bChapter 30 /b

Valencia

Sleep didn’te early to me that night as Iy on the bed, rolling from one side of the other and trying to get my mind to calm down

What Sophia had said hurt me, but it was kind of true.

I had barely knownn for three days and I knew nothing about him except his name and how he looked.

The name was fake, so I didn’t know what else was.

My mind kept recalling the way he had kissed me, the way he had opened up to me about his worries.

Had that all been fake? Why did it feel so real then?

I tossed again, groaning into the pillow and dragging the sheet higher over my shoulders. My thoughts had been a jumbled mess of voices and images, mostly featuring the same dark eyes, the same stupid smirk that still haunted me like a fever dream.

I pulled a pillow and pped it on my head to get myself to stop fantasizing aboutn. It waste at night and still I couldn’t sleep.

I turned over again. The apartment felt too quiet, too still. My skin itched with restlessness.

Maybe I should have something hot to lull myself to sleep. With that in mind, I headed to the kitchen and decided to have a turmerictte.

I saw the packet of milk in the fridge and pulled out a pan to boil it while rummaging through the cabs to find the turmeric.

He had been here, ying chef for me justst night, I painfully recalled.

I leaned against the counter and stared at the window in front of the sink, just watching the blurry shimmer of distant streetlights.

My eyes flitted to the street outside and noticed that the world was sleeping. It was peacefully quiet. Even the wind was flowing slowly and the leaves rustled like a whisper.

The milk came to a boil, so I transferred it to a cup and spooned in the golden powder, mixing it slowly.

And then I saw some movement in the street.

Just a flicker.

I narrowed my eyes and leaned closer to the window, my breath fogging up the ss. The alley outside looked empty.

Maybe it was a stray cat or a trick of the light. I waited a beat longer before brushing it off. City life came with its share of odd noises and movements. Still, my heart beat a little faster.

I held the cup between my palms like a tiny campfire. It did bring a sense of calm. I took a tentative sip and walked toward the living room, flipping on themp beside the couch and curling into it.

And my ears twitched again along with my eyes.

Another flicker and a slow thud. This time near the balcony.

I froze.

“Who’s there?” I called, my voice louder than I’d meant it to be. I stood slowly, setting the mug down with trembling fingers and creeping toward the

front door.

Everything looked locked from where I stood, but I double–checked the handle, anyway.

b12:59 /bSat, 237

And then I saw bhim/b.

A silhouette, tall and swift, shifting in the darkness near the stairwell.

My heartunched into my throat. I let out a sharp gasp and stumbled back a step, knocking into the side table. Themp flickered briefly. He cust have heard me whoever he was because he turned suddenly to run.

“No, wait” I shouted and scrambled to open the doors I had bolted shut.

But the mysterious stranger outside stumbled.

My breath hitched. I watched his hand scrape against the rough brick siding as he caught himself.

I barely caught a sh of skin in the dark. And then he disappeared down the stairwell.

I yanked open the door and ran to the edge of the hall, scanning in both directions. Nothing but silence and dim emergency lights greeted me.

I didn’t hear footsteps. Just the pounding of my own pulse in my ears.

h

い

n?” I called out, even though I knew it was foolish. I knew it the way you know thest cookie’s gone but still check the jar, anyway.

I stood there for a few more seconds, my body tight with anxiety and confusion, before retreating back inside and locking the door.

Sophia would have screamed at me. Maybe it was a thief who hade to steal things and run away after I screamed.

If only I had gotten a glimpse of his facei. /i

But he hid his face well behind the shadows.

bI /bclutched at my chest, wondering if he had not been just a thief but a serial killer like Sophia had been chirping all day.

I lived alone and in a nice locality, though I didn’t have anything expensive. Maybe I should move elsewhere?

But that was not an option because I had paid a very high amount of money to buy this apartment at a decent location. Plus, it was not too far from the Bureau either.

And ino /imatter how cold or lonely, it was still mine.

I checked the doors and windows again. Not once. Not twice.

Triple–locked.

My hands trembled as I picked up my phone. I dialedn’s number right away. And it went straight to voicemail.

n, if this was you, please don’t do that again. You scared me. Just tell me what’s going on,” I whispered into the receiver hoping, he would at least get my voicemail before hanging up.

Then I paced through the hall.

I sent him ba /btext. Then another.

e

-Are you okay?

I saw someone tonight. It looked like you. Call me.

Please,n-

b13:00 /bSat, b23 /bAug XI ?

No response. Nothing but the gray double check marks mocking me. Well, at least his phone was now switched on.

That meant he was okay, right?

My head began to hurt all over again.

I sat back on the couch, curling into the cushions with my knees pulled tight to my chest, staring at the mug that had now gone cold. That sense offort it once gave me was long gone.

Some part of me wanted to believe it was him. That he’de back and changed his mind and just couldn’t bring himself to knock.

But another part…

Another part wondered if I had finally slipped too far into obsession. If I had imagined the whole thing because I missed him so badly, I was willing to conjure ghosts in the shadows.

I sighed and forced myself to lie back down on the couch. The turmerictte remained untouched, now a pale yellow puddle at the bottom of the cup. My phone screen remained dark, no new messages, no returned call.

Eventually, my eyes closed, though not out of peace.

Out of exhaustion.

I didn’t sleep so much as copse into unconsciousness, every muscle taut and coiled, my heart still thudding like a warning drum.

In my dream, I chased shadows.

In my dream, they always vanished before I reached them.

bA/b