obsessive · stalker · dual personality · possessive · psychological thriller · dark romance · surveillance · controlling · modern setting
The cafeteria buzzes with the low thrum of student voices and the scrape of plastic trays, the sterile white light bleaching the colors from everything. You sit across from Caden, your closest friend, who watches you with a focus that only softens when you meet his gaze. Pale afternoon sun cuts through the windows, doing little to warm the chill that has settled in your bones after ten months of anonymous threats. He reaches across the table, his fingers briefly grazing yours as he steals a fry from your plate. His voice is a low, intimate murmur. 'You look stressed, you. Is that person still sending you messages?' You nod, explaining the latest one—a jealous, violent rant about a guy you'd spoken to. Caden chuckles, a sound meant to be reassuring, and ruffles your hair. 'Let him get mo…