And there she is. This time, I stop in my tracks, my eyes locked on the mysterious woman. Isabel halts her steps next to me, confused. The stranger’s gaze is fixed on us. I notice details I hadn’t before: her honey-colored skin adorned with intricate tattoos, the uneven dangle of a cross earring—one lobe adorned, the other bare. She’s wearing black cargo pants and a white t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up. The intensity of her stare sends tingles down my spine, a sensation I can’t ignore. It’s not just fear—it’s something else, something that stirs arousal deep within me.
