Page 11 of The Oni's Heart

He chuckled. A sound that immediately made my skin crawl. "You got that right," he said, sliding onto the stool beside me as if he owned the place. "How about I buy you a drink?"

I didn’t want anything from him. "You can keep your drink, I already got mine," I snapped, my patience already running thin.

"Come on, don’t be like that," he insisted, leaning a little too close. "What’s your name?"

I could feel his breath, the subtle intrusion of his presence, and it pissed me off. "I’m not interested."

He didn’t back off. Instead, he leaned even closer, trying to act all charming as if I didn’t already see through it. "Don’t you want to have some fun?" he asked, his hand brushing against my arm.

I froze for a second, the audacity of this guy burning a hole in my patience. Flexing my free hand into a fist, I took a few deep breaths.

"You don’t get it, do you?" I snapped, spinning toward him, my hand gripping the glass tighter. "I’m not looking for whatever bullshit you’re selling."

He looked surprised, but then his grin came back. "Oh, come on, no need to be so cold."

And that was it. I’d had enough. Without even thinking, I grabbed my drink and threw it in his face. I slammed the glass onto the counter with satisfaction as the ice and whiskey splashed all over his shirt, his face, and his smug little expression wiped clean away.

"You’re an idiot," I muttered, standing up and turning on my heel.

His hands went to his chest as he sputtered. "What the hell’s your problem?"

I didn’t stick around to hear the rest. I pushed through the crowd of the bar, heading for the door without a second glance. I could hear his footsteps behind me, fast, angry, and I just hoped he'd stop. But of course, he didn’t.

"Hey, bitch!" I heard him yell as the door slammed behind me. "You’re gonna pay for that!"

I kept walking, fast now, the thudding of his footsteps behind me getting closer. He was following me. Great. I quickened my pace, my heart pounding harder as I heard his voice cutting through the air.

"You think you can just do that and get away with it?" His voice was venomous now, each step that echoed behind me pushing me further into a panic. I probably knew what he wanted, but I wasn’t sticking around to find out.

I glanced behind me, his face twisted in rage, eyes dark with anger. He wasn’t going to stop. He wasn’t going to let this go. He wasn’t used to rejection.

I could feel the fear creeping up my spine, but I shoved it down. I wasn’t going to let some asshole ruin my night. Not tonight. Not again.

I turned a corner, trying to lose him, but he was still on my tail. My breath was quick now, my head spinning with the weight of my anger and the desperation to escape.

"Get the fuck away from me!" I screamed, turning around to face him, but he didn’t slow down. He was right there, towering over me now, his anger mixing with something else—something ugly.

"You can’t just treat people like shit and walk away!" he spat.

Something inside of me broke. The same fury that had been simmering all day came pouring out of me in a burst of energy. I shoved him back, hard, but he just grabbed my arm, jerking me toward him, his grip too tight, his breath foul and hot on my face.

"Let go of me!" I yelled, panic creeping into my voice.

He sneered, pulling me closer. "Make me."

That’s when everything inside me exploded.

With everything I had, I kneed him right in the gut. His eyes widened in shock as he staggered back, gasping for air, his grip loosening just enough for me to pull away and elbow him in the face. Another swift kick, and he was knocked on the ground.

I didn’t wait. I turned and ran, done with the day. My legs moved like they had a mind of their own, dodging through the crowd, weaving around people. I didn’t care about anything but getting away from him and back to the solitude of my apartment.

My heart pounded in my chest, a steady rhythm that matched my hurried steps, but the thudding of his footsteps behind me, heavy and relentless, pushed me harder. I could feel the adrenaline still coursing through my veins, the rush from the earlier scuffle urging me to keep going. The streets blurred around me as I darted between alleyways, taking turns I’d memorized, pushing myself past every obstacle in my path.

I could hear him behind me, getting closer, but I refused to look back. I had to keep moving faster, harder. It was all instinct now.

When my arm was yanked backward, I jerked and instinctually twisted, spinning around, ready to fight.

But another figure stole my attention. Standing between me and the man who had grabbed me, was Tatsuya.

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