The next morning, Lena woke up feeling restless.
The strange message from last night still lingered in her mind.
"Don't fall in love with him."
She checked her phone again. The message was still there. No new replies. No explanation.
"Maybe it was just a prank," she muttered to herself.
Trying to forget about it, Lena got dressed and left for her favorite coffee shop near her office. The place was small but cozy, with soft music playing in the background and the comforting smell of fresh coffee filling the air.
She ordered her usual latte and sat near the window.
Outside, people walked quickly through the busy streets, each lost in their own world.
Lena opened her phone again, staring at the strange message.
"Who sent you?" she whispered.
"Talking to your phone?"
A deep voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts.
Lena looked up.
Standing in front of her was a tall boy with messy black hair and warm brown eyes. He held a cup of coffee in one hand and a playful smile on his face.
"I… uh… no," Lena said quickly, feeling embarrassed.
The boy laughed softly.
"Good. Because that would be a little concerning."
He pointed at the empty chair across from her.
"Mind if I sit?"
Lena hesitated for a moment but then nodded.
"Sure."
He sat down and placed his coffee on the table.
"I'm Ryan," he said, offering a friendly smile.
"Lena."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Ryan noticed the worried look on her face.
"You look like someone who just received very bad news."
Lena forced a small smile.
"Not bad news. Just… something strange."
Ryan raised an eyebrow.
"Strange how?"
She thought about telling him about the message, but it sounded ridiculous.
"Nothing important," she said.
Ryan leaned back in his chair.
"Well, if it makes you feel better, strange things happen to me all the time."
"Like what?"
He smiled.
"Like meeting a girl who looks like she just saw a ghost."
Lena laughed for the first time that morning.
And strangely…
The moment she laughed, her phone vibrated again.
Her smile slowly disappeared.
Another message.
Her heart began to beat faster as she opened it.
The same number.
Her own number.
The message read:
"I told you not to fall in love with him."
Lena slowly lifted her eyes.
Ryan was still smiling at her, completely unaware.
But suddenly, Lena felt something she couldn't explain.
Fear.