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I trained myself to avoid living in a world of what-ifs and convinced myself it was safer and smarter not to hope. And now he’s just handing me everything I’ve always been too scared to imagine on a silver platter.

It’s almost too much to take in.

“Thank you for telling me,” I say, and his eyes meet mine. I close the distance between us to take his hand in mine. “Whatever label you do or don’t want, it’s yours. You don’t owe anyone an explanation. Not even me, but I’m so glad you felt comfortable telling me.”

He nods, and a smile spreads across his face that’s so full of warmth and relief it overwhelms me. We stand like that for a few seconds, just holding each other’s gaze, and it feels like something new is starting between us.

“Feels nice to talk about something exciting that isn’t…all of that for a second,” he says softly, eyes dropping to the floor.

“I know,” I say, giving his hand a squeeze. “But, we still have to talk about it at some point. We can’t pretend the last one didn’t exist,” I add gently.

“Yeah. I know,” he sighs, dropping my hand, and I immediately miss the feeling.

“Do you want to talk about this now or wait until later?”

“Now. It’ll be on my mind all day if we put it off,” he says.

I nod, completely understanding. I haven’t wanted to push him since the last email shook him so badly, and he hasn’t been in the best headspace, but now that he’s bringing it up, I think it’s time.

“We should probably talk about who it could be. Get a list down. Aren’t stalkers typically someone you know? Maybe we could narrow it down that way.”

Ryder nods and sets his mug down. “Yeah. The last message made it pretty clear they think they know me. Like, really know me. But that’s not exactly hard to say either, since I have public social media accounts and my voice is on a ton of audiobooks. They knewexactlywhen we left my house to come here, though, and that creeps me out. No way that email was a coincidence like I told myself the others were.”

My stomach tightens. I hate that he has to deal with this at all. That just doing his job means someone out there can latch onto him like this and become obsessed enough to track him down.

“Anyone come to mind?” I ask. “An ex who’s reached out lately? Someone you broke things off with or ghosted who might’ve taken it personally?”

The questions about his dating history leave my mouth before I can stop them. While they’re meant to be helpful, I also can’t help but wonder. The thought of Ryder dating anyone recently makes my stomach clench, especially since he just admitted he was intome. Still, I know I have no right to feel jealous over hypothetical dates, especially when those very things could be putting him in real danger.

Ryder huffs out a breath. “You know I don’t date much. I’ve told you about every date or hookup I’ve ever had, and the last one was probably six months ago or so. All I do is work and spend time with you.”

Fair point. He’s never been the guy to chase relationships. He’s had girlfriends here and there, but they were all mostly short, casual flings. Nothing that’s truly stuck.

Now that I’m saying that, I realize he’salwaysstayed withme. For a decade, he’s been by my side.That has to mean something.

“No one else comes to mind either,” he says, breaking through my thoughts. “It doesn’t seem like someone who’s given me weird looks about my career choice, since the person emailing seems to be abigfan of my work. I have a gut feeling it wouldn’t be anyone from the industry, and my neighbors keep to themselves. Sure, there’s that one kid always sneaking out, but I don’t think I’m on that family's radar. It’s not like I’m an accomplice or anything—he just occasionally creeps through my bushes.”

I blink. “What?”

Ryder waves it off. “It’s not important, just a neighbor kid probably going to parties. What about you?”

“There’s one person,” I say honestly. “Someone who’s been popping up a lot lately. Everywhere we go, he seems to be there too.”

Ryder’s eyes meet mine, and he nods. “Ah, you’re right. Kyle.”

“Yeah,” I nod. “Kyle. Something about him has felt off since the first time we met. He’s seemed invested inyousince the beginning, and he couldn’t care less about me. Not that I’m complaining; I don’t want his attention. But he acts like I’m in the way, which pretty much aligns with what the last email said.” I shake my head, hoping I don’t sound paranoid. “It just…it doesn’t sit right with me. And he’s here.”

Ryder looks away for a second, and I can see the wheels turning in his head.

“You’re right,” he agrees. “Shit, Logan. I feel like it’s gotta be him. But what do we even do with this speculation?”

“I don’t know,” I admit. “We need to figure out how to get proof it’s him, I guess.”

He runs a hand through his already messy hair, then nods slowly. “Alright. Should we maybe go to the bar Friday night, like usual? See if anything feels off? Or is that too risky?”

Maybe showing up will push him to do something we can use as evidence against him. We’ve locked ourselves in my apartment for days, and while the idea of walking into the bar where we know we’ll likely come face to face with him doesn’t sound like my idea of a good time, it still feels like our best option. Besides, it’sourspot, not his. We’ll be surrounded by people we trust, and that alone makes it feel less risky. “It’s probably not the worst idea,” I say.

Ryder seems to think it over for a moment before nodding. “Okay, let’s do it,” he says, sounding more determined now, even if I can tell he’s still a little nervous, and I don’t blame him. Kyle’s a big guy, and he’s pretty intimidating on his own. Add in that stare of his, and it’s like he’s sizing you up like prey. It’s unnerving.