Elena didn't sleep that night.
Every creak in the walls, every gust of wind, felt like breath on her skin.
And the window?
She couldn't look away from it.
It felt alive. Like someone was on the other side. Like eyes were stitched to the glass.
By morning, her head was pounding.
She didn't go to class. Didn't check her phone. Just sat there… staring at the window like it might blink first.
Was he still there?
---
By evening, the sun dipped behind the buildings, casting shadows across her floor.
That's when it happened.
A soft thud.
Barely there — like something gentle had touched the glass.
Her breath caught.
She walked to the window slowly, each step heavy. She didn't part the curtain. She didn't have to.
Taped to the outside was a single daisy.
And another note.
> "You looked for me."
"You feel it now, don't you?"
"Don't worry. I'll be close tonight."
Her fingers trembled.
Not from fear. Not exactly.
From knowing it was true.
She had looked for him.
And now he knew.
---
That night, she didn't close the curtain.
She sat on her bed, facing the window, phone in hand, heart racing.
The glass stayed dark.
But she felt it.
The stare.
Somewhere out there — across the alley, on a rooftop, behind a wall — he was watching her.
And for the first time…
She didn't want him to stop.
---
Across the way, Luca smiled.
She didn't scream.
Didn't cry.
Didn't hide.
She was learning to live with his presence.
And one day…
She would crave it.