Bound By Fire

Dangerous Curiosity

003

By the time school let out, Sade's nerves were still frayed from her unexpected encounter with Zyshone. The whispers and stares that followed her throughout the day didn't help either. Tasha had bombarded her with questions—Who is he? Where did you meet him? Why didn't you tell me you knew someone that fine?—but Sade had brushed it all off with half-hearted answers. She didn't know how to explain Zyshone to anyone when she barely understood him herself.

Sade stepped onto the sidewalk, clutching her bag tightly as she started the walk home. The sun dipped lower in the sky, painting the streets in hues of orange and gold. But even the warm glow of the evening couldn't calm the strange mix of anxiety and excitement swirling in her chest.

She had almost made it to her block when a sleek black car pulled up alongside her. The tinted window rolled down, and her heart skipped a beat.

"Need a ride?" Zyshone's deep voice carried an easy confidence, but his eyes held a seriousness that made it hard to say no.

Sade hesitated, glancing around. This was exactly the kind of thing her mother had warned her about—getting into cars with strangers, especially ones as intimidating as him. But Zyshone didn't feel like a stranger anymore.

"I can walk," she said, her voice steady but unsure.

"I know you can," he replied, his lips twitching into a slight smirk. "But I'm offering. Ain't nothing wrong with letting someone make life a little easier."

Her feet refused to move, her body caught between caution and curiosity. Finally, with a resigned sigh, she walked around to the passenger side and slid into the car. The interior smelled like leather and faint cologne, and the soft hum of the engine filled the silence as he pulled away from the curb.

"Where to?" he asked, glancing at her briefly.

"Home," she said quietly, giving him her address.

They drove in silence for a few minutes, the tension between them thick but not uncomfortable. Zyshone finally broke it. "You good? After last night?"

Sade nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just... I don't know why you're even bothering with me."

His grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly. "You're different."

"Different how?"

"You ain't like the people I usually deal with. You don't pretend to be something you're not," he said simply, his eyes focused on the road.

Sade blinked, caught off guard by his honesty. She wasn't sure what to say, so she stayed quiet, letting his words sink in.

When they reached her block, Zyshone slowed the car and parked a few houses down. Sade glanced at him, unsure of how to end the conversation.

"Thanks for the ride," she said softly, her hand on the door handle.

"Sade," he said, his voice stopping her before she could step out.

She turned to face him, her breath catching as his intense gaze locked onto hers.

"Be careful out here," he said, his tone laced with something close to concern. "Not everyone you meet has good intentions."

Sade swallowed hard, nodding. "I'll be careful."

She climbed out of the car and shut the door, feeling his eyes on her as she walked up to her front porch. When she finally turned to look back, the car was gone.

That night, Sade lay in bed staring at the ceiling, her mind racing. She couldn't stop thinking about Zyshone—his voice, his presence, the way he seemed so out of place in her ordinary life.

On the other side of the city, Zyshone sat in his penthouse apartment, staring out at the skyline. He didn't know why he cared about Sade, but he couldn't stop himself. She was like a breath of fresh air in his suffocating world—a world filled with lies, schemes, and danger.

But Zyshone knew better than anyone that his world wasn't meant for someone like her.

And yet, for the first time in years, he found himself wanting something real. Something good.

The question was, could he protect her from the darkness that came with him? Or would his world swallow her whole?

Neither of them knew it yet, but their lives were about to intertwine in ways they couldn't imagine. And neither would ever be the same.