ARIA (POV)
Aria couldn’t sleep. The lyric still burned behind her eyes.
She sat curled up on her bed, hoodie sleeves pulled over her hands, staring at the folded note. Her breath fogged the window beside her. The neighborhood outside was asleep, but she wasn’t.
She opened her phone and searched:
"Guitar pick with R symbol, custom."
Nothing. Not even a brand. Whoever he was, he didn’t want to be found easily.
And yet… a part of her wanted to be found.
The next day at school, a note slipped from her locker. No name. No handwriting she recognized. Just five words scribbled across it:
"You’re not safe. Stay alert."
Her stomach dropped.
REVEN (POV)
He saw the message reach her.
His contact had delivered it before she even arrived at school. Reven was good, but not invincible—and now he wasn’t the only one watching her.
The old crew had splintered after what he did. Some disappeared. Some got locked up. Others… they didn’t forgive. And when word spread that he’d been seen in the city again, they didn’t go after him.
They went after her.
He clenched his jaw, leaning against the alley wall, hoodie up, guitar case beside him. Not yet. He couldn’t show himself yet. But he was close. So close it was torture.
Every step she took…
He followed.
Not because he didn’t trust her.
But because he didn’t trust the world.
ARIA (POV)
That night, she heard it.
A chord. Soft. Unmistakable.
Someone was playing guitar. Not loud enough for anyone else to notice, but just enough for her to hear—right outside her window.
She rushed to it. Opened the curtains.
Empty street.
But on the sidewalk below, a single black guitar pick lay waiting.
Narrative Mix
Someone was circling her life.
Too close. Too quiet.
And Aria’s curiosity was growing faster than her fear.
Who was R?
And why did she feel safest when the danger started to close in?
YOU ARE READING
Shadows and Strings
RomanceHe's a haunted rockstar with a dark past. She's the girl he was never supposed to love. When danger strikes, his obsession turns into protection-and her fear turns into fire. Enemies. Lovers. A bond stitched in shadows and strings.
