Episode Three: When He Touched Me
529 Words
The knock came at 2:17 a.m.
It wasn’t loud.
That was what terrified Elena most.
Caleb was on his feet instantly, already moving before her fear fully surfaced. He didn’t look at her as he reached for the gun hidden beneath the couch cushion.
“Bedroom,” he said. “Now.”
Her legs hesitated.
Caleb turned. Just once.
The look on his face stole the argument from her mouth.
She backed away, heart hammering, retreating into the bedroom as he followed—locking the door behind them instead of leaving her alone like before.
“You said—” she whispered.
“I know what I said.”
Another knock. Closer this time. Deliberate.
Caleb pushed her gently—but firmly—behind him. His hand came up, fingers wrapping around her wrist. Not painful. Controlled. Possessive.
Her breath caught.
“Don’t move,” he murmured. “Don’t make a sound.”
His thumb pressed against the inside of her wrist, right where her pulse betrayed her fear. He felt it. She knew he did.
The knock came again.
“Police,” a voice called out. “We need to speak with Elena Cross.”
Caleb didn’t move.
Elena’s heart stuttered. “That’s… that’s me,” she whispered.
“I know,” he said softly. “And they’re lying.”
She looked up at him, panic flooding her veins. “How do you know?”
“Because the real ones would never announce your name.”
Her breathing turned shallow. “Then what do we do?”
Caleb leaned down, his mouth near her ear—not intimate, not gentle. Strategic.
“We wait,” he said. “And if they try to force entry, I end it.”
End what didn’t need to be explained.
The footsteps outside shifted. A pause. Then silence.
Minutes passed. Maybe seconds. Time lost its shape.
When Caleb finally relaxed, Elena realized she’d been gripping his shirt with both hands.
She released him instantly. “You touched me.”
“I warned you,” he said.
“No,” she snapped. “You held me.”
Caleb’s gaze dropped to where her fingers had been, still wrinkling the fabric. Something dark flickered across his face.
“You needed grounding,” he said. “You were spiraling.”
“And you decided you were allowed to do that?”
“I decided you needed me to.”
The words hit harder than any threat.
Elena’s voice shook. “You don’t get to be the only thing keeping me together.”
Caleb stepped closer. Too close.
“You don’t get to pretend I’m not,” he replied.
Silence swallowed the room.
Her fear had shifted—mutated into something dangerous and undeniable. She hated him for it. She hated herself more for the way her body still remembered his touch.
“Don’t do that again,” she said.
Caleb held her gaze, unblinking.
“I won’t,” he said.
But they both knew it was a lie.
Because something had already changed.
And once he touched her out of fear,
it was only a matter of time before he touched her out of need.
- Writer
