Still, I wanted nothing more than to crash on my couch and sleep for another couple of hours. Why had I made an appointment at nine in the fucking morning? Oh, right, because I’d followed my stalker’s directions and had called and just agreed to the first slot they’d offered. Now I was suffering the consequences.
Maybe my outing yesterday had been more exhausting than I’d realized, though I hadn’t really done anything aside from lounging in a chair and talking with Eric, a guy I’d only ever met twice before—one time of which I couldn’t even remember—but who felt like I’d known my whole life. He was familiar, comfortable, and easy to talk to. The conversation between ushad jumped from one topic to the next, never going too deep, just a lighthearted chat.
He was a strange one, an enigma I couldn’t figure out. There was something rigid about him, something that felt slightly off, but at the same time, he was so warm, giving away his smiles freely. And damn, his smile was beautiful—teeth perfect, pearly white, his eyes flashing whenever he looked at me.
I definitely wanted to see him again.
The only problem was that I had no idea if he was into guys. He hadn’t commented on my sexuality at all, and hadn’t treated me differently, but that didn’t mean he was gay. Or bi. Or pan. It just meant he wasn’t an ass.
Which would be enough if all I wanted was friendship, but that wasn’t why I wanted to see him again.
I liked the guy. I really liked him. Which seemed a bit crazy considering I barely knew him, but… it didn’tfeellike I barely knew him. When we’d talked yesterday, I’d felt like I’d known him my whole life.
The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. I mustered up the energy to let go of the wall and head to my apartment door, my eyes immediately checking for notes.
No Post-it, no white sheet of paper.
I let out a breath of relief.
Maybe now that I was starting to get better, my stalker would just… disappear. After all, he’d only started leaving notes when I was sick.
But when I got closer to my apartment door, I jolted. Nestled right in the corner of the doorframe sat a gift basket wrapped in clear cellophane foil. A sticker on top of the foil proudly told me where it’d been acquired—at Teas ’n’ Roses, the very café I’d met Eric at.
Icy coldness raced down my spine, spreading throughout my whole body, chilling me to my fingertips.
How?
How did he know that?
Was he following me?
I turned my head, checking every direction, but the hall was completely empty.
With trembling hands, I picked up the small basket and unlocked my door.
Part of me wanted to throw it out immediately, but I didn’t. Instead, I carried it to my couch and carefully placed it on the coffee table.
After I’d taken off my jacket and shoes, I sat down on the couch, right in front of the basket, staring at the offending gift, trying to dissect it without having to actually open it.
What if it were poisoned? What if I picked it up and got drugged through touch? I’d listened to a true crime podcast talking about something like this.
I snorted. Sure. Someone would try to drug me via a gift basket, after I’d accepted groceries my stalker had ordered for me twice.
If he really wanted to drug me, he could’ve done so by now.
Also, he could’ve just applied the drugs to my doorknob, right? No need for a fucking gift basket, I could very well have just kicked.
Nope.
This had to be a genuine gift. An incredibly creepy one. A gift that crossed all kinds of boundaries, but a gift.
And it’d be rude not to open it, right? I mean, I could always throw it out if I didn’t like it. Opening it didn’t mean accepting it. And if I ever needed to tell the police about this whole thing, I should make sure it was actually a gift my stalker had sent. Maybe it was from Eric?
I laughed. Yeah, right. If Eric was the one who’d sent me the gift, I’d managed to gain two stalkers within the span of a month.Because I hadn’t given Eric my address. We’d parted ways in front of the café.
Nope. This wasn’t his doing.
Which meant my stalker was following me around, and I’d had no clue. Perfect. Just perfect.
