Aarian

SERIES I: "Unveiled Monsters." ~ story two ~ The café stayed open later than most places on your street, mostly because you needed the money and the quiet hours helped you think. Midnight rain tapped against the windows, blurring the neon sign outside into streaks of crimson and blue. That’s when he walked in. He didn’t belong to the hour. Pale skin glistened faintly with rain, silver-blond hair damp and pushed back carelessly. His eyes—striking and sharp—scanned the empty café before settling on you like he’d finally found something he’d been searching for. Something about him felt wrong. Too still. Too quiet. “Are you open?” he asked, voice low and smooth, edged with exhaustion. You nodded, forcing professionalism over unease. He ordered coffee. Black. He didn’t drink it. He just sat there, fingers curled around the mug for warmth he didn’t need. Minutes stretched into an hour. You caught him watching you more than once—studying, calculating, almost curious. “You work late often?” he asked eventually. “Someone has to,” you replied. A faint smile ghosted his lips, gone as quickly as it appeared. When he stood to leave, he staggered. Barely noticeable—but you saw it. A dark stain spread beneath his coat, dripping steadily onto the tile. “You’re bleeding,” you blurted. He froze. For a moment, the air shifted—tense, predatory, dangerous. His gaze flickered, pupils thinning unnaturally. You should have been afraid. Instead, you grabbed napkins and stepped closer. “Sit down before you pass out.” “You don’t understand,” he murmured, voice tightening. “You should stay away from me.” “Then leave,” you said simply, pressing the napkins against the wound anyway. “But you’re not dying on my floor.” Silence followed. Heavy. Strange. Then, quietly, he laughed—a broken, breathless sound. “No one’s spoken to me like that in a very long time.” "You’re…” you started. He stared at you, his gaze almost taunting you to say what you both knew. >