Stay
Lia didn't answer him immediately.
Don't leave in the morning.
The words lingered softly between them while rain whispered against the windows and the city glowed dimly beyond the glass.
Adrian's arm remained wrapped carefully around her waist beneath the blankets.
Not tight enough to trap her.
Just enough to keep her close.
Like he physically relaxed more whenever he could feel her beside him.
And somehow—
that affected her more than all the obsessive confessions combined.
Because this wasn't possession right now.
This was fear.
Quiet fear hidden beneath all the intensity.
Lia lifted her head slightly from his shoulder to look at him.
The room was dark except for faint city light spilling across the bed.
Adrian looked exhausted.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Like loving someone this deeply constantly wore him down.
"You really think I'll disappear overnight?" she whispered softly.
A faint flicker crossed his face.
"Not because you want to."
The answer came quiet.
Careful.
Lia's chest tightened instantly.
"Then why?"
Adrian looked away briefly toward the windows before answering.
"Because eventually people realize I'm too much."
The honesty shattered straight through her.
Because he said it so simply.
Like it wasn't insecurity anymore.
Just fact.
Lia stared at him quietly.
"You really believe that."
A quiet laugh escaped him.
Not amused.
Almost tired.
"You met me, Lia."
His thumb brushed slowly against her waist beneath the blanket.
"I notice everything you do. I think about you constantly. I get jealous over people touching your hand."
The roughness in his voice wrapped tightly around her chest.
"You should probably be concerned."
But the thing was—
she was concerned.
She knew Adrian's obsession wasn't normal.
Knew the intensity of his feelings could become dangerous if handled carelessly.
And yet—
none of that stopped her from wanting him anyway.
Maybe because underneath all the possessiveness—
Adrian loved carefully.
Like she mattered too much to mishandle.
Lia shifted slightly closer again until her head rested back against his chest.
The reaction in him was immediate.
His breathing caught softly.
Then slowed.
Like her closeness physically calmed him.
"You do that on purpose now," he murmured quietly.
"What?"
"Getting closer when I'm overthinking."
Heat rushed lightly into her cheeks.
"You looked sad."
Silence.
Then Adrian's arm tightened carefully around her waist.
Not controlling.
Protective.
The kind of hold that said stay without speaking.
The rain outside softened further while the bedroom settled into sleepy quiet.
Lia could hear his heartbeat beneath her ear.
Slow.
Steady.
The sound should not have felt comforting.
But somehow—
it did.
Adrian rested his chin lightly against the top of her head.
And for several minutes, neither of them spoke.
The silence no longer felt heavy.
It felt lived in.
Intimate in the softest possible way.
Then quietly—
"You're really staying."
The wonder in his voice nearly broke her heart.
Lia frowned slightly.
"You keep sounding surprised."
"Because I am."
His fingers brushed slowly against her side beneath the blanket.
"Most people get overwhelmed by me eventually."
The confession settled heavily into the room.
Lia thought about that for a long moment.
About the Adrian everyone else saw.
Cold.
Powerful.
Untouchable.
A man people respected more than they understood.
Then she thought about the Adrian beside her now.
The one who admitted fears quietly at two in the morning.
The one who looked genuinely relieved every time she stayed close.
The one who loved like he expected heartbreak even while hoping for forever.
"You know what I think?" she whispered softly.
Adrian hummed quietly for her to continue.
"I think nobody ever stayed long enough to understand you."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Then Adrian's breathing changed.
Just slightly.
Enough for her to notice.
Lia lifted her head carefully.
The expression on his face nearly ruined her emotionally.
Gone.
Completely gone for her.
His eyes stayed fixed on her like she'd just said something no one else ever had before.
"Do you know," he said quietly, "how dangerous it is when you talk to me like that?"
Her pulse stumbled.
"You keep calling me dangerous."
"Because you are."
His hand moved slowly upward along her back beneath the oversized shirt.
Warm.
Careful.
"You say things that make me want impossible things."
The roughness in his voice wrapped tightly around her spine.
Lia looked at him carefully.
"Like what?"
Adrian stared at her for several long seconds before answering.
"A future."
The single word hit harder than everything else.
Because suddenly—
this wasn't about obsession anymore.
Not entirely.
It was about wanting permanence.
Wanting mornings together.
Wanting routine.
Wanting her in every part of his life until loneliness stopped existing.
The realization made her chest ache painfully.
Adrian noticed immediately.
"You're thinking again."
"You say devastating things casually."
A faint smile touched his mouth.
"You still haven't run."
The warmth in his voice nearly destroyed her.
Because Adrian sounded proud of that.
Not controlling.
Just relieved.
Lia reached up slowly, brushing her fingers lightly through his dark hair again.
The reaction remained immediate.
Always immediate.
His eyes closed briefly while his arm tightened around her instinctively.
"You really like that," she whispered softly.
A rough laugh escaped him under his breath.
"You're touching me affectionately while lying in my bed." His eyes opened slowly again. "What exactly did you expect?"
Heat spread through her chest.
God.
Even tired, he still sounded devastating.
The rain outside faded softer and softer until the entire room felt wrapped in quiet warmth.
Adrian studied her face carefully again.
Then softly—
almost hesitant—
"You'll still be here when I wake up?"
The vulnerability in the question nearly shattered her completely.
Because Adrian Monteverde—
the man everyone feared—
looked genuinely uncertain asking her to stay.
Lia moved closer without thinking until their foreheads touched lightly beneath the dim city glow.
Then softly—
"I'll still be here."
The relief on his face was immediate.
Raw enough to hurt.
And maybe the scariest part?
Lia realized she meant it completely.