Theo.
He gave me the soft version.
The one no one else gets.
The one he doesn’t hand out unless he wants to.
“Okay.Theo it is,” I say softly.
And maybe it’s ridiculous, but something about using his name like that makes me feel special.
We fall into silence after that.Not the awkward kind.Just the still kind.
Like snowfall.
Quiet, and strangely peaceful.
It gives me too much time to think—but for once, I don’t mind.
Not when I feel like maybe, just maybe, I’m not so alone in this life.Not for right now, anyway.
My thoughts turn to how it felt when I realized my desk had been rifled through.
When the lock on the window didn’t quite click shut the same way.
When my favorite mug was found cracked in the trash, even though I hadn’t used it that day.
I thought I was being paranoid.Until I wasn’t.
When we pull up in front of my townhouse, he parks neatly in my usual spot without hesitation.
Like he’s been here before.
Like he mapped every part of my life out before we even met.
He shuts off the engine.The air feels thick, still warm from the vents, but cooler now that the engine’s gone quiet.
Then his voice rumbles low and steady.
“Wait for me.”
Not a request.A command.
And for some reason, it doesn’t bother me at all.
I sit still, watching him round the front of the SUV with that predatory grace I’ve only ever seen in action movies.
He opens my door like a gentleman from another century—silent, sure, and not taking no for an answer.
I should probably be worried about how easily I’m falling into step with this man.
But I’m not.
Because for the first time in weeks, I feel like whatever’s been watching me isn’t the only thing out there anymore.
Now someone’s watching back.
And this time, he’s on my side.
