The potions shop was a place where time moved differently. Bottles on the shelves gleamed with emerald light, herbs dried near the ceiling, and the air smelled of sweet poison and fresh mint.
Nika had been working here for several weeks, and though it was sometimes difficult, Byron treated her with such quietly expressed care that she felt… accepted.
He always appeared beside her when she tried to lift something heavy.
“Nika, please. Don’t lift those boxes.” His voice was calm but firm. “I can do it myself…” “You don’t have to. Rest a moment. I’ll take care of this.”
And he carried them as if they were as light as a feather.
And then he looked at her as if he were afraid she would fall or disappear.
How Byron Watched
She didn't know he'd been watching her the entire time. As she arranged the bottles, he watched how delicately she did it. As she moved between tables, he followed her movements as if spellbound.
Thoughts he'd never said aloud were forming in his mind:
Her hands are made for touch, not for work. Her voice is like a soft mist. I wish I could hear it every day. She is the peace I've never had. When she smiles… everything is clearer.
Byron sometimes pretended to stir something in the pot, but in reality, he watched Nika tuck her hair behind her ear, her brow furrow as she read the label on the vial.
He watched her with such intensity, it was as if he were creating the most important potion of his life.
Potions That Spoke for Him
On the back shelf of the shop stood dozens of different potions:
– silver, which soothed pain, – red, which strengthened the heart, – navy blue, which induced sleep, – green, smelling of danger.
Each vial had a different shape, a different glow. Byron knew them all, but lately he couldn't focus on any of them.
He only thought of her.
If she hugged me, I would still feel alive. If she hugged me just once… I could give away all my potions.
A Desire He Couldn't Hide
One evening, just after closing time, Nika was cleaning the table, and Byron stood right behind her—closer than usual.
“**Nika…” he began quietly. “You are very important to me. Too important.
She froze, wiping away the last drop of potion with trembling fingers.
“Byron, please…” “I just want tenderness. One hug. One.”** His voice cracked slightly. “I can’t suffer in silence anymore.”**
There was despair mixed with hope in his eyes.
And something else—a soft, possessive need for closeness.
Nika backed away nervously.
“I can’t…” “Why? What am I doing wrong?”**
She didn’t know how to respond. Panicked, she fled among the shelves filled with herbs and vials of glittering potions.
Hidden in a Maze of Glass
Byron followed her. Not quickly, not menacingly—but calmly, steadily.
Shoes clattered silently against the wooden floor. His voice echoed through the shop, softly, as if speaking to a lost child:
“Niko, please… don’t run away. I don’t want to hurt you. Ever.” “Byron, that’s enough…” “I just want you to listen to me. Do you see us in the future? I… yes. I do.”
Nika hid behind a tall shelf full of dried flowers.
Her heart was beating wildly.
And Byron continued walking, fingering the vials as if their touch soothed him.
“I think about us. About our mornings together. About how I could take care of you every day.”
His voice was full of pleading. “I can’t be alone. I can’t bear the thought of you leaving.”
He stopped on the other side of the shelf. There was a thin layer of wood between them—and something much heavier: his feelings.
“Nika… hold me.” Please.**
His words sounded like glass shattering. Like someone who's been alone their whole life, suddenly finding the one person they can't lose.
Nika breathed shallowly, her eyes wide.
And Byron continued whispering:
"I won't leave you. Even if you hide from me today. I have time. And my heart is full of feelings that are only yours."