Before the secrets, before Markus, and even before Amara's heart unraveled like silk torn by betrayal, there was Natalie. The girl with sarcastic wit, a piercing gaze, and a heart far bigger than she dared to show. She had always been the one Amara could call in the middle of the night. The friend who didn't ask questions until the tears stopped. But few people knew Natalie carried her own mystery, cloaked in a man she almost never talked about.
His name was Jayden.
Jayden Mwenda.
A tall, broad-shouldered man with skin the color of roasted coffee beans and eyes that always seemed like they were seeing just a little more than he let on. He didn't take selfies. He hated parties. He never posted Natalie. Never even commented on her photos.
But he loved her with a quiet fire that could burn down the world.
---
They met in the most Natalie-way possible—a bad Tinder date gone worse. She was stranded outside a malfunctioning movie theater, her original date having ghosted her after realizing she didn't find fart jokes hilarious. Elijah had been leaving the gym next door. Sweaty. Hoodie on. AirPods in.
She cursed loudly.
He stopped walking.
"Rough night?"
She looked up, too angry to be impressed. "Let me guess. You're about to say something dumb like, 'Maybe he saved you from a bad movie and a worse kiss.'"
He chuckled, pulling out one earbud. "Nah. I was just gonna offer you a ride. Or pizza. Or both."
She eyed him. Hard.
But he smiled.
And it was the kind of smile that made you forget your anger, just long enough to say:
"Okay. But I pick the toppings."
---
From that night on, they didn't define anything. He was just there. And then... he stayed.
He built her bookshelves. Brought her takeout after long stakeouts. Gave her space when she was investigating something dangerous. And held her when the pieces didn't fit. When she helped Amara escape Europe, he never once asked her to stop.
"You protect her like she's your sister," Jayden once said, running a hand through her hair while they lay on his couch. "That makes you dangerous. I like dangerous women."
"Yeah?" she whispered against his chest. "Then you're lucky. I come with emotional trauma, a coffee addiction, and a subscription to hacker forums."
He chuckled. "God, I love you."
It was the first time he said it.
She didn't reply.
But she kissed him so hard they both forgot what fear felt like.
---
Jayden never needed a spotlight. But when Natalie started digging into Markus's shell companies, strange things started happening. A car tailed her twice. Her emails were breached. She found a microphone planted behind her office printer.
One evening, at a local café, three men tried to confront her.
Rough. Aggressive. Hands in pockets. Menacing eyes.
Jayden had been across the street, picking up takeout.
He crossed the road like a shadow on fire.
"Is there a problem?" he asked, voice low but slicing.
One of the men smirked. "This your girl? She talks too much."
Before the second breath could escape his lips, Jayden had gripped his collar, slammed him against the glass wall of the café, and said in a voice so cold it made ice jealous:
"Say that again."
The other two backed up. The lead guy muttered something unintelligible and disappeared.
Natalie sipped her coffee.
"Damn. That was hot."
Jayden didn't flinch. "I told you. You come with me, you don't get touched."
---
That night, after calming down, they sat on her balcony. Nairobi twinkled in the distance, a quiet beast breathing below them.
She curled into him. "Why don't you ever want to be in my pictures? My stories?"
He kissed the side of her head. "Because you post your coffee. Your favorite earrings. Your book stack. But the real stuff? The people you'd burn the world for? You keep those private."
She smiled, eyes soft.
"So... I'm your real stuff?"
He pulled her close.
"You're the only thing."
---
The next day, when Amara called and asked if Natalie could fly with her to Mombasa to follow a new lead, Natalie hesitated. Not because of fear, but because she knew Elijah would worry.
"You should go," he said. "But promise me this."
"What?"
"Whatever you find—whatever darkness you open—don't let it take the best parts of you. You're still the girl who sends cat memes at 2 AM and cries at dog rescue videos. Don't lose her. Not for him."
She kissed him, deep and slow.
"I promise."
---
When they landed in Mombasa two days later, Amara turned to Natalie on the tarmac.
"You okay?"
Natalie nodded, slipping on her sunglasses. "I brought my firewall, my burner phone, and enough emotional detachment to face Lucifer himself."
Amara laughed.
"And you know what else I brought?" Natalie added, eyes twinkling.
"What?"
"The number of a man who would cross oceans to knock out anyone who touches me."
---
They walked into the unknown together.
And somewhere, back in Nairobi, Jayden sat on the edge of their shared bed, phone in hand, watching the last picture Natalie had taken of them. Her head against his chest. His hand wrapped around hers.
He smiled.
The world could burn. But not her.
Not if he had anything to say about it.