Chapter 5 The night he didn't come .

I had dressed carefully. Every detail mattered ,my hair, my dress, the faint shimmer of perfume that wasn't too strong, but enough to leave a trace. Alaiz had given me the address, the time, the instructions. Eight o'clock. Sharp. Clear. I had rehearsed in my head how I would act, how I would move, how I would breathe until the moment I would see him again.

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‎And yet, as I stepped out into the night, the city lights flickering along the streets, my pulse betrayed me. I told myself it was nothing. Just anticipation. Just nerves. But the way my stomach twisted, the way my hands shook slightly, told a different story.

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‎I arrived early, parking a little distance from his house, as I had been instructed. The night was quiet, still, the kind of silence that draped itself over the world like a velvet sheet. I checked my watch. Eight o'clock. Sharp.

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‎I waited.

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‎Minutes ticked by....... Ten, Twenty, My confidence began to fray at the edges. Maybe it was a surprise? Maybe something had delayed him? Maybe this was part of the plan, some mysterious thrill only he understood.

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‎By eleven, the thrill had curdled into anxiety.

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‎My mind spiraled, replaying his call from the night before. The way he had said my name, low and deliberate, promising. The way his voice had wavered just slightly, like he had wanted to confess something, to pull me closer even through the phone line. "I can't wait to see you," he had said, and it had reverberated through me, igniting something I couldn't extinguish.

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‎And yet... he wasn't here. No car pulling up. No footstep on the gravel. Nothing.

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‎I tried to calm myself, pacing slightly on the sidewalk, watching the shadows stretch across the walls. I reminded myself,he was complicated. He had responsibilities, a life, a family... probably something urgent had come up. But the gnawing feeling in my chest refused to be ignored.

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‎I sat down on the curb, hugging my knees to my chest. I thought about the phone call. About his words. About the intensity in his voice. And I cursed myself for believing it.

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‎Time stretched, merciless and cruel.

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‎Somewhere in the distance, headlights flickered maybe a taxi? Maybe someone coming to check if I'd gotten lost? My heart leapt with false hope, only to fall again when it wasn't him.

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‎I didn't know how long I had waited. An hour? Two? Every passing minute carved deeper into my chest, hollowing it out, reminding me that desire could be punishment as much as pleasure.

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‎Finally, I stood, brushing the dress back into place, smoothing my hair as if I could straighten out the tension in my chest too. Maybe I had been played. Maybe I had misread him.

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‎The thought was unbearable. And yet... I couldn't stop thinking about him. The way he looked at me, the weight of his presence, the dangerous comfort that always seemed to follow him. I had waited, and waited, and waited... and yet, I hadn't moved.

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‎And then... nothing.

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‎No car. No signal. No explanation. My heart stuttered again, more violently than before. I felt stranded, suspended between hope and fear.

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‎At home, the house would soon feel unbearable. Aris and my father were returning, their presence looming. Abi was unreachable ,her line silent, dead. I was alone.

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‎The wind picked up slightly, stirring my hair, whispering along the streets. I hugged my arms around myself, wishing the night could just swallow me whole.

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‎And then, far off in the distance, I noticed movement,a figure on the balcony, tall, lean, familiar. My breath caught. My stomach twisted. My heart lurched. Alaiz wasn't here in the driveway, not yet, but the shadow of him, the echo of his presence, was enough to ignite the pulse in my veins.

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‎I had no choice. I couldn't stay on the curb, frozen in frustration. I had to see him.

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‎I crossed the street slowly, cautiously, trying not to appear frantic, trying to appear... composed. The closer I got, the more I realized that the shadows themselves seemed to cling to him, shaping the night around him like he owned the dark as much as he owned the day.

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‎And then,nothing.

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‎The balcony emptied. The windows reflected nothing but light, shadows dancing across glass and concrete. I sank to the ground, a whisper escaping my lips. "Where are you?"

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‎I checked my phone again. No missed calls. No messages. Nothing. The emptiness pressed in from all sides. My chest ached, lungs tightening with panic and frustration.

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‎Back at home, the sound of a car rolling through the gates made me flinch. It was Aris and my father. Their car doors slammed. I could hear their voices through the air, sharp with curiosity, tinged with annoyance.

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‎"Where's Meelan?" Aris called.

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‎"She should be here," my father's voice followed. Calm, but underneath it, the unmistakable pulse of concern.

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‎Abi's absence added another layer of panic. Her phone was unreachable. The idea that I was completely alone, untethered, for hours on end made my chest tighten further.

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‎I couldn't think. Couldn't breathe properly. I sank against the wall, the city around me cold and indifferent. And then... I realized he had given me the address. He had explicitly said where to go.

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‎I hadn't wandered. I hadn't miscalculated. I had obeyed, had waited, had followed the rules he set. And yet... nothing.

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‎The streetlights reflected on the pavement, glittering like fragments of the promises I thought I'd received. My thoughts spun........was this punishment? Was this testing me? Or... had something gone wrong?

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‎I hugged my knees tighter. The memory of his voice, low, urgent, full of desire and intention, pressed against my mind. The thought of it combined with his absence now made my chest ache in a way that was more than physical,it was a slow, gnawing, burning ache that refused to leave.

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‎Somewhere in the distance, a car honked. My pulse jumped. My head whipped around, expecting him but no. Just another reminder of the world continuing without regard to the tension in my chest, the hope clawing at my ribs.

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‎I thought about the last conversation. About the call. About the way he had said he couldn't wait to see me. I had believed him, had surrendered to the anticipation, had held my breath, had dressed, had waited. And now... nothing.

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‎The night grew heavier. Every passing minute was a drumbeat against my temples, against my heart, against the fragile hope I clung to.

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‎And then... a distant sound of a car door closing again. Not him. Not yet. But the knowledge that my absence had been noticed finally hit me. Aris and Dad would arrive soon, questions, anger, confusion. Abi unreachable. Alone.

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‎I sank against the pavement, heart hammering, mind racing, body trembling.

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‎The night stretched endlessly. Every shadow, every flicker of light, every sound of the distant city felt magnified, sharpened. The ache in my chest had no name, no relief. The night itself seemed to mock me.

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‎And yet... a part of me couldn't stop thinking about him. About Alaiz. About the words, the voice, the look in his eyes when he had promised he couldn't wait to see me.

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‎By midnight, the emptiness became unbearable. My thoughts spiraled into what-ifs, whys, and fears. I replayed every interaction, every glance, every word. Nothing made sense. Nothing was right. And yet... nothing had stopped the ache either.

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‎I had obeyed. I had waited. I had followed his rules. And still... nothing.

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‎Somewhere far off, lights approached. My father's car, Aris beside him, voices sharp with concern. Questions they would ask, panic they would express. I had no answer.

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‎Abi's absence made me feel untethered. My pulse raced uncontrollably. The city around me was a blur. Every sound was amplified. Every shadow was a threat.

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‎And then,the phone in my pursue vibrated. But it wasn't a call. It wasn't him. Nothing. I pulled it out. No notifications, no messages. Just the silent reminder of abandonment, broken promises, and desire left dangling.

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‎I hugged myself tighter, pressing my forehead against my knees. The world was dark, indifferent, and cruel.

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‎Alaiz hadn't come. He hadn't called. He hadn't even tried to explain.

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‎And now... my father and Aris would be home soon, wondering why I was gone, and I had nothing to tell them.

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‎The night stretched on. My pulse racing, my chest aching, my heart breaking in silent, sharp shards.

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‎And somewhere in the shadows, the memory of his voice, the promise of his presence, whispered through the night.

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‎I didn't move. I couldn't. I just waited.

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‎Nothing had happened. Yet everything had broken.

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