The downpour came without warning.
Maya stood under the rusted roof of a closed flower stall, arms crossed, hoodie damp from where it had failed to shield her. The rain masked the trembling in her limbs, but nothing could silence the echo of those eyes in her memory.
She should've felt fear. A stranger watching her—vanishing before she could even blink. But it wasn't fear coursing through her veins.
It was anticipation.
He wasn't a stranger to her soul.
Footsteps splashed behind her.
She turned sharply—but it was only a young couple laughing, drenched and clinging to each other like the world was ending and they had to make every moment last.
Her chest ached at the sight.
Not from envy.
From the heaviness of remembering what it felt like to be wanted so deeply you stopped questioning your worth.
A notification buzzed on her phone—Unknown Number: "Stay safe, Maya. Some eyes aren't kind."
She froze.
No name. No hint.
Just fear blooming in the pit of her stomach like ice water flooding warm soil.
She looked around. No one was nearby.
Only shadows and rain.
Her fingers hovered over the screen, unsure whether to reply. But something in her gut screamed—this wasn't him. Not the man with the familiar eyes. This was someone else.
Someone who wanted her afraid.
She ran. Through puddles and wind and winded breath. Back to the shelter. Back to safety.
But even behind locked doors, the storm wasn't outside anymore.
It was inside her now.
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