Selene Brooks lives in a world made of pages-soft-spoken, sheltered, and safe. Tucked away in a quiet bookstore and under the watchful eye of her grandmother, she's untouched by the shadows that move beyond her small corner of the city.
Until she se...
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The car ride to wherever unknown place Kairo was taking Selene was quiet and eerie. She felt suffocated—she couldn't breathe. She didn't notice her fingers fidgeting. A hard hand pressed against them softly, stopping their shaking—Kairo's. That was his way of telling her to relax. Strangely, it caused her to do just that.
The car rolled to a smooth stop in front of a towering building of glass and steel. It gleamed against the sky, looking almost magical. Too magical for Selene to be around.
She shouldn't be here. This isn't her world.
She stared up at the building through the tinted windows of the car, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Come on, girl," Rico said softly beside her. "It's just a building. He's the one that's terrifying."
He opened the door for her. The cool evening air had hit her like a sharp slap. Her boots clacked against the pavement as she stepped out, feeling smaller than ever under the weight of it all.
Kairo was already at the entrance of the building, speaking to a man in a suit who immediately stepped aside when he saw her. This alone confused Selene. She wasn't used to people noticing her and stepping aside when she walked through—it was a whole new ball game.
She stopped at Kairo's side and held her head down, unsure of what else to do and where the go. Kairo sighed. "Let's go," he said.
Selene followed him through the glass doors. The lobby was flawless—its marble walls and warm white colors. She looked around, admiring the beauty of it all. So opposite from Kairo. It was very quiet. No conversations, no music. Just silence.
The elevator ride was silent. Rico leaned against the wall, scrolling on his phone casually as if he was bored. Kairo stood tall, his hands in his pockets, staring ahead. Selene stood in between the two, counting the beeps of the elevator to distract herself.
She glanced at her reflection in the mirror. She looked terrified. Her wide eyes and trembling lips.
The elevator dinged and the doors slid open to reveal a private floor. His world.
The three entered Kairo's penthouse. It was spacious. Cold. A wide expanse of black and white, lit by floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. Everything was clean. No color. No clutter. No warmth,
This wasn't a place someone could call home, that was for sure.
Kairo walked ahead without a word. He removed his coat and threw it onto one of the black leather couches. He stood behind Selene and softly slipped her coat off, revealing her floral t-shirt. Selene shivered as his hands came in contact with her skin.
