ARIA (POV)
The guitar pick sat on her desk like it had answers.
Aria stared at it, fingertips grazing the edge as if touching it might trigger a revelation. No initials. No brand. Just the same black, matte surface as the last one that showed up in her locker two days ago.
This one came with a note.
"R."
That was all. Just the single letter. And yet, her heart thudded like it had read a full confession.
It was getting harder to pretend she wasn't intrigued. She hadn't told anyone about the notes, the picks, the playlist that magically appeared in her Spotify-full of rock songs she'd loved but never told a soul about. The air around her felt watched, but never unsafe. Not yet.
A breeze carried through her slightly open window, lifting the corner of the note. Aria caught it before it flew, her gaze flickering to the rooftops outside. Empty. Still.
But her skin prickled with the same sensation she felt that night at the bar. The electricity. The tension. The presence.
ARIA (thinking):
I should be scared. But I'm not. That's what scares me most.
She folded the note, slipped the pick into a small box, and placed both in her nightstand drawer-right beside the others.
Her phone buzzed. Unknown number.
You looked beautiful in the moonlight last night.
Her throat dried. She glanced at her window again. Nothing.
Aria's thumbs hovered over the keyboard. She shouldn't reply. Every crime show she watched warned against this. But logic was drowning in adrenaline.
Who are you?
A moment passed.
Someone who can't stop watching you.
Someone who shouldn't.
But will anyway.
Aria's breath hitched. Her heart kicked against her ribs like it wanted out. She could feel the butterflies-no, bats-in her stomach, flapping wildly.
Stop texting me.
(Don't stop, don't stop, don't stop...)
Another message appeared.
Can't. You're already in my veins, Aria Vale.
She dropped her phone, heart in her throat. She didn't know whether to scream or smile.
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.
