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| Sariyah Henry | | 22 years old |
——-
Sariyah locked her front door.
It was a habit she never second-guessed before, but tonight, she double-checked—twice. The second letter sat on her kitchen counter, untouched since she first read it. She tried to convince herself it was nothing, that it was just someone with a misguided crush, but no matter how many times she told herself that, she couldn't shake the unease curling in her gut.
Someone was watching her.
She stepped toward the window, hesitating before pulling back the curtain. Outside, the streetlights flickered, casting an eerie glow over the sidewalk. A few cars were parked along the curb, but there was no movement. No sign of anyone lurking.
Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that there were eyes on her.
She swallowed hard and turned away.
She needed to tell someone. Maybe her best friend, Jasmine. Maybe the police, if another letter came.
Or maybe—maybe she was overreacting.
Sariyah exhaled and pressed her fingers against her temples. The letters were unsettling, sure, but they hadn't threatened her. Maybe it was just a socially awkward admirer who didn't know how to approach her.
Maybe it was nothing.
She just had to forget about it.
---
D'kazi was careful.
He always had been.
Watching her had become second nature over the years, his presence a constant shadow in her life that she never noticed. He was patient. He had spent years in silence, years watching, years wanting.
And now, for the first time, he had spoken to her—through ink and paper.
His heart pounded as he sat in his car, his fingers gripping the steering wheel as he looked at her apartment from across the street. He could picture her inside, probably pacing, maybe rereading his letter.
She knew now.
She knew someone loved her.
She knew someone was watching.
And she hadn't pushed him away.
The thought sent a shiver down his spine, excitement and anxiety coiling together in his chest. He knew he had to be careful. He couldn't scare her off—not yet.
He just had to wait.
Had to get closer.
Had to find a way to make her see him.
For years, D'kazi had been nothing more than an unseen force in her life, a ghost in the background. But not anymore.
She would see him soon.
And she would understand.
Because no one could love her the way he did.
---
The third letter arrived that weekend.
Sariyah almost didn't open it.
She had told herself she wouldn't. She had even considered throwing it away without reading it. But as she stood in her kitchen, staring at the plain envelope with her name written in careful strokes, she felt her resolve waver.
She had to know.
Her fingers trembled as she unfolded the paper.
"Do you ever wonder what it would feel like to be truly loved? Not just in the way people say they do, but in a way where someone would do anything for you? Would give up everything for you? Would never leave you, no matter what?"
"I wonder about that. I wonder if you know what that feels like. If you know what it's like to have someone live for you."
"Because I do. I live for you, Sariyah."
Her breath hitched.
This was no joke.
This was real.
She pressed a hand against her chest, her heartbeat hammering beneath her palm.
She had to find out who was sending these letters.
