The night was quiet too quiet. Eli closed the bakery late that evening the air thick with the small of sugar and cinnamon. The last customer had left hours ago, but Eli lingered, wiping the counters with slow, distracted movements. He couldn't shake the feeling--------like someone had been watching him all day. Every time he turned, he thought, he caught a shadow moving in the corner of his eyes. Every time the bell above the jingled, his heart jumped. And when he locked up stepping out the dimly lit street, the air felt heavier, colder. The lamps flickered, and the distant sound of the city hummed quietly, like a lullaby that didn't quiet soothe him. He tried to push the feeling away. Tried to tell himself he was imagining it. That there was no one out there watching him. No one with golden eyes, dark hair, and a presence that made the world feel too small. But then-------- A small shape at the bakery doorstep caught his eye. A berry. Just one. A perfect, ripe berry, as if had been placed there carefully, deliberately. Eli breath hitched. He bent down slowly, picking it up between his fingers, staring at it held a secret. A chill ran down his spine. He shook his head, trying tp laugh it off, but his heart wouldn't stop racing. Later that night, as he walked home, the rain began-------light at first, then heavier, drumming on the pavement, slicking the streets with silver. Eli coat wasn't enough. He hunched into it, shivering, his shoe splashing through puddles as he hurried through the empty streets. The bakery soft warmth already felt like a memory. He reached for his keys, fumbling in his pocket, when his foot slipped on the wet cobblestones. His breath caught-----he felt himself falling, arms flailing----------------------------------------------------------but before he could hit the ground, strong arms caught him. firm grip around his waist, steady, grounding like the world had stopped spinning. Eli froze, heart hammering, breath caught in his throat. He looked up-------- And there he was. The man from the bakery. The man with the dark hair, the quiet strength, the eyes like molten gold in the dim light. For a moment neither moved. The rain fell in soft sheets around them. and Eli felt the heat of the stranger's hand, firm on his waist. His pulse roared in his ears. The man gaze held his, unblinking, dark lashes wet from the rain. His lips parted slightly, as if he was about to say something------but no words came. Then, softly, a low voice------------deep and rough like gravel------broke the silence. ''Careful... it's dangerous out here at night.'' The words felt heavier than they should have. Like a warming, like a promise. Eli swallowed heard, nodding, barely able to breathe. He wasn't sure what terrified him more -----------the thought of being alone in the dark, or the stranger, magnetic pull he felt toward this man. When the stranger let go. Eli felt the absence like a cold wind on his skin. Before he could speak, before he could even thank him, the man turned and walked away----disappearing into the shadow as if he had never been there. Eli stood frozen, raindrops running down his face, unsure if he was shivering from the cold.... or from something else entirely. His finger curled tighter around the berry still in the pocket, a small, fragile things that suddenly felt like a message. A promise he couldn't quite understand.
