I felt his gaze on me.

I’ve felt it for the past six months. Wherever I went, I felt it. It never left me. His notes were clear enough: I couldn’t escape my unpromising fate. He was always there. Hiding in the shadows and watching. Planning. Contemplating. Plotting…

I glanced up from behind the counter, the cloth clutched tightly in my hand. My eyes scanned through the empty café. I couldn’t see him. But I knew he was there. Somewhere. How he always managed to get in, remains a mystery to me.

Oh, why did I offer to close up? I sighed and shoved my fear down, walking to the nearest table. The sound of the spray bottle echoed through the café as I nervously sprayed the soap onto the table. I wiped the table without paying attention to it.

The hairs on the back of my neck rose and I bit down on my lower lip. He’s going to make his move!, I thought; panicking.

But the rational part of my mind told me that he wouldn’t. He couldn’t. The café was beside a busy street. The large glass window allowed everyone and everything to see into the café.

For a brief moment, that thought gave me confidence. But then I realized that I still had to go home to my apartment. Where no one could see.

No witnesses.

A soft chuckle made me swirl around.

He knew. Oh, he knew.

Another chuckle came from behind the counter. I walked towards it, clutching the spray bottle tightly in my hand. When I reached the counter, I stretched out to grab the pen lying behind the stack of papers.

He laughed loudly.

A knock on the glass behind me made me squeal. I swirled around and saw a man standing outside. I stood frozen, torn between chasing after him and going towards the man at the door. The man knocked again and gave a small wave.

I clutched the pen in my hand and placed the spray bottle and cloth down on the counter. I walked over to the door; from within the shadows, I felt his eyes burning into my back.

I opened the door and greeted the man.

The wind outside ruffled his dark hair. A smile tugged on his lips and a friendly expression graced his handsome face, but his blue eyes brimmed with concern. “Excuse me, miss. I know the café’s already closed but, could I trouble you for two cups of coffee? I’ll pay double for it. My partner and I are working late night in this location and this is the only café nearby”, he said.

I sighed. “I’d have to start the coffee machine and take everything out, just for two cups?” But I already knew I was defeated. I’ve always been a soft person. And this man had pushed all the right buttons to make my soft heart rule my mind.

I felt the gaze on me intensify and I knew he was angry. Was he really going to take the chance and do it in this place?

“Triple.”

I snapped out of my thoughts and suddenly, I was confused. “Huh?”

The blue eyes twinkled with amusement. “I’ll pay triple for the coffee. Plus a double on the tip… “

I lifted a brow at him before sighing in defeat. “Fine… I’ll make it… “ I opened the door wider and let him in. “Have a seat. Just put the chair back on the table before you leave, please.”

The man chuckled.

I stared at the dark kitchen. The light switch was on the other side. I silently cursed the person who thought that the only switch should be right there, beside the backdoor.

I felt another pair of eyes on me and I turned to the coffee machine, tearing my gaze away from the kitchen.

I plugged the machine into the wall and switched it on. I crouched and opened the cabinet door. “Regular coffee, right? “, I asked as I looked through the different bags of coffee.

“Yup. Regular coffee”, the man answered. “The name’s Vince, by the way. “

I frowned. Did his voice sound a little closer? No, he’s still by one of the tables, I thought and shook my head slightly, dismissing the thought.

“Lydia”, I said, speaking into the cabinet.

I found the right beans and took it out from behind the others. I closed the cabinet and turned towards the man’s direction; my eyes glued to the bag of beans in my hands as I stood up.
I looked up, my mouth open and a question on my tongue.

But a loud gasp is all that left my mouth. The bag fell from my hands as a wave of fear and shock went through me.

Vince rushed around the counter and I closed my eyes, squeezing them tightly. You’ve just made a fool out of yourself, I thought.

“Are you alright? “, Vince asked, concern lacing his voice.

I...