Chapter 5 : Closer Than She Should Be
677 Words
Lena didn’t mean to rely on him.
It just… happened.
After that morning, she stopped walking alone. Not completely—but every time she stepped outside, her eyes searched for him before she even realized it.
And he was always there.
Not beside her.
Not following.
But close enough.
At first, it bothered her.
Then it became easier.
“Are you going out again?” Elias asked one afternoon, standing by the doorway as she reached for her camera.
“…Yeah.”
A short silence followed.
“I can come with you.”
She hesitated.
Not because she didn’t want him to—
but because she knew she shouldn’t.
“I’ll be fine.”
The words sounded weaker this time.
Elias didn’t argue.
He just looked at her.
That look again.
And suddenly—
being alone didn’t feel like a good idea anymore.
“…You can come.”
Something shifted in his expression.
Small.
But real.
“Alright.”
They walked together.
The village looked the same.
Too calm.
Too still.
But it felt different.
Because she wasn’t alone.
“Does anyone ever leave?” she asked.
“No.”
She looked at him.
“No?”
“They don’t have a reason to.”
That wasn’t an answer.
But she didn’t push.
They turned a corner.
A man stood there.
Still.
Watching her.
She moved closer to Elias without thinking.
Elias stepped forward—
just once.
The man left.
“…What was that?”
“Nothing.”
“That didn’t look like nothing.”
He didn’t answer.
She stayed closer this time.
“…They don’t like me, do they?”
“They don’t matter.”
That wasn’t comfort.
It felt heavier than that.
That evening, Lena finally had a moment alone.
The house was quiet.
Too quiet.
She locked the door.
Checked it twice.
Then stepped into the bathroom.
The water ran.
Warm.
For a moment—
she relaxed.
Then—
a sound.
Close.
Too close.
She froze.
Something outside the door.
She turned off the water.
“…Who’s there?”
No answer.
Then—
a shadow.
Sliding under the door.
Her heart dropped.
The handle turned.
Not fully.
Just testing.
“Stop—!”
A pause.
Then—
a low voice.
Right outside.
“Pretty…”
Her breath caught.
“…I saw you earlier.”
Her fingers tightened around the towel.
“You shouldn’t be alone.”
That wasn’t concern.
The handle pressed harder.
Lena didn’t wait.
She grabbed her clothes, pulled them on in a rush, hands shaking, and forced the door open—
No one.
The hallway was empty.
But the feeling stayed.
She locked herself in again.
And this time—
she didn’t sleep.
Later that evening, when she stepped outside again—
Elias was already there.
He didn’t speak.
He just looked at her.
And then—
he noticed.
Her eyes.
Red.
“You didn’t sleep,” he said.
“I’m fine.”
Too fast.
Elias didn’t ask again.
But something in him changed.
He looked at her—
really looked.
The tension.
The way she avoided his eyes.
He understood.
“…Stay inside tonight.”
“You said that yesterday.”
“This time, I mean it.”
His voice was lower now.
And something in it felt different.
Not a warning.
A decision.
She didn’t say anything.
Because suddenly this didn’t feel like control anymore.
It felt like something else.
Something heavier.
She didn’t understand it.
But she didn’t move away either.
Later that night—
Elias heard them.
Low voices.
Careless.
Dirty.
“She’s soft.”
“Did you see her?”
“Wouldn’t take much.”
A laugh.
“She didn’t even lock properly.”
Silence.
Elias didn’t move.
Didn’t speak.
But something inside him—
shifted.
Then tightened.
Then—
broke.
Not loudly.
Not visibly.
But completely.
His jaw set slowly.
His gaze lowered—
not in thought,
but in restraint.
For a moment—
he said nothing.
Because if he did—
he wasn’t sure
what would happen next.
And that
was the problem.
- Writer
