Lisa's POV
I didn't know what I was doing anymore.
Every girl dreams of falling in love. But not like this. Not with a man who barely spoke, who carried sadness in his veins instead of blood. Not with someone whose hands looked like they had held more guns than roses.
But here I was.
Sitting next to Noha again—just us, silence, and his whiskey.
I don't think I understood what drew me to him. Maybe it was his pain. Maybe it was the way he watched me like I was a secret he didn't want to solve. Or maybe…
Maybe it was the loneliness in his soul that matched mine.
"Why do you keep coming back?" he asked suddenly, his voice like gravel.
I looked at him, heart thudding. "I don't know."
"Yes, you do."
I blinked. "Because I feel safe around you."
He leaned forward, his dark eyes piercing mine. "That's the dumbest thing I've heard."
"Why?"
"Because I'm the most dangerous man you'll ever meet."
There was no pride in the way he said it.
Only truth.
And I should've been scared. But I wasn't. I was just... sad for him.
"You don't scare me," I whispered.
He scoffed. "Then you're not paying attention."
I reached out, placing my hand gently over his.
He flinched.
His eyes met mine—staring, searching, almost angry.
But he didn't pull away.
"You're not a monster, Noha."
"You don't know me."
"I want to."
And for the first time in forever, his entire body went still. As if someone had just reached into the deepest, most wounded part of him—and touched it without hurting him.
Noha's POV
She touched me like I wasn't made of knives.
Like I wouldn't cut her.
But I would. I would ruin her without meaning to.
Because that's what I do. I destroy everything I love.
I've done it before.
And I swore I'd never let myself feel again. Never let anyone that close.
But Lisa?
She wasn't giving me a choice.
She looked at me like I was still human. Like there was something worth saving inside this broken body, this ruined heart.
"You can't want me," I said. "You don't know what I've done."
"Then tell me."
I looked away.
She'd run if I told her.
She'd scream if she saw my world.
And God, I didn't want her to scream.
I wanted her to stay.
And that terrified me.
Lisa's POV
Noha didn't speak after that.
He just stood up, walked toward the large window behind him, and stared out into the city lights. His world was dark—his eyes even darker. But I could see the cracks. The pieces of a man who once knew how to love… and lost everything.
I didn't know what happened to him. But I could feel it was something deep. Something deadly.
"I should go," I said softly.
He turned. His jaw clenched. "Don't."
My heart flipped. "Don't…?"
"Don't leave yet."
I sat back down.
And even though we didn't say a word for the next hour, just being near him made something inside me ache.
The kind of ache that feels a lot like falling.
Noha's POV
She left at midnight.
I watched her walk away. Her hair swaying, her back straight. She didn't look back.
I wanted her to.
I wanted to run after her.
But I didn't.
Because the truth was… I was already in too deep.
And the deeper she got, the more dangerous it would be.
For both of us.
Later That Night – Lisa's Home
My phone lit up.
Unknown Number:
"Text me when you reach home. Just so I know you're safe."
I stared at it.
Noha.
The man who warned me he was dangerous.
The man who watched me like he was afraid of what he felt.
The man who just wanted to know I made it home safe.
And that was the moment I knew…
I was falling for him.
Hard.