DON’T STOP (Lila and Darrell) novel Chapter 147

Chapter 147

Scarlett

That weekend finally arrived, and with it came our first official date.

Viktor and I left the apartment building together, our fingers intertwined as we walked toward the curb. The simple act of holding hands in public still felt new and a little daring. The security guard at the entrance noticed immediately. He raised an eyebrow, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“Holding hands now? You two together?” he asked, clearly surprised.

I felt my cheeks heat up and instinctively tried to pull my hand away, but Viktor held on tighter, his grip warm and reassuring.

“Yeah, she’s my girlfriend,” Viktor said calmly, his voice steady.

The guard’s smile faltered a little. “Isn’t she older?”

The words landed like a small punch to the stomach. I looked down at the ground, suddenly feeling every year of the age gap between us. Shame and self-doubt rushed in, making my chest tight. I hated how quickly one comment could make me feel small again.

“Not your business!” Viktor snapped, his tone sharper than I’d ever heard it. The guard raised his hands in surrender, muttering something under his breath as we walked past.

When we reached the curb to wait for our Uber, Viktor turned to me, his expression softening. “Don’t mind whatever the man said, okay? He doesn’t know us.”

I forced a smile and nodded, but inside, my mind was restless. The guard’s words kept echoing. Isn’t she older? Yes, I was. And Viktor was young, brilliant, and came from a wealthy family. What was I doing? Was I being selfish for letting this happen?

The Uber arrived, and we climbed in. The ride to the restaurant was quiet at first, but Viktor kept my hand in his the whole time, occasionally squeezing it gently. By the time we reached the cozy Italian place he had chosen, I had managed to push the insecurity down a little.

We ordered pasta, salad, and a bottle of sparkling water. The food was delicious, the atmosphere warm with soft lighting and quiet music. For a while, everything felt perfect. We talked about light things – favorite movies, funny stories from our childhoods, how Viktor’s final project was going. I laughed at his jokes, and he smiled every time I spoke.

Then his phone rang.

Viktor glanced at the screen, his expression shifting. “Excuse me.” he said softly, standing up and stepping away from the table to take the call.

When he came back a few minutes later, he looked visibly down. His shoulders were slumped, and the easy smile from earlier was gone.

I noticed immediately. “Are you alright?”

1/4

H

9:32 Tue, Jul 28

Chapter 147

He shook his head. “No.”

“What happened?” I asked, worry creeping into my voice as I reached across the table for his hand.

“I got a call from my friend. That girl that normally visits? Rose.”

“Yeah?” I asked, my stomach tightening a little.

“She actually got into an accident on her way to some place. I need to go see her.”

“It’s fine,” I said quickly, even though disappointment settled in my chest. “You can go. She needs you.”

“What about you?” he asked, looking torn. “Fuck, I feel so bad.”

“Don’t blame yourself,” I reassured him, squeezing his hand. “I promise it’s not your fault. Go first. I’ll leave later.”

He hesitated for a second, then nodded. “Okay then. Love you.” He leaned in and kissed my cheek softly.

“I love you too,” I whispered.

“I’ll cover the bills. You don’t have to,” he said as he stood up.

“No, please, it’s fine-” I started, but he was already shaking his head.

“It’s my job,” he insisted gently, then gave me one last look before waving and hurrying out of the restaurant.

I sat there alone for a few minutes, staring at the half-eaten plates. The food no longer looked appetizing. The joy from earlier had faded, replaced by a heavy, restless feeling. The guard’s comment, the sudden phone call, the way Viktor had rushed off – it all piled up.

I couldn’t eat anymore. I stood up, left some cash on the table just in case, and walked out of the restaurant into the evening air.

The walk back to the apartment building felt longer than usual. My mind kept spinning with questions I didn’t have answers to. Was I being unfair to Viktor by dating him? Was Rose more than just a friend? And why did one careless comment from a security guard still sting so much?

By the time I reached our building, the excitement of the date had completely soured into quiet doubt.

I reached my door, still replaying the awkward end of our date in my head, and punched in the code.

Nothing happened.

I tried again. And again. The lock blinked red each time, refusing to open. This had happened ance last month, and I’d had to call the security guy to reset it. But after the way he had looked at Viktor and me earlier today, there was no way I was going back to him for help.

“Damn it,” I muttered, trying the code one more time,

My stomach growled loudly, a sharp reminder that I hadn’t eaten much at the restaurant. Worse, the pressure

214

Ni

9:32 Tue, Jul 28

Chapter 147

in my bladder had suddenly become unbearable. I had needed to pee for a while, but the discomfort had been manageable until now. Now it felt urgent. I winced and pressed my thighs together, locking my legs.

I couldn’t wait an hour for security to fix the lock. I also couldn’t stand here much longer.

Desperation won. I considered going downstairs to find a hidden corner outside, even though it was strictly against building rules. But just as I took a step, the urge intensified so badly that I froze.

Then I remembered – Viktor had given me his door code when we started dating. He had told me I could come in anytime without knocking.

No time to overthink.

I practically ran the few steps to his door, entered the code with shaky fingers, and pushed it open. I flew straight to the bathroom, barely making it in time. The relief when I finally sat down was so intense that I let out a long, shaky sigh.

“Thank God,” I muttered, flushing the toilet afterward.

I washed my hands and stepped out of the bathroom, feeling much lighter. That was when I noticed his laptop was still on, the screen glowing softly on the desk. Why didn’t he turn that off? I shook my head and walked over, intending to close it for him.

My finger accidentally tapped the trackpad.

The screen woke up fully, and my eyes landed on the familiar interface of the Sensual app.

I blinked. What is this doing on his laptop?

I had never told him about my OnlyFans or my work on Sensual. Curiosity and a strange sinking feeling made me tap the app with a shaky hand. It asked for a password. I hesitated, then tried my own name on a whim.

It unlocked.

My heart started pounding as I scrolled through the profile. The username stared back at me.

Vee.

The little hamster avatar. The generous tipping history. The private session requests. Everything.

My hand flew to my mouth. I took several stumbling steps backward, staring at the screen in disbelief

No. No, this can’t be real.

Viktor was Vee,

H

NI

9:32 Tue, Jul 28