The sun finally came out the next day.
And so did she.
Elena stepped into the campus courtyard with her notebook clutched to her chest, eyes scanning the familiar faces. No Luca. No strange gifts. No hidden letters.
Just silence.
She almost let herself relax.
Then someone called her name.
"Hey… Elena, right?"
She turned. A tall, clean-cut guy with a soft smile jogged up beside her. She recognized him from the literature club.
"I'm Jace," he said, chuckling nervously. "We haven't really talked before, but, um… I was wondering if you maybe wanted to grab coffee sometime?"
Her heart skipped.
Not because of Jace.
Because of who might be watching.
She glanced around quickly. No sign of him.
Still, she forced a polite smile. "That's nice of you, but I'm not really—"
"No pressure," Jace cut in, still smiling. "You just seem cool. I'll see you around, yeah?"
He walked away. Elena turned and left in the opposite direction, her mind spinning.
---
That night, she found it.
Taped to her locker door.
A plain white envelope, no name.
Inside: a photo.
Her and Jace. Taken from across the courtyard. She hadn't even known anyone was there.
And under it, a note in dark ink:
> "He's not your type."
"And you're not available."
"Don't make me remind you again."
Elena's legs weakened.
How long had he been there?
How close was he now?
She stuffed the note into her bag and hurried home.
---
Her apartment felt different that night. Still.
Too still.
The air was heavy, like it knew a secret she didn't.
She locked her windows, shut the blinds, and tried to sleep.
But around 2 a.m., she opened her eyes.
She didn't know why.
She just… felt something.
She looked at her window.
And she knew.
He was there.
She couldn't see him — but she knew he was watching. Like he always did.
No threats. No knocking. Just his eyes. Always.
She turned away from the window and pulled the blanket over her head.
---
Across the street, Luca watched from behind the glass of an old, abandoned apartment. Hands in his pockets. Heart silent.
She'd smiled at that guy.
He hadn't liked that.
But she didn't say yes.
She never would.
Because she was learning.
She was his.
And one day, she'd stop hiding from it.