Nyra's eyes remained fixed on the screen.
Her heartbeat grew louder with each passing second. The words didn't feel random. They felt… deliberate.
Someone had been watching her.
Not guessing. Not assuming.
Watching.
"Nyra?" Mike called again from inside the room. "You okay?"
She quickly locked her phone and stepped back inside. Her expression was controlled, but her fingers were still tense.
"Yeah," she said softly.
Mike looked at her. "You took long."
"I just… checked something."
He didn't push further. "Show me what you wrote."
Nyra nodded and handed him the notebook, but her attention kept drifting back to her phone.
Mike began reading silently. "Hmm… this is good."
Nyra barely heard him.
Her phone vibrated again.
This time, the sound was louder in the quiet room.
Both of them heard it.
Mike looked up. "Someone texting you?"
Nyra hesitated for a second. "Just… probably spam."
She picked up the phone.
Another message.
Same unknown number.
Her breath slowed as she opened it.
"I don't like him sitting in your room."
Nyra's stomach dropped.
Her eyes widened slightly.
He knew.
He knew Mike was here.
She slowly turned her head toward the door — instinctively — as if someone might be standing outside.
There was no one.
But the feeling remained.
Mike noticed her expression change. "What happened?"
Nyra shook her head quickly. "Nothing."
Mike frowned. "You're doing that again."
She forced a small smile. "It's nothing important."
Mike studied her for a moment, then returned to the notebook. "You're distracted."
"I told you, I'm fine."
But she wasn't.
Her hands felt cold.
Her phone vibrated again.
This time she didn't open it immediately.
She just stared at the screen.
Mike looked up again. "You're not even hiding it now. Who is it?"
Nyra inhaled slowly. "Unknown number."
"Block it," he said casually.
She didn't respond.
Because the message preview appeared on the screen.
"You shouldn't ignore me."
Nyra felt a chill run down her spine.
Her fingers slowly unlocked the phone.
The next message appeared before she could even react.
"I was there before he came."
Her breathing became shallow.
This wasn't random anymore.
He was narrating events.
Step by step.
Like he had seen everything.
Mike leaned forward slightly. "You're scaring me now. What's going on?"
Nyra locked the phone immediately. "It's nothing. Just someone texting nonsense."
Mike didn't look convinced. "Let me see."
"No," she replied quickly.
The speed of her response made him pause.
A brief silence filled the room.
Mike leaned back slowly. "Okay… now I'm sure something's wrong."
Nyra avoided his eyes.
Her phone vibrated again.
She didn't want to look.
But she did.
"I liked it better when you were alone."
Nyra's throat went dry.
Her mind replayed the empty street again.
The still figure.
The feeling of being watched.
She slowly walked toward the window.
Mike noticed. "Where are you going?"
Nyra didn't answer.
She pulled the curtain aside slightly.
The street outside looked normal.
Quiet.
Empty.
But something felt different now.
Because she knew—
Someone out there knew exactly where she was.
Her phone vibrated again.
She looked down.
Nyra stared at the last message.
"I'm still close."
Her fingers tightened around the phone. For a moment, she didn't breathe.
The room suddenly felt smaller.
Mike noticed immediately. "Nyra… what happened?"
She locked the screen quickly. "Nothing."
He stood up. "That's the third time you've said that."
Nyra forced herself to stay calm. She couldn't let him read her thoughts. Not now.
"I told you," she said quietly, "unknown number."
Mike frowned. "And you're this tense because of spam?"
She didn't answer.
Instead, she opened the chat again.
Her eyes scanned the messages once more. Every word felt intentional. Measured. Controlled.
He was watching.
And he didn't like Mike being here.
A strange warmth mixed with the unease inside her chest.
He noticed.
He cares.
Nyra immediately pushed the thought away. Her expression hardened slightly.
She tapped the top of the screen.
Block number.
Her finger hovered for a second.
If she blocked him…
would he try harder?
Would he find another way?
Her heartbeat quickened at the thought.
Then she pressed it.
Blocked.
The chat disappeared.
Silence.
Mike watched her carefully. "You blocked it?"
Nyra nodded.
"Good," he said immediately. "You should've done that earlier."
She placed the phone on the table. "It's probably nothing."
Mike didn't sit down. He was still studying her face.
"You looked scared," he said quietly.
Nyra avoided his eyes. "It was just… weird messages."
"What kind?" he asked.
"Just… random things."
Mike crossed his arms slightly. "Like?"
Nyra hesitated. "Nothing important."
That answer didn't satisfy him.
He moved a little closer. "Nyra, if someone is texting you weird things, it's not nothing."
She shrugged lightly. "It's blocked now."
Mike's jaw tightened subtly. "Still. You should tell me."
Nyra looked at him. "Why?"
The question came out softer than expected.
Mike paused.
Then he replied quietly, "Because I don't like the idea of someone bothering you."
Nyra's expression softened slightly.
Mike continued, more casually now, "And also… I was literally sitting here. If someone was texting about me, I'd like to know."
Nyra looked at him carefully.
So he noticed.
She shook her head. "It wasn't about you."
Mike didn't fully believe her. "Still."
A brief silence followed.
Then he glanced toward the window. "Did they say they were nearby?"
Nyra's fingers curled slightly.
She hadn't told him that.
She forced a calm tone. "No."
Mike studied her expression again. "You're a terrible liar."
Nyra looked away. "I'm not lying."
He didn't argue. But his posture changed slightly — more alert now.
Protective.
He casually walked toward the window and looked outside.
Nyra's heartbeat jumped.
He shouldn't look.
But she stayed quiet.
Mike scanned the street. "It's empty."
Nyra nodded. "See? Nothing."
He turned back, still not fully relaxed. "Still weird."
He walked closer to her again. "If that number texts again from another number… tell me."
Nyra gave a small nod.
"I mean it," he added.
"I will."
Mike exhaled slowly and sat down again, but his eyes still flickered toward her phone.
A faint tension settled between them.
Then he spoke casually, but there was something underneath his tone.
"You get random messages often?"
Nyra shook her head. "No."
Mike leaned back slightly. "Good."
A pause.
Then he added lightly, "I wouldn't like that."
Nyra looked at him.
"You wouldn't like what?"
He shrugged. "Strangers texting you."
His voice was calm, but his eyes held something quieter.
Jealousy.
Nyra noticed.
Mike quickly picked up the notebook again. "Anyway… show me the rest."
Nyra sat beside him, but her mind drifted again.
Blocked.
She blocked him.
If he really wanted to talk…
He'd find another way.
And somehow… the thought made her heartbeat faster.
Behind her calm expression, one silent expectation grew stronger—
He wouldn't stop.
He wouldn't disappear.
He would come closer.
And Nyra… was waiting for that.