❦
—————
After what felt like hours of panicked silence, Mica sighed, breaking the tension.
“Y/nn, we can’t just sit here all night, waiting for something to happen. Let’s sleep in the same room. At least that way, we won’t feel so… vulnerable.”
I nodded, too exhausted to argue. My nerves were shot, and the idea of being alone— even for a second —was unbearable.
We gathered our blankets and pillows, making a makeshift bed on the floor of my bedroom. It was cramped, but at least it felt safer being together.
“Do you think they’re still watching?” Mica whispered as we lay side by side.
“I don’t know,” I admitted, my voice barely audible. “I just want this to stop.”
She reached out, her hand finding mine in the dark. “We’ll figure this out, Y/nn. We’ll get through it.”
Despite her comforting words, sleep didn’t come easily. I lay awake for what felt like hours, my mind racing with thoughts of the mysterious “SN.”
Who were they? How did they know so much about me? And what would they do next?
When I finally drifted off, it was into a restless, dreamless slumber.
—————
The harsh buzz of my alarm yanked me from sleep.
For a moment, I forgot about everything that had happened the night before. Then the memories came flooding back, and my stomach twisted.
I rolled over to see Mica sitting up, her hair a tangled mess and her eyes puffy from lack of sleep. She rubbed her face and groaned.
“Morning already? I feel like I didn’t sleep at all.”
“Same,” I muttered, dragging myself out of bed.
We dressed quickly, the familiar routine of preparing for work a small comfort. But as I checked my bag for my phone, my stomach dropped again.
The messages were still there.
It wasn’t a dream.
“Anything?” Mica asked, her voice tense.
I shook my head. “No new messages. No roses, either, I checked. It’s like they vanished.”
Mica’s brow furrowed. “Maybe they’re just trying to mess with you. Make you second-guess everything.”
“Maybe,” I said, though the thought didn’t make me feel any better.
“Let’s just focus on work,” she said, grabbing her bag. “We’ll talk more about this later.”
I nodded, forcing myself to put one foot in front of the other.
—————
The café was already bustling by the time we arrived. The familiar hum of espresso machines and the chatter of customers filled the air, momentarily drowning out my anxiety.
