Mika shot up in bed, heart pounding. Logan barked again, loud and sharp, ears pinned forward as he stood rigid at the foot of the bed. The room was dimly lit by the soft amber glow of her bedside lamp. Her eyes darted to the window, the same window she could have sworn was locked before she went to sleep.
Now it stood wide open.
She scrambled out of bed, feet hitting the cold floor as Logan growled low in his throat. The curtains fluttered slightly from the night breeze, and goosebumps rippled across her skin.
"What the hell..." she whispered.
Crossing the room quickly, she slammed the window shut and locked it, her hands trembling. Logan stayed glued to her side, tail stiff and alert, his body a living shadow to her fear.
"It was open," she said, breath short. "I didn't leave it open."
She moved through the apartment, checking each lock and curtain. Her reflection caught in the hallway mirror stopped her briefly. She looked pale, disheveled, haunted.
She shook her head and went to the kitchen.
She wasn't going to sleep tonight.
With the hum of the refrigerator behind her, Mika grabbed a bag of chips and a sleeve of cookies. She sat on the couch, remote in hand, Logan still pacing slightly between the windows. She turned on the TV, the volume low, a random sitcom filling the silence with canned laughter and cheerful dialogue that clashed with the thrum of her nerves.
Every time she passed a window, she could feel her pulse spike. Logan followed her closely, sometimes standing between her and the glass, as if shielding her. His body was tense, ears twitching at every creak of the building.
She tried to laugh at the show. Tried to eat like it was normal. But she was chewing on anxiety, not food.
By sunrise, she was still awake, legs curled beneath her on the couch, Logan's head resting protectively on her knee. A few minutes of sleep came in waves, broken and restless. She dozed with one eye metaphorically open, Logan snuggled close, his warm weight a tether to reality.
She woke just after noon, mouth dry and eyes gritty. Her body ached from the awkward sleep. After brushing her teeth and splashing water on her face, she made herself a grilled cheese and ate it over the sink, eyes still darting to the window.
The knock on the door startled her so bad she dropped her plate.
Logan barked immediately and ran to the door, snarling.
Mika hurried over, trying to quiet him. Her heart jumped again when she looked through the peephole and saw Lex.
He looked... normal. Calm. His hands were in his pockets, eyes cast downward like he was just waiting for her to open up.
She hesitated, then cracked the door open.
"Hey," he said softly. "Can I come in?"
Mika swallowed hard. "Now's... not really the best time."
"You look tired," he said, stepping a bit closer. "Rough night?"
She stared at him for a second, then finally opened the door wider.
Lex stepped in slowly. Logan didn't bark this time but remained close to Mika, watching him like a hawk.
"Something happened last night," she said, closing the door. "Someone opened my window. Came into my apartment."
Lex froze. "Are you serious?"
She nodded. "Logan scared them off, I think. But... it was open. I know I didn't leave it that way."
Lex looked around the apartment, eyes lingering at the windows, at the couch, the corners where shadows still clung.
"That's not okay," he said finally. "You should report it."
"I didn't see anyone. Just... the window open. And Logan barking."
Lex came closer, gently touching her shoulder. "You must have been terrified."
Her breath caught at the warmth of his touch. "Yeah. I didn't sleep."
"You want me to stay for a while? Just so you're not alone?"
She blinked at him. Part of her wanted to say no. Another part, a louder part, just nodded.
"Okay," she whispered.
They sat on the couch. He didn't touch her again right away, just stayed close. For a while, they talked about nothing. Dumb movies. Terrible takeout places. Anything but last night.
But Mika kept looking at him. At his jaw. Clean now. At his eyes. Still too deep. Too knowing.
"You ever have moments," she said suddenly, "where you feel like you're being watched? Like someone's right behind you, but when you look, there's nothing there?"
Lex tilted his head. "More often than you'd think."
Their eyes locked.
Something shifted.
He leaned in a little closer. "You looked beautiful sleeping."
Mika's heart dropped. "What?"
Lex blinked slowly. "Sorry. That sounded... wrong. I just meant you always look peaceful when you're not overthinking everything."
She laughed nervously. "I don't really do peaceful."
He shrugged. "You do. When you're not awake."
Mika stared at him. Her pulse fluttered. The fear from last night hadn't vanished, but it twisted now, something tangled with curiosity, with heat.
Lex shifted closer. His fingers brushed her arm. "You deserve to feel safe. To relax. To be touched by someone who isn't trying to break you."
Her breath hitched.
He leaned in. Just a fraction. Enough that she could smell the clean scent of his skin, the barest hint of something darker beneath it.
"Do you want that, Mika?"
She didn't answer right away. But she didn't pull away.
And Lex waited, his hand gently trailing along her wrist, thumb brushing her pulse like he could hear it better than she could feel it.
"I don't know what you are," she whispered.
"Something dangerous," he replied.
"Yeah. I figured."
Still, she didn't move.
His mouth was a breath from hers. His voice dropped, lower, rougher.
"Say the word, and I'll stop. Or say nothing, and let me ruin you."
The silence between them burned.
And Mika didn't say a thing.