Raven
We were at the police station. Me and Alex.
After Sophie left for her parents' house, Alex had practically dragged me here, insisting I file a complaint. Now I sat in front of a bored-looking officer, explaining about the stalker. I showed them the texts on my phone, the chocolate, the wilted first flower. Alex, furious as ever, slapped down the second flower and the creepy letter the stalker had left for me.
The officer barely looked interested. He scribbled a few notes, sighed like I was wasting his time, and kept glancing at the clock. My stomach twisted. They weren't taking this seriously.
Alex, though? He wasn't letting it slide. He shoved himself into their faces, his voice sharp, demanding they provide me protection, demanding they find whoever the hell was stalking me. His jaw was tight, every word edged with fire, and for a second I thought he was going to punch someone.
Finally, he came back to sit beside me, fists still balled, shoulders tense.
I lowered my hand onto his, gently prying his fingers open until I could slip mine through. His knuckles were burning hot.
"It's okay," I whispered, forcing a smile I didn't feel. "I don't need protection. I'll just change places for a while. Maybe you should stay away from me too—for your own good."
His hand tightened around mine instantly. "That's bullshit. I'm not staying away." His voice was steel, his eyes fierce.
He leaned closer, so only I could hear. "We're going to catch this fucker. Remember back in school? Anytime you got in trouble or had boy problems, you came to me. You'd sulk all day, then sneak into my room at night and crawl into my bed. I kept my window open for you because of that."
My chest ached at the memory.
"We've been through shit, Raven. But we always had each other's back," he went on, softer now. His arm came around me, drawing me against his chest like he used to when we were kids. "So no—I can't stay away. I won't. When we catch this stalker, we'll beat the shit out of him together."
This time, I smiled for real. A small, genuine smile that cracked through the fear. I wrapped my arms around him and whispered against his shirt, "What would I be without you?"
"Of course, nothing," he said smugly, patting his chest. I rolled my eyes, but it loosened the knot in my throat.
After thirty more minutes of dragging and Alex words with the police, they finally assigned me an officer. He looked young—probably early twenties—with a solid build and a face that could make girls swoon except me ofcourse. He shook my hand firmly.
"I'm Matthew. But you can call me Matt," he said.
I gave him a polite smile. He froze, then blushed.
Alex immediately rolled his eyes and pried our hands apart. "Stop the K-drama bullshit."
I laughed. "Alex, can you be a little nicer? This is Matt. Matt, this is Alex."
Matt gave me a quick, questioning look like he was silently asking if Alex and I were together. I shook my head before Alex could answer "no Alex is my best friend" I said a smile stil on my lips.
From there, Alex handled the talking,did I say talking no I meant grilling Matt about whether he was briefed on the stalker situation and what they were going to do. Honestly, the details blurred. By the time we finally left, it was already past 9 p.m. Neither of us wanted to cook, so we swung by McDonald's, picked up food, and headed home.
Now, sprawled on the couch, we munched fries while watching the latest episode of Dandadan. Okarun had just come back from his training with turbo granny and Aira and he challenged jiji aka Evil Eye to a duel, and Alex and Me were both yelling at the screen like it was a football match. Sophie wasn't coming home tonight, so it was just us—and talk kept drifting back to the stalker.
I hadn't gotten another message from him yet, which maybe was a good thing. Tomorrow, we were changing my locks and installing new security alarms—I'd already booked the company. Between bites, Alex and I also planned Sophie's upcoming birthday. In four days, he was going to propose. He hadn't told me directly, but it was obvious. He was glowing with it.
What he didn't know was that I had already booked the entire VIP suite of King's Hotel for the party. Five hundred thousand dollars was nothing compared to Alex and Sophie's happiness. I'd tell him tomorrow, and we'd check the venue together ,decoration is already going on besides. He had the ring already—I could see it written all over him—and I couldn't wait for her to say yes.
After dinner, we packed away the leftovers. A few minutes later, I was curled up in my bed while Alex crashed on the bed in my workspace my safe haven for hacking. I trusted him completely, so it wasn't a big deal.
Hours later, deep in sleep, something pulled me awake. My chest felt heavy, like my instincts were dragging me out of a dream. Compelled, I turned toward my window.
My blood ran cold.
A figure stood outside, half-hidden in the shadows. All black. Helmet on. And in his hand—his black signature flower.
The stalker.
I froze, my body refusing to move, refusing to function. He didn't stir, didn't approach. He just stared, blended with the night, like the god of shadows himself.
Then he lifted his hand. A phone.
A chime sounded from my nightstand. My heart stopped.
He tilted his helmeted head, a silent command. Take the phone.
Shaking, I obeyed. I picked it up, walked back to the window, and opened the message.
Two words glared back at me.
YOU'RE MINE.
My head snapped up. He was already turning, climbing onto his bike. With a low growl of the engine, he vanished into the night, leaving me staring at the darkness he melted into.
And for the first time in my life, I wanted to scream but at the same time I felt drawn to him .