Obsessed With You

Episode Eight--- The First Confrontation

Angel's POV

It started with the whisper of familiarity in every corner of my life.

The barista at the coffee shop smiled at e again, and this time I noticed the way he

lingered for a beat longer than necessary. A classmate suddenly offered to lend me a

textbook I hadn't asked for. Even my professors seemed to watch, subtly--too deliberately

to be coincidence.

I couldn't shake it.

Every thread of my day seemed tied to him, woven invisibly around me.

And yet, I still hadn't seen him.

I was still walking home, late again, trying to convince myself that I wasn't imagining it. The

streets were quierter than usual, streetlights reflecting off the wet asphalt. My heart felt

tight in my chest.

And then I saw the shadow.

A figure leaning against the corner of an alley, dark coat, tall, immobile. Watching. Waiting.

Every rational thought screamed for me to turn and run. My body froze.

He stepped forward, and the world shifted.

Damien's POV

There she was, moving through the streets as if the city were hers.

Not a clue, not a hesitation--yet unaware of the danger lurking just behind the veil I had

so carefully woven.

I had shadowed her tonight, as I always do, close enough to intervene but far enough to

remain invisible.

Until now.

Until her pulse betrayed her, her eyes widen just slightly, and she saw me.

I didn't move faste. I didn't speak. I let her feel the gravity of my presence before she

could even comprehend what it meant.

She is fragile, yes. But her courage intrigues me.

Angel's POV

"Angel."

The voice came form the dark. Low. Controlled. Smooth.

I didn't move. I wanted to, but I couldn't.

The figure stepped out of the shadow. Every step was deliberate, caluclated. Every

movement spoke of power and control.

It was him.

Damien Moretti.

And yet, it didn't feel real. My mind fought itself.

"Why... why are you following me?" I asked, voice barely a whisper.

He stopped a few feet away. Gray eyes cold yet alive, studying me like I was both puzzle

and prize.

"I'm not following you, Angel. I'm protecting you."

The words sent a shiver down my spine.

"You don' even knwo me," I said.

"I know enough," he replied, faint amusement in his tone.

"Enough?" I swallowed hard. "Who are you?"

For a moment, he didn't answer. He just looked at me. His presnece was a weight,

a shadow, a force that made my heartbeat stutter.

Finally, he said, "I told you before. I'm the one who watches. Always."

"Why?" I demanded, my chest tightening. "Why me?"

His gaze softened, almost imperceptibly, and he took a step closer. "Because you looked

back, Angel. You couldn't ignore me, and I couldn't ignore you."

I felt like the air had thickened around us. Everything in the city faded---the sounds, the

lights, the people. There was only him. Only us.

"I don't understand," I whispered.

"Soon, you will," he said. "But you have to trust me. Trust that I only want to keep you

safe."

I wanted to argue, wanted to flee, wanted to scream.

Instead, I nodded slightly, my hands trembling.

Because deep down, I already knew.

I already trusted him.

Damien's POV

She is mine, even if she doesn't know it yet.

Every instinct tells me to keep her close, to protect her from the world she doesn't yet

understand.

And she trusts me, even if she doesn't realize it.

Her pulse, her fear, her curiosity---they all call to me. Pull me closer. Compel me to stay.

I step vack into the shadows, letting her catch her bresth, letting her make the choice---

because she will.

She always does.

But when she steps into danger again, I will be there. Always.