The morning after Scarlet's birthday surprise, Max woke up feeling lighter than ever. The memory of Scarlet's smile and the way she'd leaned into him under the fairy lights was still fresh in his mind. Wanting to start the day right, he decided to grab coffee from the little café just off campus.
He threw on a hoodie and jeans, grabbed his keys, and headed out to the parking lot. The crisp morning air greeted him as he approached his Mustang. As he moved to unlock the door, he noticed something fluttering on the windshield.
A small, crumpled piece of paper was wedged under the wiper. Max frowned, pulling it free and unfolding it. His eyes scanned the messy, almost frantic handwriting:
"Stay away from Scarlet. She's mine."
Max's jaw tightened. He glanced around the empty lot, but there was no one in sight. A chill ran down his spine. Who would do this? Why now?
Pushing down the unease bubbling up inside, he stuffed the note into his pocket and slid into the driver's seat. The car roared to life, and he made his way to the café, trying to keep his thoughts from spiraling.
Inside the café, he ordered his usual black coffee and waited, his mind replaying the message. Did Scarlet have a stalker? Or was this some twisted prank? Either way, he wasn't about to take it lightly.
Once his coffee was ready, Max headed back to the car, eyes scanning the lot. Still no one. He couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.
Later that morning, he found Chris and Evan hanging out at the campus gym. Chris was lazily lifting weights while Evan played a game on his phone.
"Yo, Max! You look like you've seen a ghost," Chris said, putting the weights down.
Max pulled the crumpled note from his pocket and handed it to him. "Found this on my car this morning."
Chris's brow furrowed as he read it, and Evan leaned over his shoulder. "What the hell?" Evan muttered.
Chris crumpled the note again, his jaw clenched. "Who would pull something like this? You think it's one of those guys from the fight the other night?"
Max shook his head. "Doubt it. Those guys were more into fists than notes. Besides, they were just looking for a fight, not this kind of creepy obsession."
Evan tossed his phone aside and leaned forward. "Could it be someone from college? Maybe someone who's got a crush on Scarlet?"
Max ran a hand through his hair. "She's never mentioned anyone. But it's not like she'd know if some guy's been watching her from a distance."
Chris punched the bench lightly. "Man, this is messed up. You planning to tell her?"
Max hesitated. "I don't know. I don't want to freak her out. But if someone's obsessed enough to leave a note, who knows what they'd do next?"
Evan crossed his arms. "You should keep an eye on her. If this guy's serious, he might try something. Plus, whoever it is knows about you two."
Chris nodded in agreement. "You need to stay close, but don't act weird around her. We don't want her to worry or feel threatened. We'll keep a lookout too."
Max gave a tight nod, trying to process it all. Part of him wanted to hunt down whoever left that note and teach them a lesson. But the other part knew he needed to be smart about this. Rushing in without a plan could put Scarlet at risk.
"Thanks, guys. Let's keep this between us for now. I'll stay alert. If anything else happens, I'll let you know."
Chris clapped him on the back. "We got your back, man. Whoever this idiot is, they picked the wrong girl to mess with."
Evan smirked. "Yeah. No one messes with Scarlet when Max is around."
As they headed out of the gym, Max couldn't help but feel a gnawing sense of unease. He wasn't scared for himself, but for Scarlet. No matter what, he was going to protect her.
And if that meant finding out who was behind this, then so be it.