Jay couldn't shake the message.
Even the next morning, as the city stretched itself awake, the words stayed with him like a shadow that refused to leave.
Be careful who you let close.
He stood by the roadside, watching buses cough out smoke and people rush past like they had somewhere better to be. Normally, this was the part of the day that grounded him. Today, it only made him think.
Someone was watching.
And whoever it was knew his weak point.
---
Kemi noticed immediately.
"You dey far today," he said, handing Jay a sachet of water.
Jay took it but didn't drink. "You ever feel like your life dey change without your permission?"
Kemi snorted. "Every day."
Jay smiled faintly, then grew serious. "What if someone dey watch us? Like… properly watch."
Kemi's expression shifted. "This one no be joke."
"I know."
Kemi leaned closer. "You get message?"
Jay nodded.
Kemi sighed. "Then rule number one: don't panic. Rule number two: don't act like prey."
Jay looked at him. "And rule number three?"
Kemi smiled, but there was no humor in it. "Protect who matters — without letting them know they need protection."
Jay understood immediately.
Zara.
---
He met her later that afternoon, not because he planned to, but because the city kept pushing them into the same spaces.
She was sitting on a low fence, swinging her legs slowly, eyes fixed on the road.
"You look like someone who didn't sleep," she said.
Jay chuckled. "You're starting to say that a lot."
"Because it's starting to be true."
He sat beside her, leaving just enough space to feel respectful, not distant.
"Zara," he said carefully, "if someone tells you to be careful… do you listen?"
She thought about it. "Depends on who's talking."
"What if it's someone who doesn't show their face?"
She turned to him, really looking now. "Why are you asking me this?"
Jay hesitated. This was the moment where silence would be easier.
But easier wasn't always better.
"Because I don't want you involved in things you didn't choose."
Her brows furrowed. "Jay, you don't get to decide that alone."
He met her gaze. "I just want you safe."
Something softened in her expression.
"Then don't disappear," she said quietly. "That's how people get hurt."
Jay nodded. He didn't promise. But he understood.
---
That evening, Jay visited Kemi again.
"I think someone dey track my moves," Jay said.
Kemi leaned back. "That means you're becoming relevant."
Jay frowned. "That's not comforting."
"It's the truth," Kemi replied. "The moment people start watching you, it's because you matter to something bigger than yourself."
Jay thought of Zara. Of his parents' old place. Of the life he was trying to build.
"I don't want to lose anyone," he said.
Kemi stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Then learn how to stand without shaking."
---
Night came quietly.
Jay lay on his bed, phone in hand, staring at the ceiling. He opened his messages, then typed.
Jay:
If anything ever feels off, tell me. No matter how small.
A reply came almost instantly.
Zara:
I was thinking the same thing.
Jay smiled.
For the first time since the warning, his chest felt lighter.
But somewhere not far away, a figure stood under a broken streetlight, watching the building.
"Getting closer," the man murmured. "Good."
He slipped his phone away and disappeared into the night.
Jay didn't know it yet, but the lines he was trying to protect were already being tested.