Page 88 of Mine To Hunt

He shifts his weight. Then takes a step toward me. Slow. Calm. Unhurried.

Each step makes my chest tighten more. My back presses against the cabinet behind me. I do not even remember stepping backward. My body must have moved on its own.

"How did you get inside?" I ask. My voice shakes badly. He does not answer.

He keeps walking until he is close enough that I can see the faint reflection of the room in his mask. I can see a blurred version of myself staring back at me from its surface.

I glance toward the hallway, my mind screaming at me to run, but my legs feel weak and slow.

"Please," I whisper, swallowing hard. "Just tell me what you want from me. Why do you keep doing this? Why do you keep showing up like this?"

His gaze drops. To my hand. To my burned fingers.

Without saying anything, he bends down and picks up the ointment from the floor. Then he straightens again and looks at my hand.

"You should be more careful." He says quietly.

His voice is low. Calm. Almost gentle.

"You should not hurt yourself like this. It is careless."

Something strange moves inside my chest. His gloved hand closes around it firmly but not painfully. He squeezes a little ointment onto his finger and spreads it slowly over my burn.

His touch is careful. Gentle. Controlled. The cool cream soothes the sting almost instantly, but my thoughts start racing so fast I feel light-headed.

Part of me wants to pull away. Another part stays completely still. That second part terrifies me more than he does.

His thumb brushes lightly over my fingers as he finishes applying the ointment, and I swallow hard. My chest rises and falls unevenly. He is standing so close I can feel his presence like heat against my skin. I hate that my body notices. I hate that my breathing changes. I hate that my heart is not just racing from fear anymore.

Why am I reacting like this? Why is my body betraying me?

He tilts his head, watching my face carefully, as if he can see every thought passing through my mind. Then, in a low, calm voice that sounds almost gentle, he says, "Only I am meant to hurt you."

The words slam into me. The strange warmth inside my chest dies instantly, replaced by cold shock. My stomach drops. My throat tightens. The meaning behind those words spreads through me slowly, like poison sinking into my veins.

My breath stutters. Shame burns through me, hotter than the injury on my hand. How could I have mistaken this for kindness even for a second? How could I have felt safe standing this close to someone who just claimed the right to hurt me?

"Why are you doing this to me?" I ask, my voice breaking as tears fill my eyes.

"Why do you keep ruining my life? First you destroyed my reputation at uni, and now you made someone spread rumors about me in my office. What did I ever do to you?"

His grip tightens slightly. Not enough to hurt. Just enough to remind me that he could.

"I do not do such petty things." He says calmly. "Only a coward attacks from behind. I prefer to see fear face to face. I’m seeing it in your eyes right now"

For a second longer he keeps hold of my hand, as if making sure the words sink in. Then his fingers loosen. He lets go, turns, and walks away. Just like that.

No hurry. No hesitation. His footsteps are calm and steady as he leaves the room, like he has all the time in the world and none of this is unusual for him. Like appearing and disappearing inside my flat is the simplest thing imaginable.

I stay frozen where I am long after he is gone, my body still locked in place, my mind struggling to catch up with what just happened.

My heart is still racing so hard it hurts. His words keep repeating in my head.

I’m seeing it in your eyes right now.

My stomach tightens. Heat rushes to my face even though the room is cool. He said it so calmly. Not like a threat. Not like an insult. Like an observation. Like he was simply stating a fact he found interesting.

Slowly, carefully, I step into the hallway. The flat is empty. There’s no sign of him. I check the front door. Still locked from the inside. I check every window. All closed. All latched. Exactly the way I left them.