"Hey!"
The tap on his shoulder snapped Ravin out of the glow of his screen like a pulled plug.
He looked up.
She stood there, sunlight catching in her hair like it had chosen her on purpose.
Long, smooth strands fell just past her ear, framing a face that didn't look real enough to belong to a stranger.
A face that you would see belonging to a celebrity of some kind was one of which she possessed.
it made his brain stall. Calm eyes.
Confident posture.
Beautiful. Effortlessly so. She was.... Dazzling.
Anyone would've faltered.
Ravin did.
"Uh—hey."
"Do you know where Bachira's store is?"
she asked, voice casual, like she wasn't dismantling his focus just by standing there.
Ravin's throat tightened.
He nodded too quickly, then shook his head, then nodded again. His slip ups were too many to count.
"I—It's… west of here. Past the corner, then—uh—"
He gestured vaguely, words tumbling over each other, each letter a mumble.
His eyes betrayed him, drifting where they shouldn't, lingering too long before snapping away.
He hated himself for it, but his thoughts refused to slow, racing with a heat he wasn't ready to acknowledge.
She followed the direction of his pointing hand, then looked back at him, brows slightly raised.
Studying him now.
That was enough.
Panic kicked in.
By the time she blinked, his seat was empty. Her eyes drifted, spotting him seconds later, already halfway to the bus stop, food abandoned on the table, head down, shoulders tense.
"I gave her the directions," he told himself.
"That's enough. That's more than enough. I hope it was enough....it should've been... right?"
The bus doors hissed open.
Relief washed over him—
"Hey!"
His body jolted like the word had been wired directly into his spine.
That voice.
His heart dropped.
A hand shot out in front of him, palm flat against the metal pole by the door, blocking his way.
"That's not exactly the right directions man."
she said, annoyance coloring her tone. Her lips pouted just slightly, more frustration than anger.
People on the bus stared.
Mostly at her.
Ravin stood frozen, heat crawling up his neck.
"I—I'm sorry. I thought—"
She sighed, then looked at him again.
Really looked.
Her irritation softened into something unreadable, it scared him.
"Look," she said, lowering her voice.
"Can you just… show me? It's getting late."
He should've said no.
Every instinct screamed that this was a bad idea.
Yet minutes later, he found himself walking beside her, the city stretching long and dim around them.
Conversation came in fragments, her correcting him, him apologizing, awkward silences broken by glances that lingered too long to be accidental.
Somehow, they missed the store entirely.
The streets thinned.
Neon signs replaced storefronts.
A motel sign flickered overhead.
"That's… not right,"
Ravin muttered, stopping short.
She turned to him slowly, eyes catching the buzzing light.
A smile tugged at her lips...not playful.
Not friendly.
Calculated. Plotted.
"Guess we walked farther than I thought,"
she said.
"You look tired, and plus.... it's already late."
He stared at her for a second.
"Soooo?"
She gave him a cheeky smile whilst squirting both eyes seductively.
"One room"—Door keys jingling—Click.
The room door opened.
His stomach twisted.
The room smelled faintly of old carpet and cleaner that failed to hide it. One bed. Curtains drawn.
The door shut with a final, hollow click.
Ravin stood near the wall, hands clenched, pulse pounding so loud it felt like the room could hear it.
She set her bag down and turned.
Fear settled in his chest.
not of her beauty, not of attraction.
but of the realization that he had no idea who she really was…or what she was....her intentions nor motives.
Heck...what she even wanted from him.
And that terrified him. Badly.
She turned around, looking at himself blankly and uttered the same words that got him into this situation in the first place.....
"Hey."