Bye-Bye Jerk, Hello Mr. Right

No answer. A chill crept down my spine.

But now wasn’t the time to chicken out. I forced myself to sound braver than I felt. “Who the hell are you?”

“It’s me, Pete!”

Footsteps followed, and then he added, “Your date from the café earlier.”

Wait, what?

Of all people, Pete? After just one coffee date, he was out here creeping on me? That made this whole thing even creepier.

The hallway was pitch black because the lights were out. I could barely see a thing, just some vague shapes barely lit by the moonlight sneaking in through the window.

He wasn’t close enough for me to see his face yet.

I gripped my key tight, ready to defend myself if I had to. “Why are you following me?”

“Don’t freak out, okay? I’m not here to hurt you. I just wanted to make sure you got home safe. It’s late, and it’s not exactly safe for a girl to walk alone at this hour,” he said as he finally stepped into view.

I almost laughed at that.

Like, seriously? Stalking me in the dark was supposed to make me feel safe?

We barely knew each other, and I hadn’t agreed to anything with him. Now he was acting like my personal bodyguard? Yeah, not buying it.

But since he’d already followed me home, pissing him off wasn’t going to help. So, I swallowed my frustration and tried to stay calm. “Thanks for the concern, but I’m home now. You can go.”

As I spoke, Pete stepped out from behind the stairwell. I’m a bit thirsty. How about you give me some water?”

His lame excuse made his intentions crystal clear. I tightened my grip on the key and shut him down immediately. “It’s too late. Not happening.”

He moved a step closer. “Come on, you’re thinking about dating me, so what’s the big deal about a glass of water?”

My fear shot through the roof as he edged nearer. “Don’t come any closer.”

“It’s just water. What’s the harm?” His smile twisted into something sleazy and dark.

My hands started shaking, but I was ready. If he took one more step, I’d drive that key right into his eye.

As Pete reached my floor, I lunged with the key. But before I could strike, a blast of icy air whipped past my face. With a thunderous crash, Pete was hurled backward, like he’d been hit by some invisible force straight out of a Marvel flick.

He slammed into the wall, bounced off, and then tumbled down the stairs, landing with a painful thud.

T

The whole thing happened so fast–crash, bounce, splat–it looked brutal even from where I stood.

Just as I was about to catch my breath, a voice, all too familiar, whispered in my ear, “You went on a date?

It was Hayden.

I didn’t even have time to react before Hayden coldly addressed Pete, who was still lying there like a heap on the stairs. “Get lost. If you’re still here in a minute, I’m calling the cops for harassment and trespassing.”

Pete twitched at Hayden’s words, clearly trying to move, but he was too messed up to do more than flop around. After a few painful seconds, he finally managed to push himself to his feet.

His face was covered in blood, and I couldn’t even tell where the injury was. He glanced at me, his eyes pleading.

But before I could process anything, Hayden’s hand shot up, blocking my view as he glared at Pete. “You want to lose your eyes?”

Pete, terrified, scrambled away as fast as his shaky legs could carry him. Suddenly, the hallway was dead quiet, just me and Hayden left standing there. His hand was still shielding my face, and before I knew it, I found myself leaning into his chest. Neither of us said a word, the silence pressing down like a weight on my lungs.

The tension was suffocating. I gently moved Hayden’s hand away, just about to say something when he beat me to it. “You went on a date with someone like that?”

His voice wasn’t harsh, but the words cut deep.

I hadn’t expected the date to turn into something straight out of a horror movie.

Looking up at Hayden’s handsome yet stern face, the memory of him rejecting me not too long ago stung Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

I couldn’t help but snap back. “You’re the one who wouldn’t agree!”

Hayden went quiet. I wasn’t done, though. “Why are you here?”

“Looking for you,” he answered.