Chapter 4 A STORY ABOUT LOVE... WITHOUT LOVE

CHAPTER 4 - A STORY ABOUT LOVE... WITHOUT LOVE

The office smelled of burnt coffee and paper. The hum of fluorescent lights buzzed in Sophia's ears as she stared at the screen, cursor blinking accusingly at her.

She wasn't sure which part of the draft to hate more: the opening, where Dean had insisted on adding a literal cartoon of "heart-shaped pigeons" to illustrate dating apps, or the middle section, where her own anger and exhaustion leaked into words so bitter they could probably burn skin.

Dean sat across from her, arms crossed, watching her with an expression that was equal parts pride and terror.

"You know," he said softly, "I'm actually a little impressed."

"Impressed? Impressed by what? The fact that I managed to type out something that reads like a divorce letter to modern love?" Sophia snapped, whipping her laptop shut. Papers fluttered. Dean's pencil rolled across the desk.

"You're passionate," he said carefully, picking it up. "And honest. And maybe... honest in a way that's slightly terrifying."

"I'm not terrifying," she said.

"You were terrifying when you typed the phrase, 'Love in 2025 is just an algorithm pretending to care.'" He grinned. "That's art. But it's not our assignment."

Sophia groaned. "It's accurate. And it's exactly why this draft is garbage."

"Because it's angry," he added gently. "And not angry at modern love. Angry at... us."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Us?" she repeated.

Dean nodded, tapping his pencil against his sketchpad. "We're the perfect storm of bad vibes. You and me, deadlines and doodles. Structured and chaotic. Angry and frustrated. And somehow... it bled into this."

Sophia blinked. "It bled?"

"Yes," he said, voice quiet. "Every line. Every sentence. Even the way the pigeons were looking at each other."

She opened her mouth, but the words didn't come.

Because he was right.

It was true.

The draft wasn't just bad-it was personal.

It wasn't a feature on love anymore. It was a reflection of every argument, every clashing day, every frustrated glance, every unspoken irritation between them.

And that realization made Sophia feel exposed, uncomfortable, and... guilty.

Dean noticed the hesitation.

"You're thinking," he said softly, leaning forward, "that maybe we're terrible together."

"Yes," she whispered.

Dean blinked. "Well... yeah. Maybe. But maybe that's exactly why we're perfect for this."

She looked up sharply.

"What?" she asked, suspicious.

"Think about it," he said, eyes earnest. "Love isn't clean. Love isn't perfect. Love isn't always pretty. Sometimes it's messy, frustrating, and infuriating. And our draft? It's messy. Frustrating. Infuriating. Exactly like love."

Sophia wanted to punch him. Or hug him. She wasn't sure which.

"I don't think our editor will appreciate the 'exactly like love' angle," she said flatly.

Dean shrugged. "Worth a shot."

She groaned and rubbed her temples. "We need to fix this. Immediately. Before anyone else sees it."

Dean leaned back in his chair. "Or we could just embrace it."

"No," she said, voice firm. "We fix it. Together."

He raised an eyebrow. "Together, huh? That's ambitious."

"Yes. Together. Otherwise, we're doomed."

Dean tilted his head, studying her. Then, with a sly grin, he said, "You know, for someone so obsessed with order, you sure are easy to get along with."

Sophia blinked. "I'm not easy to get along with."

"You just said we fix it together."

"Yes," she said, voice growing sharper. "Because this draft is a disaster. Not because I like you."

Dean laughed softly. And there it was-the infuriating, light-hearted laugh that made Sophia's stomach twist in ways she didn't want to acknowledge.

Hours passed.

The café they'd migrated to smelled like espresso and freshly baked bread. It was bustling, but far enough from distractions to make progress.

Dean's sketchpad lay open beside Sophia's laptop, showing a haphazard series of doodles meant to "inspire the narrative flow."

Sophia ignored it. For now.

"You can't just put a stick figure of a couple holding a smartphone in every paragraph," she said firmly.

Dean looked up, feigning offense. "That's called symbolism."

She groaned. "No. It's called lazy. And it's driving me insane."

"You're driving me insane," he shot back.

Sophia stared at him, gaping.

"I mean it," he added quickly. "Not in a bad way. I just... your energy. It's powerful. Overpowering. Intense. Like espresso but with a side of nuclear bomb."

"I'm trying to salvage our work!" she snapped. "Do you know how hard it is to rewrite this disaster without losing any of the... honest chaos?"

Dean's eyes softened. "Sophia..."

"No," she said firmly. "You need to focus. And you need to-"

"Stop typing like you're on a battlefield?" he suggested with a small grin.

She blinked. And then, against all rational judgment, her lips twitched.

Dean noticed immediately. "What's that?" he asked, leaning closer.

"I'm... considering it," she said reluctantly.

He chuckled, then paused. His expression softened. "You know... I didn't think I'd survive working with you."

"Likewise," she admitted, voice tight.

"Yet... here we are."

She swallowed. The quiet between them wasn't awkward. It wasn't tense. It wasn't even uncomfortable. It was... fragile.

Too fragile.

She looked down at her keyboard. "We have to focus. Otherwise, Angela will kill us."

Dean leaned back. "We're already halfway there. But... something tells me this is going to be a longer, messier ride."

Sophia's stomach tightened. She wanted to argue. But she didn't.

Not when the words on the page already felt too honest.

Not when the truth-messy, painful, frustrating-was staring back at her through every sentence.

Sophia hit save and leaned back, stretching her shoulders. Dean was doodling quietly now, murmuring something about narrative arcs and emotional beats.

And then, the bell over the café door jingled.

She glanced up, expecting a couple of students or a delivery person.

Instead, the figure from the café street encounter appeared.

Hood up. Hands in pockets. Silent. Watching.

Sophia's breath caught.

Dean noticed immediately, leaning forward. "Sophia... that's them."

The stranger moved closer. Not aggressively. Not obviously threatening. But the presence alone made Sophia feel the blood drain from her face.

The figure slid something across the table.

Sophia froze. Dean's hand hovered near hers. They exchanged a look-a silent agreement not to panic. Not yet.

She picked up the note with trembling fingers.

Four words.

"Time is running out."

Her pulse thudded. Hard. Sharp. Dangerous.

Dean's voice was low. "They're not leaving."

Sophia glanced around the café. The staff hadn't noticed. The customers were oblivious. But she knew.

She didn't know what yet, but she knew.

The figure lingered, hood up, eyes hidden.

And then, slowly, they walked away. Just like before. Vanishing into the street crowd as if they had never been there.

Sophia's hand shook as she folded the note.

Dean's grip on his pencil tightened. "This is getting personal."

"Yes," Sophia whispered, staring out the window. "And it's not about our draft anymore."

They both knew it. Whatever had begun as a disagreement over schedules, sketches, and words, had become bigger.

They weren't just fighting deadlines.

They weren't just fighting each other.

They were fighting... something else.

Something unseen. Something deliberate. Something that had eyes on them. And possibly on their story.

Sophia took a deep breath. She felt Dean's eyes on her, steady, reassuring, warm. And she wanted to hate him for the comfort it brought her.

But she didn't.

And that was dangerous.

Their first draft may have been a disaster, but the danger is no longer metaphorical. Someone is watching. Someone is targeting them. And Dean and Sophia must navigate chaos, anger, and growing tension-together-before it's too late.

The café had shifted from cozy and bustling to suffocating in Sophia's mind. Every hum of the espresso machine, every clatter of dishes, even the low murmur of customers suddenly sounded like background music for a thriller.

Dean, across from her, seemed completely oblivious. He was still doodling, still sketching emotional beats into his notebook, oblivious, except that his brow furrowed more often now-more than usual.

"You know," he said quietly, "I think our anger is contagious."

Sophia didn't look up from her screen. "You think?" Her fingers hovered above the keyboard like she might strike someone. "We're supposed to be writing a feature about love, Dean. Not revenge."

Dean chuckled softly. "You don't get it. The draft is love. Angry, messy, infuriating love."

Sophia's jaw tightened. "It's a disaster. Angela's going to kill us."

He looked up at her, serious now. "Maybe she won't care. Maybe what she wants is honesty."

Sophia's fingers slammed down on the keyboard. "This isn't honesty. This is a war zone."

"You're enjoying it," he teased lightly.

"I am not," she snapped.

He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. Truce. But admit it-you're having a little fun."

She ignored him.

By the time the afternoon sun began to dip, their first "collaborative" draft was finished. It was, to put it lightly, a disaster.

Sophia had written long paragraphs of tightly-structured prose. She had interviewed couples and singles and carefully analyzed data. Every statistic was precise, every source credible, every point on-topic.

Dean had... well, Dean had drawn little cartoons of modern dating disasters. Pigeons. Cats. People swiping aggressively on phones. Speech bubbles like, "Is this love? Or just Wi-Fi?"

It was chaotic. Painful. And, in the most horrifying way, it captured something real-an authenticity Sophia hadn't intended to admit.

She stared at the screen, frustration boiling. "This... this isn't a feature. This is... a comic book. A hate letter. A betrayal."

Dean leaned over her shoulder. "It's a feature on modern love. And honestly? People relate to it."

Sophia spun to face him. "Relate? People want clarity. Structure. Analysis! Not... this nonsense."

"People want honesty," he countered, voice low. "And this is honest."

She flinched. His eyes were soft. Serious. Truthful. Dangerous.

"You're impossible," she muttered.

"You're impossible," he returned. And there it was again-the way his gaze lingered on her. The way it made her stomach clench. The way it made every argument, every jab, every frustrated sigh feel... personal.

She shook her head. "We need to submit it. Angela's going to see this."

Dean hesitated. "Do we submit it as is?"

"No," Sophia said firmly. "We rewrite. Together. Properly. Now."

He raised an eyebrow. "You really want to survive this?"

"Yes," she said. "Or we both die in editorial hell."

Hours passed. Words flew across screens. Pencils scratched furiously. Coffee cups multiplied.

Every time Sophia tried to structure a paragraph, Dean added something ridiculous. Every time Dean tried to doodle a metaphor, Sophia tried to rationalize it with evidence.

And somehow... it worked.

Not perfectly. Not elegantly. But there was a pulse, a rhythm, a story beneath the chaos that neither could create alone.

And yet, the tension between them remained. Electric, simmering, almost visible.

Sophia caught herself stealing glances at Dean-his hair falling into his eyes, his brow furrowed in concentration, his lips pressing together just slightly when he worked.

She chastised herself immediately. He was infuriating. He was chaotic. He was distracting. She was furious with him. She should hate him.

But she didn't.

Dean noticed the look. He smiled faintly without looking up. "Careful. I see that," he said softly.

She flinched. "I'm not looking at you."

"You totally are," he whispered.

Her fingers hit the keyboard harder than necessary. "Focus."

Just as the draft was beginning to take a shape that could survive Angela's scrutiny, Sophia's phone buzzed.

She ignored it.

Then again.

Dean looked up. "It's your phone."

She sighed and checked it, hand trembling.

Unknown Number: STOP. NOW.

Her pulse raced.

Dean leaned closer. "What does it say?"

"It... I don't know. Stop what?" she whispered.

Another message arrived immediately:

Unknown Number: The draft is not enough. Neither of you are safe.

Sophia's stomach dropped. Her eyes widened. "Dean... this isn't a joke."

He swallowed hard. "I know."

Her fingers shook as she typed: Who is this? What do you want?

No response.

The café seemed too quiet suddenly. Customers muffled into background noise. The barista hummed a song that felt eerily off-key.

Dean's voice was low, tense. "We need to leave. Now."

Sophia nodded, quickly packing her laptop and notes.

They stepped outside into the early evening light. The air was cold, bracing.

Sophia tried to shake the fear, tried to pretend it was just stress. But deep down, she knew.

Someone was following them. Someone had warned them. And the draft-the first draft, the disaster-was somehow the trigger.

They walked quickly, side by side, scanning the crowd.

"Do you see anyone?" Sophia asked, heart hammering.

Dean shook his head. "Not yet. But it's like they're everywhere."

And then-a figure darted between two parked cars. Hood up, hands hidden, moving fast.

Sophia's breath caught. "There! That's them!"

Dean grabbed her arm instinctively. "Stay close. Don't let them see us split up."

They zig-zagged through side streets, trying to lose whoever it was. Every instinct told Sophia to run faster, to scream. But Dean's steady presence beside her-the chaos, the calm-kept her moving.

The figure followed, always just far enough away to disappear into the crowd, just close enough to remind them they were being hunted.

Sophia's chest heaved. "Why us? Why now?"

Dean didn't answer immediately. His jaw was tight, his eyes scanning the street. "It's not just the draft," he said finally. "It's something bigger. Something about us... together."

Her stomach dropped. "Together? You mean... our feature?"

"Not just that," he said. Voice low. Almost a whisper. "Something about you and me."

She stopped. "What... what are you saying?"

Before he could answer, a figure stepped directly in front of them, blocking the street. Hood up. Hands in pockets. Silent. Menacing.

Sophia froze.

Dean instinctively moved in front of her.

The stranger reached into a coat pocket. Not a threatening gesture. Not yet. But something about the movement made Sophia's pulse spike.

Then, without a word, the stranger pressed a folded note into Dean's hand-and vanished as quickly as they appeared.

Dean opened it. Sophia leaned close.

Four words, scrawled in sharp black ink:

"You cannot escape now."

Sophia's hands went cold. Dean's grip tightened on the note.

Somewhere in the crowd, shadows shifted. Somewhere, someone watched.

And it was no longer about deadlines, doodles, or angry drafts.

It was about survival.

The draft may have been a disaster, but now Dean and Sophia are facing a threat that's very real-and very close. Someone is watching, someone is warning, and someone wants more than just their story.