EIRA'S POV
Oh God, what a dull day.
With no college, I had absolutely nothing to do. I'd already spent half the morning staring at the ceiling, scrolling through my phone, and trying to convince myself that boredom wasn't slowly killing me.
It was.
I sat up abruptly.
Novels.
Of course.
My one true love.
Suddenly energized, I jumped out of bed and quickly got dressed. A few minutes later, I stepped out of my room and locked the door behind me.
As I turned toward the hallway, the door of the room beside mine opened.
A girl stepped out.
For a moment, I simply stared.
She was beautiful.
Not the kind of beauty that demanded attention, but the kind that quietly stole it. Her skin was pale, almost porcelain-like, and her features were delicate and refined.
Before I could stop myself, the words slipped out.
"You're beautiful."
The girl blinked.
Then she burst into laughter—a soft, warm sound that immediately eased my embarrassment.
"Thank you," she said with a smile. "You're beautiful too."
Heat rushed to my face.
Great.
Now I sounded weird.
She extended her hand toward me.
"By the way, I'm Andy."
I shook it.
"Eira."
"Nice to meet you, Eira."
"You too."
For a moment, an awkward silence settled between us.
Then I lifted my bag.
"I was actually on my way to the library."
"Oh?" Andy smiled. "A reader?"
"A huge one."
"Then I already like you."
I laughed.
"I should go before the library closes."
"See you around, neighbor."
I waved goodbye and headed toward the library, completely unaware that this brief conversation would stay with me later—for reasons I couldn't yet understand.
I wandered between the shelves, searching for the perfect escape.
Then my eyes landed on Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.
A romantic story—tender, emotional, and heartbreaking.
Exactly what I was craving.
I hugged the book against my chest, then suddenly froze.
A strange sensation prickled along my spine, as though unseen eyes were watching me.
I glanced around.
Nothing.
The library was empty.
You're imagining things, Eira.
I shook off the feeling and headed outside.
The sun had already begun sinking beneath the horizon. Orange and gold painted the sky, but the breathtaking view did little to soothe the uneasiness growing inside me.
The road leading back to the hostel was unusually quiet.
Too quiet.
No students.
No laughter.
No distant conversations.
Only the steady rhythm of my footsteps against the pavement.
I tightened my grip on the novel pressed against my chest and continued walking.
Then I heard it.
Another set of footsteps.
Behind me.
Slow.
Steady.
Following.
My stomach dropped.
I glanced over my shoulder.
Nothing.
The path was empty.
Maybe I was imagining it.
I turned forward and quickened my pace.
The footsteps quickened too.
Fear crept up my spine.
My heartbeat thundered in my ears.
The hostel wasn't far.
I just needed to reach it.
I walked faster.
The footsteps drew closer.
Closer.
Closer.
My breathing grew uneven.
I could almost feel someone's presence behind me.
Then, suddenly—
A hand reached toward my shoulder.
Before it could touch me, a blur shot past.
A sickening crack echoed through the deserted road.
The stranger stumbled backward with a curse.
I froze.
For a moment, I couldn't process what had happened.
Then I saw him.
Adrian.
Standing between me and the stranger.
The fading sunlight cast long shadows around him. His black jacket shifted slightly in the breeze, while his expression remained unreadable.
The stranger looked at him.
Only once.
Then he turned and ran.
Silence descended over the road.
I stared at Adrian.
His jaw was clenched, his black eyes blazing with fury.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded, his voice sharp as steel.
"I... I could ask you the same," I stammered, though my voice trembled with fear.
"I'll ask again. What are you doing here?"
His voice rose, so forceful that I flinched.
Despite the fear tightening my stomach, my traitorous mind noticed how striking he looked—those black eyes blazing beneath the fading light, his shoulders tense with restrained strength.
Did I just think he was handsome?
Focus, Eira.
"I... went to the library," I whispered.
For a moment, silence stretched between us.
Then, without warning, his expression softened.
"I'll walk you back to the hostel."
I hesitated, wanting to protest, but the lingering anger in his eyes silenced me.
Wordlessly, I nodded.
The walk back was quiet.
Too quiet.
I wanted to speak, to break the tension between us, but every attempt at conversation died before it reached my lips.
By the time I finally gathered the courage to say something, we'd already reached the hostel gates.
Without so much as a glance in my direction, Adrian turned and walked away.
I stood there, frozen, a storm raging inside me.
Why was he so harsh?
So arrogant?
And yet...
Why did he always appear whenever I needed saving most?
That night, sleep refused to come.
I tossed and turned, questions circling endlessly through my mind until exhaustion finally pulled me under.
Crash!
The sound tore me from my sleep.
For a moment, I lay frozen in bed, my heart pounding violently against my ribs.
The room was dark.
Silent.
Too silent.
I rubbed my eyes and slowly sat up, trying to convince myself that the noise had been part of a dream.
Then I heard it again.
A faint sound.
A thud.
Followed by what sounded like movement somewhere outside my room.
My stomach tightened.
Maybe it was one of the girls returning late.
Maybe I was overthinking everything.
But something felt wrong.
The uneasiness from earlier returned, settling heavily in my chest.
I slipped out of bed and carefully opened my door.
The corridor was dimly lit.
Empty.
Cold.
I wrapped my arms around myself and listened.
For several seconds, there was nothing.
Then—
A muffled voice.
So faint I almost missed it.
My breath caught.
The voice seemed to be coming from the room beside mine.
Andy's room.
Immediately, I remembered the girl I'd met that morning.
Her warm smile.
Her soft laugh.
A chill ran through me.
Why would someone be in Andy's room at this hour?
And where was Andy?
My feet moved before my mind could stop them.
Slowly, cautiously, I approached her door.
Every step seemed louder than the last.
My heartbeat thundered in my ears.
When I reached the door, I pressed my ear against it.
At first, I heard nothing.
Then—
Movement.
Drawers opening.
Objects being thrown around.
Someone was definitely inside.
Fear and curiosity battled within me.
I knew I should leave.
I should call someone.
But I couldn't.
Not when something felt so terribly wrong.
As I leaned closer, my eyes caught a tiny hole near the edge of the door.
My pulse quickened.
Taking a shaky breath, I peered through it.
The room was in complete disarray.
Clothes littered the floor.
Drawers had been yanked open.
Books and papers were scattered everywhere.
A hooded figure moved through the room with alarming speed, searching through Andy's belongings.
My mouth went dry.
The stranger pulled out a phone and raised it to his ear.
For a moment, all I could hear was the frantic pounding of my own heart.
Then he spoke.
"Work done."
Three simple words.
That was all it took.
The blood drained from my face.
My entire body went cold.
No.
No, no, no.
It couldn't be.
The hooded figure ended the call and climbed onto the windowsill.
Then, without hesitation, he disappeared into the darkness outside.
I remained frozen.
Unable to breathe.
Unable to move.
Because I knew that voice.
I knew it.
I'd heard it too many times not to recognize it.
Adrian.
The realization struck me harder than any nightmare ever had.
My trembling hand flew to my mouth.
Questions crashed through my mind.
What was Adrian doing in Andy's room?
Where was Andy?
What did "work done" mean?
And why did it suddenly feel as though I knew absolutely nothing about Adrian—the man who kept appearing whenever I needed saving most?