FACELESS LOVER

THE ONE WHO NOTICED

Episode 4:

I didn’t expect jealousy to come so quickly.

It started the next afternoon, in the most ordinary way possible.

I was seated at the campus café, half-listening to my friend talk about an upcoming test while stirring a cup of coffee that had already gone cold. My phone lay face-down on the table. Silent. Too silent.

I told myself I didn’t care.

Then someone pulled out the chair across from me without asking.

“Mind if I join you?”

I looked up and met familiar eyes. Daniel. Final-year student. Popular. The kind of guy people noticed without him trying. He smiled easily, confidently, like he already knew the answer.

“Sure,” I said, polite but distant.

He leaned forward. “I’ve seen you around. You always look like you’re waiting for something.”

My stomach tightened.

Before I could respond, my phone vibrated against the table. Once. Sharp.

Unknown.

I didn’t open it immediately.

Daniel noticed. His smile shifted, just slightly. “Important?”

“No,” I lied.

The vibration came again.

And again.

My chest warmed with something dangerous—comfort mixed with guilt.

I stood up abruptly. “I need some air.”

Outside, the breeze hit my face, grounding me. I pulled my phone out.

Unknown: Who is he?

My fingers froze.

Me: Who?

Unknown: The one sitting across from you. He’s leaning too close.

I swallowed.

Me: You’re watching again.

A pause.

Unknown: I don’t like the way he looks at you.

That word—like—sent a quiet thrill through me.

Me: You don’t get to decide who talks to me.

Unknown: I know. That doesn’t mean I won’t feel it.

I closed my eyes.

Me: Feel what?

Three dots appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.

Unknown: Jealous.

The honesty stunned me more than the word itself.

Me: Why?

This time, his reply was slow. Careful.

Unknown: Because he sees you the way people are allowed to. I don’t.

I leaned against the wall, heart pounding. Somewhere behind me, laughter drifted from the café. Normal life. Normal connections.

Me: Then stop hiding.

Minutes passed.

When he replied, it was softer than I expected.

Unknown: Soon. But not yet.

That night, Daniel texted me, asking if I wanted to hang out sometime.

My phone buzzed immediately after.

Unknown: Don’t say yes.

I stared at the screen, caught between two worlds—one safe and visible, the other unseen and already wrapped too tightly around my heart.

For the first time, I wondered:

What happens when the faceless lover decides he doesn’t want to stay faceless anymore?

And who would I choose when that moment comes?