n't sleep

screen dark, she felt its presence humming like a living thin

, yet her body refused to calm down. Every creak of the old building, every car pa

3 a.m. when she finally whispered to her

ange app, and pressed down on the icon, wa

it d

t delete. Wouldn't even allow

. "You've got to

screen flickered-and th

sage appear

I told you, Bianca,

embled as sh

you? How do yo

stared at the three little dots of his typi

is rep

I know you're lonely. I know you're tired of pretending.

ords felt like cold fingers

er her breath, "this is

ped qu

is, I'm not playing. If you kee

chest in shaky waves, and she exhaled fo

e phone lit

n't understand. But I do. You don't need

ood ra

nother lin

amomile. Just like you alwa

eaming mug on her nightstand-the very o

Whoever he was, he was

-

e buzzed with the usual hum of chatter, phones ringing, and keyboards clicking, but she felt lik

end and co-worker,

ke death warmed o

djusting her blazer. "Yo

her voice. "Bianca... what's going on? You've been a

a cut in quickly,

icious glare, the kind that

he way her skin crawled with the feeling of being watched.

ecide, her phone b

fr

head. "You gon

ad too fast. "It's

knew. It

-

e. She slipped away to the break room, pull

was alread

her about me. Good. Sh

shook as she t

HING ME. HOW DO Y

slower this t

I know what it feels like to smile when inside you're drow

ll, his words struck deep. They wer

. You need someone who won't leave. So

rd. She should delete, block, thr

ng part she didn't want to admit existe

ped ca

t do you wa

se. She thought mayb

reply a

Ever

caught in

-

tment again, staring at the phone

tried distracting herself with chores. But e

ng is playing at the c

black dress tomorrow.

nca. You're beau

reminder that he was

ked, typing with

u? Where are you?

ew kind of message appear

li

gainst her better ju

dark, then slo

's entire

ideo feed of her own apartment-t

stared back at

t, the mess

ou finally