Chapter 6: The man outside my door

“He's at my apartment.”

The words barely left my mouth before I wished I could take them back.

Not because they weren't true.

Because saying them out loud made them real.

Daniel stared at me.

The street suddenly felt quieter.

The cars.

The people.

The city.

Everything seemed distant now.

“How do you know?” he asked.

I looked down at my phone.

At the message.

At those six words that had managed to ruin my entire evening.

I'm outside your apartment.

“He texted me.”

Daniel's expression hardened slightly.

Not dramatically.

Just enough for me to notice.

“Has he done this before?”

I hesitated.

That was answer enough.

His jaw tightened.

“Amara.”

“It's not what you think.”

“Then tell me what it is.”

I looked away.

Because I wasn't sure I knew anymore.

The truth was complicated.

Messy.

Full of things I didn't like remembering.

And every time I thought about explaining it...

I stopped.

Because where would I even begin?

With the way we met?

With the way he loved me?

Or with the way he slowly started making me feel like leaving him was a crime?

I swallowed hard.

“He doesn't like being ignored.”

Daniel let out a quiet breath.

“That much is obvious.”

I stared at the screen again.

My heart beating harder now.

“Maybe I should just go home.”

“What?”

The look he gave me made me immediately realize how ridiculous that sounded.

“I mean... eventually he'll leave.”

“You don't know that.”

“Yes, I do.”

“No,” Daniel replied firmly. “You hope that.”

Silence.

Because again...

He wasn't wrong.

I hated that.

“Amara.”

I looked up.

“Do you feel safe going back there right now?”

The question caught me off guard.

Not because of what he asked.

But because nobody had asked me that before.

Do you feel safe?

Simple question.

And yet...

I couldn't answer immediately.

Because the answer wasn't yes.

Daniel saw it.

The hesitation.

The uncertainty.

And something shifted in his eyes.

Something protective.

“That's what I thought.”

I looked away quickly.

Why does that make me emotional?

Why does one stranger care more than people who have known me for years?

The thought unsettled me.

“I don't need anyone rescuing me,” I said quietly.

His expression softened.

“I know.”

“Then stop acting like it.”

“I'm not.”

“Really?”

“No,” he said calmly. “I'm acting like someone who's worried.”

My chest tightened.

Because he sounded sincere.

Dangerously sincere.

The kind of sincerity that slips past your defenses before you realize it.

I looked down.

Trying to gather myself.

Trying to stay logical.

And then my phone rang.

Again.

This time...

His name appeared clearly on the screen.

Daniel saw it.

Neither of us said anything.

The phone kept ringing.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

I couldn't do it.

I couldn't answer.

So I declined the call.

Immediately—

Another message.

You saw me. Why are you pretending?

My stomach dropped.

What?

I reread it.

Then again.

And again.

“You saw me?”

Daniel asked quietly.

I looked up.

Confused.

“I didn't.”

“Then why would he say that?”

My pulse started speeding up.

Because suddenly...

I wasn't sure.

I opened the message thread again.

There was another message.

One I hadn't noticed.

Blue jacket. Standing on the corner. Looking at your phone.

My blood ran cold.

The blue jacket.

The one I was wearing.

The one I was wearing right now.

My hand started shaking.

No.

No.

He couldn't.

Could he?

Slowly...

Very slowly...

I looked around.

People were everywhere.

Cars moving.

Streetlights glowing.

Strangers walking.

Anyone could be watching.

Anyone.

“Amara.”

Daniel's voice was calm.

Steady.

But I could hear the tension underneath it now.

“Look at me.”

I did.

“Did you tell him you were here?”

I shook my head immediately.

“No.”

“Did anyone know you'd be here?”

“No.”

Silence.

And suddenly...

For the first time since this started...

Daniel looked genuinely angry.

Not explosive.

Not loud.

Just controlled anger.

The dangerous kind.

“He's watching you.”

The words hit me like ice water.

Because hearing someone else say it...

Made it impossible to deny.

I felt sick.

“He wouldn't—”

“He already did.”

I looked away.

Breathing harder now.

My entire body felt tense.

Trapped.

And before I realized what was happening...

Daniel stepped closer.

Not enough to overwhelm me.

Just enough.

“Hey.”

His voice softened.

“Breathe.”

I laughed nervously.

A weak sound.

“I'm trying.”

“I know.”

And then...

Without thinking...

Without planning it...

My hand reached for his.

Instinct.

Nothing more.

Just something solid to hold onto.

For one second.

Maybe two.

His fingers closed gently around mine.

Not tight.

Not possessive.

Just there.

Grounding.

Safe.

And God help me...

I didn't want to let go.

Neither of us spoke.

The moment stretched.

Long enough for me to become aware of everything.

The warmth of his hand.

The way my heartbeat slowly steadied.

The way he looked at me.

Not like I was weak.

Not like I was broken.

Like I was someone worth protecting.

And somehow...

That felt more dangerous than anything else.

Because people like me don't know what to do with that kind of kindness.

Then his phone rang.

Breaking the moment instantly.

Daniel looked at the screen.

And for the first time since I met him...

His expression changed completely.

I frowned.

“What is it?”

He didn't answer immediately.

Just stared at the screen.

Then looked at me.

And whatever he saw on my face made him hesitate.

“Daniel?”

Slowly...

He locked the phone.

“It's nothing.”

The problem?

I knew immediately he was lying.