Warning: Disturbing content (stalking). 

 

It’s ten o’clock at night, a few days after the incident at school. Your injuries have long since healed, and you’re currently in the corridor of an apartment complex, quietly sitting on the floor outside Julian’s home.

 

You know you shouldn’t be doing this, but you haven’t seen him in so long. You just need to make sure he’s still okay.

 

“Julian!” You hear a shout as a girl’s voice calls out his name. “Is it okay if I turn on the news?!”

 

“It’s fine Ana.” You hear him saying, voice a little muffled. “It was scary, but I’m mostly okay now.”

 

Ana is his younger sister who's just starting high school. Although the two of you have yet to meet in person, you can already tell she really cares for her brother.

 

It makes you feel a little better that he has someone to lean on.

 

You stand up and peek through the peephole of his apartment, spotting the two of them on the couch.

 

“Hey Julian. You’re famous. Look!” Ana points to the TV, which is playing footage from the school orc attack. Monster attacks are common, but what makes this incident so special is that Helen, one of the country's few S-ranks, stepped in herself to save the students... and the fact that it was captured clearly on video.

 

“Look! She’s carrying you so gently!” Ana exclaims excitedly as she watches the part where Helen protects Julian from the orc. “It’s like a scene out of a movie! Where the main character rescues the love interest!”

 

“So… what do you think?” She continues smugly. “Have you fallen for her?”

 

“No!” Julian stutters, waving his hands awkwardly. "How could you even come up with such a thing?! She's pretty, but that’s it! There’s no way she would even remember someone like me..."

 

He says that, but there’s a faint blush on his cheeks. Is it because he’s embarrassed at the accusation, or because he actually does have a crush on her?

 

You take out your phone, opening the link to the trending video and scrolling down to the comments.

 

Helen is so pretty…

 

That kid is lucky he was saved from that orc. But they do look good together.

 

It’s like a movie romance where the two leads meet for the first time.

 

You clench your teeth tightly. You were in a good mood today, but you feel much worse now. But there’s no way Julian would actually have a crush on Helen, right? Even if he did, it should be unrequited. She’s really famous and important, while he’s a nobody…

 

“Oh, it’s late.” Ana suddenly gets up, grabbing her blanket and getting off the couch. “You have time to pick me up from school tomorrow, right?” 

 

“Yeah. There’s temporarily no class after the… incident, so I should be able to.”

 

“Great!” She smiles, beaming at the good news. “Goodnight brother!”

 

“Goodnight, Ana.”

 

Her figure slowly disappears from sight, presumably to get ready for bed. 

 

Julian spends more time awake, browsing on his phone and presumably catching up on unread messages while you sit  patiently, meters away without his knowledge. It makes you feel strangely excited.

 

A few stragglers pass you in the corridor and look at you oddly, but they all ignore you, probably with the assumption that you’ve been kicked out of the apartment after an argument with your boyfriend or something.

 

After a couple minutes, the light to his home finally turns off, and soon after you notice that the sound of his breathing changes, producing an even and soft rhythm.

 

He’s finally asleep.

 

You get up, trembling as you take out a copy of the apartment key you’ve stolen and slowly insert it into the keyhole. 

 

You’re careful not to make a sound. Getting caught eavesdropping would seem really suspicious, but to be seen breaking into somebody’s home would be a thousand times worse. 

 

But even though this is the worst thing you’ve ever done, you can’t seem to resist.

 

With a soft click, the door unlocks and you walk inside, inhaling deeply. The familiar scent of Julians cologne calms you down a bit as you cautiously look around the living space.

 

The apartment is small, but it’s clean and well maintained. Though it’s pitch black inside, the faint moonlight shining through the windows is more than enough for an awakened human to make their way around.

 

With quiet steps, you walk through the corridor, feeling extremely guilty as you finally come to a rest at the end of the hall, staring hesitantly at Julian’s open room. But you’ve come too far to turn away now. 

 

You steel your nerves and walk inside.

 

He’s a messy sleeper. His hair is disheveled, and half his body peeks out from the cover of the blanket that he’s kicked off unknowingly. The light of the moon shines onto his body, and it was, at that moment, the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen. 

 

Taking out your phone with trembling fingers, you snap a quick picture, almost tempted to record the sound of his breathing. But you’re not here to admire him or watch him sleep, you remind yourself. 

 

Instead, you carefully reach towards his nightstand, and pick up his phone. 

 

Unlocking it only takes seconds - you’ve watched him do it in front of you so many times without a care in the world. He trusts you, and for a moment you’re conflicted about betraying that trust.

 

But that feeling soon fades as you open his text messages, scanning through the list of names in his contacts list.

 

There’s not a lot of people saved on it, mostly just his family and friends from school. You almost giggle as you spot your name saved with a heart at the end. That’s so cute of him! Does that mean anything, or is it just for fun? 

 

You scroll further. 

 

Despite most of his contacts being from school, you spot a few unread messages from someone with an unfamiliar name - Bill. Opening the conversation, you can only assume it’s his landlord.

 

Bill:

Hey Julian! How are you and your sis doing?

Just a reminder about your rent this month.

Do you need me to delay it a bit? 

I’m no stranger to hard times, so I wouldn’t mind helping out!

Julian

No, it’s okay! I can pay on time this month.

I’ve got a job at the convenience store.

And I’m working more hours, so it’s okay.

You smile.

 

You’re not surprised he even has a nice relationship with his landlord of all people considering how charismatic he is. But the messages seem to suggest that he’s struggling financially… probably also slowly eating his way through his parents' savings account. It’s quite strange he’s able to support both himself and his sister with just a minimum wage job, but that’s not really your main focus right now. 

 

With your burning curiosity sated, you exit his contacts list and begin scrolling through the random apps on his phone.

 

There’s really not much there in terms of games or social media apps, but something catches your eyes.

 

There’s a picture of a girl saved on his phone, and it’s not anyone you know from school. Upon closer inspection you realize it’s Helen, the S-rank who saved him from the orc attack.

 

You feel as if an anvil has been dropped into the pit of your stomach.

 

Desperately scrolling through more of his photos, you find another one - a snapshot of the scene from the news where Helen has him in a princess carry, and yet another one of Helen posing in a form fitting outfit, advertising a cosmetic product.

 

The sinking feeling in your stomach slowly grows stronger as you desperately try to come up with reasons to explain the pictures.

 

There’s no way he actually likes her, right?

 

He’s just a high schooler, while she’s practically untouchable, one of the country’s only S-ranks.

 

But there’s no other explanation for these photos he’s saved on his phone.

 

What’s wrong with him though? You don’t get it. He’s called you pretty before... and you’re one of his best friends. Why is he looking at pictures of someone he barely even knows, instead of you?

 

Is it because she’s famous, and a powerful S-rank? But doesn’t he realize that he has no chance with her?

 

You're scared. What if his heart already belongs to somebody else, instead of you?

 

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