Bria POV:

My bags was packed , ready to leave my parents house the morning after my birthday. I didn't want to spend another day living under the same roof with my hypocrite mother but, I would miss my sister and my dad.

" just mek sure yuh call mi", she said as stood in my doorway,  dressed in her high school uniform.  She looked so mature and neat , I found it a bit hard to accept the fact that she was 15 , three years had passed so fast.

" of course , as long as mi nuh busy and college nah kill mi ", I replied . Same time my mother called out to her from downstairs telling her to come now if she wanted a ride to school and after hugging me, she grabbed her bag and left , the slamming of the front door echoing in their departure.

My father was going to drop me in ochi before driving back to Montego Bay for work, so I took my bag and made my way downstairs to the living room to wait on him . I could hear him inside his study , talking on his phone . As I was relaxing on the couch , my phone rang,  the caller ID showing sister from another mother , which was what I saved Mickayla as .

" yes ?", I asked as I answered.

" yuh fada a drop yuh inna ochi or yah tek taxi?", she asked.

" him a drop mi , a wah?yuh want him fi stop fi yuh?"

" yes please,  mi mada couldn't drop mi becaue she did have sumuh important fi  guh do inna town and mi did aguh tek taxi but, then mi memba seh yuh nuh lef yet suh mi decide fi call yuh ".

" alright, mi will mek him know and call yuh back when wi deh near to which part yuh live ".

" alright,  thanks.  Mi aguh deh out a eh end a eh Street,  out a eh bus stop a wait" , she replied and ended the call and I got up from the couch and made my way to my father's study to let him know to stop for Mickayla but, paused outside the door which was half cracked for a moment, debating on whether or not I should just wait until he was done with the phone call.

" mi check eh funds , everything look good pon my end boss . Yuh know seh mi nah guh si sumuh off or out a place an nuh run it by yuh. From yuh put mi in charge a eh running fi St.Ann and especially eh Mobay area , yuh nah nuh problem and mi know yah si eh funds dem a come in , cause a ova 3 million yuh mek in space a eh 5 months since mi in charge, suh just lef it to mi and mek mi prove to yuh seh mi know how fi run dah business yah eh right way ", he was saying and I frowned wondering what he was talking about but , I just brushed it off to it being about his job as an accountant and made my way back to the living room deciding to wait until he was finished.

About half an hour later , he came into the living room an exhausted look on his face.

" yuh alright?" , I asked him , a bit concerned.

" yeh man, just eh work Bria . Come , cause mi affi reach back dung yah by eh 11", he said and I got up , took up my bag and followed behind him out the door and to his car .

" oh, yuh cah pick up Mickayla please?", I asked as I climbed into the front passenger seat beside him .

" yeh man , she out har street a ready?"

" yes".

We drove in comfortable silence, the music playing on the radio the only sound inside the car. He stopped at the  bus stop and picked up Mickayla and then we continued on our way to Ochi .

An hour later and Mickayla and I was back in our apartment, back to the stress of college and the adult life.

That night as I enjoyed a movie before bed with Mickayla, I felt guilt eating me up inside , the fact that at this very moment our mothers was probably having sex together and I knew and still hadn't said a word to my best friend, made me felt awful but, I reminded myslef that it wasn't my business to tell .

The following day as we walked through the campus gates Mickayla said ,

" oh by the way ,prepare fi deh home by yuhslef tonight cause mi aguh guh out lata" , and I raised an eyebrow at her .

" oh really? Wid who , Davio?", I asked jokingly .

" yes " , she replied dead serious and I steared at her and then we both laughed .

" oh wow,  neva did a expect that but, ok. Hope yuh enjoy yuhslef and call mi and mek sure yuh reach home by 12 midnight eh latest or mi aguh find him , cause mi affi mek sure yuh alright", I said.

" of course but, mi just a gi him a chance because him nice and him look good but, yuh know how mi stay a ready. This aguh be mi 2 second try at a relationship and if it nuh work out , a it that,  mi done cause mi nah mek nuhbody tek mi fi fool twice", she said firmly.

" yes , which is right. Anyways lata", I said as I parted ways with her to go to my first class .

The sterile, fluorescent lights of the Microbiology lab at UTEC buzzed faintly overhead, casting sharp reflections off the polished lab tables. I  sat near the back, my notebook filled with neat, meticulous handwriting, though for some reason this morning my mind wasn’t entirely on the lecture.

The professor’s voice was a distant hum, drowned beneath the soft echoes of my own thoughts, the memories of Chris, the darkness I had escaped, and the phantom shadow that once haunted my every move. I didn't want to think about it or him but, now that I had started I couldn't stop.

When the class finally ended, chairs scraped against the tiled floor as students packed up their bags. I moved quickly, slipping my notebook into my bag, eager to escape into the comfort of solitude. But as I approached the door, a figure stepped into my path, halting me mid-stride.

Romero Davis, the smartest male in class and also one of the few who actually engaged with the professor and answered questions.

Tall, with warm brown eyes and a disarming smile, he radiated an easy charm that contrasted sharply with the cold, dangerous presence I had once known in another man. His dark skin gleamed slightly under the fluorescent lights, and the faint scent of his cologne lingered between us.

“Hey, Bria, right?” he said, his voice smooth, carrying just the right amount of confidence to catch my attention.

I paused, my heart skipping, not out of excitement but instinctive caution. I glanced around, my fingers tightening around the strap of my bag.

“yes, I am ,” I  replied, my voice neutral, guarded.

Romero chuckled softly, smoothly reaching out and holding me by my waist as he shifted me to the side , out of the doorway to allow the rest of the students to leave .

“I’ve noticed you in class. You’re always so focused… figa seh mi woulda finally man up and come say hi.”

I  offered a polite smile, my heartbeat still a little too fast.

“mi did a wondah…” he continued, his smile shifting into something softer, genuine. "Yuh wah have dinner wid mi Satdeh night ? Sumuh , casual. Nuhun weird. As mi seh mi did a watch yuh fi awhile now and mi really like how yuh carry yuhself and yuh attitude towards eh work and mi have a thing fi pretty woman , especially eh smart one dem".

The question hit me like a ripple in still water.

Dinner.

My mind flashed back, to Chris and what he had done and the price he paid. The shadow of my past whispered that I  was in some way cursed, that anyone who got too close would either end up hurt or dead .

I hesitated. "mi nuh  really....."

But then I stopped herself. No. That was the past. I was free now. The darkness was gone. Whosoever the man  was who had been haunting and ruining my life was gone and I could make my own decisions .

I  took a shaky breath and forced a small smile. "Okay. I accept".

Romero’s grin widened,

"Ah, tek mi number suh wi cah talk", and I gave him my phone so he could put his number in.

" ah, text yuh lata on pretty girl" , he said as he walked away and I couldn't help the smile that lifted my cheeks .

That evening back at our apartment, I told Mickayla about Romero Davis while she was getting ready for her date .

"Him sound nice and mi glad yuh decide  fi gi him a chance cause all through high school , a just books and studying and a time fi yuh actually enjoy life fi a likkle bit and have yuh first kiss , yah 18 but, as long as yuh comfortable and yuh feel like him worth it", she said .

" anyways how mi look ? ", she asked as she turned around , giving me a 360 spin . She was dressed in black cargo pants , white crop top, a jeans jacket and a pair of white air force and she had catch her hair back in a low bun at the nape of her neck and her edges was done neatly.

" really nice, remember... 12 a clock pon eh dot or mi a call eh police ", I said as I  sent her a stern look and she laughed .

" alright mummy" . Same time I heard a car stopped outside the gate and a horn honked . She grabbed her purse and left, locking the door softly behind her and I relaxed in the silence that followed,  thinking about Romero.

We texted and I learned a little more about him outside of class and when Saturday came , I got ready for my date with him , feeling both excited and a little nervous , this was my first date after all, first potential relationship too. I wore a white dress, my silver heels and  a pair of crystal raindrop silver earrings  and Mickayla did my makeup,  just a soft glam .

(Her dress)

" yes , yuh angle that.  Yuh look good girl , him better deveen tek him eye dem off a yuh when him si yuh . Him must fall in love afta tonight but, yuh look really beautiful though mi best fren", she said .

"Thanks but, mi feel so nervous right now mi probably all nuh eat tonight", I said and she laughed.

" mi know how yuh feel man but, food affi eat .especially afta yuh spend suh much time and fix up yuhself suh good , him affi reward yuh", she said.  He eventually arrived at around 8pm in the  night and we left together but, not before Mickayla told me she expected me home by 11pm , the audacity after I gave her until 12 midnight.

The date went well . The conversation was smooth and flowing and he told me not just about himself but, also about his family,  why he was studying medicine and his view on being in a relationship. We laughed , the food was nice , he knew how to make me smile,  and complimented me saying I looked gorgeous.

After that night dinner with Romero became a routine, a comforting escape wrapped in easy conversation and genuine laughter. He didn’t carry shadows in his eyes or leave me with a sense of impending doom, like the man at church whom I still didn't know his name but, here I was, still judging him.

On our 10th date we sat outside at a cozy restaurant overlooking Kingston’s city lights, the warm breeze brushing against my skin. Romero leaned back in his chair, studying me with a soft smile.

“Yuh know, Bria…” he started, his fingers absently tracing the rim of his glass. "Mi really enjoy yuh company and just a be wid yuh dem past few weeks yah, yuh just different. Inna wah good way. Mi like eh fact seh yuh smart, talking to yuh just easy , yuh carry yuhslef nice and clean and yuh just pretty".

I smiled , my cheeks getting hot.

"Thanks that's nice ", and he continued,

" is like yuh have this light and this … strength. Like yuh been exposed to somethings but, still find wah way fi nuh mek eh affect yuh . Yuh just have this positive energy amd anuh just wid mi but, wid whosoever deh round yuh".

The words hit deeper than he knew. I swallowed hard, masking the flicker of emotion behind a sip of my drink.

"So..." he leaned in, his voice dropping to a softer tone.

" mi feel like a full time now mi ask yuh . Will you be girlfriend Bria Tomlinson? mi really need yuh inna mi life ".

My heart stuttered.

But I smiled. A real one. "Yes".

His  grin grew, and without hesitation, he leaned across the table and pressed his lips to mine .

It was gentle. Warm. Safe and nice , he knew how to kiss.

But across the street, hidden in the shadows where no light dared to reach, unknown to me stood Caius.

His piercing blue eyes glinted like ice, locked on the scene before him. His jaw clenched, fists tightening at his sides as a storm brewed beneath his calm exterior. The distance between them didn’t matter. He could feel her, his Bria, slipping into someone else’s grasp.

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, dark and dangerous.

She thinks she’s free.

But shadows never leave.

And he was more than a shadow.

His smile grew as dark twisted thoughts filled his mind of how he would handle this little problem.