didn’t get the chance.
Because the café door opened—hard.
Swung.
Slammed.
And Daniel walked in.
DANIEL ARRIVES
He looked like he’d sprinted the whole way.
Chest rising and falling.
Shirt slightly damp.
Eyes dark and blazing.
His gaze locked onto Leo’s hand still touching my cheek.
His jaw flexed—
Once.
Twice.
Murderously.
Leo’s hand dropped, startled. “Uh—hey, man. Did you follow us?”
Daniel didn’t move.
Didn’t speak.
Just looked at me.
And the look…
God.
It was fire and fury and fear all crashing together behind his eyes.
He finally spoke.
“Aurora,” he said, voice low and dangerously calm, “you need to come with me.”
Leo scoffed. “She doesn’t need to do anything. We’re having a conversation.”
Daniel’s eyes slid to him—slow, lethal.
Leo’s smirk faltered.
Daniel stepped closer, each step measured, contained, like he was holding back something feral.
He stopped in front of our table.
His voice was soft.
Deadly soft.
“He touched your face.”
My breath caught.
Daniel’s eyes didn’t leave mine.
“He touched you,” he repeated, quieter now. “Why?”
Leo pushed up from his seat. “Because I wanted to. That’s kind of how flirting works.”
Daniel’s gaze flicked to him.
One look.
One.
Leo went silent.
Daniel turned back to me.
“Get your things,” he said. “We’re leaving.”
“No,” I whispered.
He froze.
Leo stepped between us, nerves showing. “She doesn’t belong to you.”
Daniel’s eyes went black.
“She isn’t yours to touch either.”
“Aurora,” Leo said carefully, “do you want to leave with him?”
The world held still.
Daniel’s chest rose sharply.
My voice trembled. “I—I don’t know.”
Leo gently took my hand. “Then stay with me.”
Daniel’s hand closed into a fist so tight his knuckles whitened.
“Aurora,” he said softly—brokenly—“he doesn’t see you. Not really.”
Leo scoffed. “Oh please—”
But Daniel wasn’t looking at him.
He was looking at me like something inside him had snapped.
“Aurora,” he whispered, “please don’t make me watch you choose him.”
My breath hitched.
Leo stiffened. “Choose?”
Daniel swallowed hard, voice raw. “Come home with me.”
I stared at him.
At the man who refused to admit anything.
At the man cracking open in front of me.
And for one terrifying, beautiful second—
Daniel looked like someone terrified of losing me.
- Writer
