Chapter 39 An Uneasy Feeling
Aiyana's P.O.V
I heard a whisper slide through the dark like a blade.
“Aiyana.”
Immediately, jolted upright, heart slamming against my ribs, breath caught halfway between panic and recognition. The room was dim, lit only by the faint spill of moonlight through the curtains.
For a split second, I couldn’t see who sat on the edge of the bed, but I felt the weight, solid and unmistakable.
Jerome.
I exhaled shakily. “You scared me.”
“I’m sorry,I knocked.” He murmured. His voice was low, roughened by exhaustion.
“I didn’t hear it.” I responded with a sigh of relief as he sat properly on the bed, staring at me but saying nothing in response. Instead, he shifted slightly, elbows resting on his knees, head bowed as if he were carrying something heavy he didn’t know where to put down.
“Are you okay?” He asked with a little frown in his forehead like he could guess that something was definitely not good with me.
I'll always wonder how a man so busy and rugged, can be so attentive at the same time.
“I think so.” I said, which was the closest thing to truth I had because even I was not sure what it was that was wrong.
“Are you?” I asked back as I could smell his concern and sour mood. It was crazy how I thought he never had any expressions when I first met him, but now, it was easy to know when all wasn't well just from his eyes.
A pause.
“I will be.”
That was his way, vague answers but I honestly wasn't sure I wanted details of what had him so bothered.
It could be anything and a large part of me voted that the “anything” could be vicious.
I drew my knees up under the blanket, watching him carefully. Even half-shadowed, Jerome Black commanded the space. Violence clung to him like a second skin—but tonight, it was quieter, coiled tight beneath restraint.
“I checked on Noah.” He said. “He’s asleep. Gerald’s with him. Even though he's having a hard time as Noah hasn't forgiven him for hitting you.” He said with a little chuckle that somehow didn't feel like he was fully chuckling.
Something twisted in my chest at the mention of Gerald
“Oh,” I said lightly. Too lightly. “Good.”
Jerome’s head lifted. His gaze found mine instantly.
“You don’t sound convinced.”
I hesitated. I didn’t want to start something. Didn’t want to create a problem where maybe there wasn’t one. But the unease had been gnawing at me all day, persistent and sharp.
“He’s just… different, Lately.” I said carefully. “
Jerome’s jaw tightened. “Different how?”
I shrugged, picking at the edge of the blanket. “I don’t know. Closer, more intense. I feel like I’m constantly being watched.”
The silence stretched.
When Jerome spoke again, his voice was calm, but too calm. “Has he touched you in a way you didn’t want?”
“No.” I said quickly, not wanting it to escalate as I knew at the back of my mind just who I was talking to.
“Not exactly. It’s just…” I sighed. “It’s hard to explain. It’s a feeling.”
Jerome nodded once, slowly.
“That’s enough.” He said.
“Enough?” I asked, slightly confused but also kinda understanding why. He was a very possessive man and I knew that he felt ‘that way’ about me.
“For me to pay attention.” He responded, looking away from my eyes as his eyes darkened, not with jealousy, exactly, but with calculation.
“He won’t cross a line,” Jerome added. “I’ll make sure of it.”
The certainty in his tone should have comforted me.
Instead, it scared me.
“Jerome…” I said softly, “I don’t want this to cause problems between you two.”
His gaze snapped back to me.
“There’s already a problem." He said. “You feeling unsafe is one.”
I swallowed.
He leaned back slightly, creating space between us. It felt intentional. Like he was reminding himself where the line was.
“I meant what I said earlier…” He continued. “About not asking you to stay. Or risk yourself. Or be something you’re not ready for.”
“I know.” I whispered.
“But,I won’t pretend I don’t want you here.” He added, quieter now, and immediately my pulse quickened.
“And I won’t pretend I don’t notice when you pull away,” He said again “Or when you flinch. Or when you think you’re the reason for everything that goes wrong.” Coming closer with every word he said, the proximity making me breathless.
“Try to sleep.” He said, also breathing as heavy as I was if not worse as he stood up
“I’ll be nearby.”
As he reached the door, I found myself speaking without thinking.
“Will you… stay?”
He froze.
Not turned toward me. Not moving away.
Just still.
“I don’t mean…” I rushed. “You don’t have to. I just…”
He turned then, expression unreadable.
“I can sit, If that helps.” He said
It did.
He took the chair near the bed, angling it so he faced the door, not me. Like a sentry. Like a wall between me and the world.
I lay back down, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest.
Sleep came slowly.
~=•=~
The next few days passed in a strange, suspended state.
Jerome was everywhere, and nowhere.
He checked on me morning and night.
Brief touches.
A hand at my back guiding me through a corridor. Fingers brushing mine when he passed me something. Nothing overt. Nothing that crossed the line he’d drawn so carefully.
Gerald, on the other hand, seemed determined to erase that line entirely.
During training, his corrections became sharper again. When I stumbled, he caught me by the waist, holding on a second too long.
“Careful.” He murmured. “Wouldn’t want you hurt.”
“I’ve got it.” I said, stepping away.
He smiled. “Of course you do.”
Jerome watched from the balcony above.
Their eyes met.
Something passed between them. Silent, electric, dangerous.
That night, as I washed my hands in the bathroom, I caught my reflection in the mirror and barely recognized myself. Tired. Tense. Caught in the middle of something I hadn’t chosen.
A soft knock came at the door.
“Yes?” I called.
“It’s me.” Gerald said and my stomach tightened from the nerves that had built up towards him in the last few days.
I know I should have confronted him but I also didn't want to be wrong by reading too much into things and ruining the friendship we had just started to build.
I opened the door just enough to see him leaning casually against the wall, hands in his pockets.
“Jerome sent me. Said you needed these.” He said.
He held out a small packet of bandages and ointment.
“Oh,” I said. “Thank you.”
As I reached for them, his fingers brushed mine.
The contact lingered.
His eyes flicked to my lips again.
I stepped back.
“Good night, Gerald.”
For a moment, he didn’t move.
“Night, Aiyana. Sweet dreams.” Her responded with a smile that sent shivers down my spine.