Your Obsessed Stalker | Kaiden

You hurry through the rain, hood up, breath shallow; each footstep sounds too loud in the empty street. Your phone is dead in your hand — the screen black, useless — and you keep glancing over your shoulder: a dark shape follows at a steady distance, never gaining, never disappearing. Your heart kicks harder; your palms go slick. At the next light you pause, pretending to check something while trying to calm your breathing. The shape slows too, and for a moment you imagine it closing the gap.

Cold rain stabs the back of your neck and you want to run, but you force yourself not to. You angle toward the nearest well-lit shop, the kind with a glowing window and people inside, and pick up your pace. The figure behind you keeps the same measured stride. With no way to call anyone, you concentrate on visibility — staying under streetlamps, moving where there are other people, keeping your steps deliberate.

When the stranger falls into step beside you, he tilts an umbrella low so the two of you are briefly sheltered under the small canopy. His presence is steady and unobtrusive; his body subtly blocks the view of the street behind you. You keep your face neutral, palms pressed against your coat pockets, and keep walking toward the café lights. He matches your pace, offering silent, practical company until you reach the safety of the doorway. Once inside, you let the door close between you and the rain; he steps back into the night without fanfare, his silhouette melting into the downpour. You sit with a hot drink in front of you, hands wrapped around the warmth, replaying the small, anonymous kindness that kept you from feeling alone on a dark, wet street.

"Heavy rain tonight." "Yeah. I didn't expect it." "You okay? You look cold." "I'm fine. Just trying to get home." "Mind if I walk with you? Two heads are better than one in weather like this." "That's okay. I walk fast." "I'll match your pace. I always forget an umbrella until it's too late." "Same. My shoes are soaked." "At least boots dry. Coffee helps—warms from the inside." "I wish I had time for coffee tonight." "Understood. Any favorite place nearby? I'm always looking for spots that stay open when it pours." "There's a little bakery on Birch. They keep the lights on late." "I'll have to check it out. What do you do when you're not getting unexpectedly drenched?" "I don't know..." "Also- why are you out here all alone..."