None of us knows danger is just around the corner. – Liana
Liana
The sun was bright but soft, the kind of early summer warmth that made the whole world feel a little slower.
Elias held my hand as we walked down the street, Miso trotting just ahead on his leash. He looked alert, proud, like he thought he was leading a parade.
“You realize he’s been strutting since we left the house,” I said, laughing.
Elias smirked. “He knows he’s cute.”
We were headed to a little brunch spot with outdoor seating. Miso had been there twice already, and the servers greeted him like he was a regular.
We sat under a striped umbrella while Miso curled under the table, his head resting lazily on my foot. Elias ordered something overly complicated. I just wanted pancakes.
I leaned against his shoulder while we waited.
“I like this,” I murmured. “Just being out with you. Normal stuff.”
He kissed my temple. “Then let’s make it not just weekends. Let’s make it forever.”
I flushed, swatting him lightly. “Do you always say cheesy things when people are watching?”
He shrugged, completely unapologetic. “Only when I’m with my forever person.”
I could feel the warmth on my cheeks, and my heart.
The food came.
Miso got a little dog biscuit from the server, which he accepted with princely grace.
We were mid-bite when Miso suddenly shifted.
Not much, just a quiet rise to his feet, ears flicking up, muscles going tense.
Elias noticed first. He turned his head slightly, tracking Miso’s gaze to the far end of the street.
Nothing obvious. Just a man walking a bike, an old couple on a bench, a kid on a scooter.
But Miso didn’t relax.
I bent down to rub his back. “What is it, baby? Squirrel? Cat?”
He didn’t move. Didn’t bark. Didn’t growl.
But he didn’t sit back down either.
Elias stayed quiet, but I could feel the change in his posture, how still he went.
“Probably nothing,” he said after a beat, though his eyes didn’t leave the sidewalk.
Unknown Man
He sat on a borrowed motorcycle, half-shadowed by a delivery van.
Across the street, the guy laughed. The girl handed him a fork. The dog stood tense.
He watched. Noticed things.
How the guy clocked every passerby without turning his head.
How the dog moved like it had been trained to kill.
How the girl smiled like she had no idea the man sitting across from her had once broken another man’s spine without blinking.
“He’s not the one to touch,” he muttered. “Not if I want to keep breathing.”
But her?
She was soft. Alone during the day. Never looked over her shoulder.
He watched her laugh, lean across the table.
“You’re the weak point,” he said under his breath, starting the engine. “And I always go for the softest spot.”
Liana
When I got back from tossing a napkin in the bin, Elias handed me my juice. “Told you not to carry both plates. You’re not that strong.”
I scoffed. “I carried you through emotional damage. I think I can handle toast.”
He laughed, kissed the corner of my mouth.
I smiled and leaned into him, not noticing the bike that had turned the corner and disappeared into traffic.
Not knowing someone had just marked me as his next move.
