Mine until Midnight

Mine until Midnight - The Stranger Who Wasn't There

CHAPTER TWO

Aurora barely slept.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the same three words.

**Not yet, Aurora.**

She had stared at them for nearly an hour the night before, searching for some reasonable explanation. Maybe Mia had written them. Maybe someone had gotten into the room. Maybe the journal had been tampered with before it ever reached her.

But none of the explanations made sense.

Mia had been asleep. The door had been locked. And whoever had written the words hadn't simply known her name. They had known that she would write in the journal.

That was the part Aurora couldn't understand.

She rolled onto her side and looked at the black journal sitting on her desk. It looked harmless. Almost beautiful.

She hated that.

Because she wanted to believe it was harmless.

Aurora finally got out of bed. She walked over to the desk and opened it again.

The words were still there.

**Not yet, Aurora.**

She touched the page with her fingertip.

"Not yet what?"

Nothing happened.

She waited.

Still nothing.

Aurora sighed. "Great. Now I'm talking to a notebook."

Behind her, Mia groaned.

"Please don't tell me you're already having conversations with it."

Aurora jumped. "You scared me!"

Mia sat up, her hair completely messy. "You've been staring at that thing since yesterday."

"I was thinking."

"That's dangerous."

Aurora laughed despite herself.

Mia climbed out of bed and walked over. "What did you write?"

Aurora hesitated before showing her.

Mia read the words, and her expression immediately changed.

"No."

Aurora frowned. "No what?"

"Nope. I officially hate this."

"You said that yesterday."

"And today I mean it more."

Aurora closed the journal. "It's probably some stupid prank."

"Then who knows your name?"

Aurora didn't answer.

Mia folded her arms. "Exactly."

For a few seconds, neither spoke.

Then Mia pointed at the journal. "Throw it away."

Aurora looked at it.

She should.

Instead, she placed it inside the drawer beside her bed.

"I'll think about it."

Mia groaned. "That's not the same thing."

"I know."

By ten o'clock, Aurora had almost convinced herself to forget everything.

University had a way of doing that. There was always something demanding attention. A lecture. An assignment. An upcoming test. A professor who seemed personally offended by students enjoying their lives.

By lunchtime, Aurora was sitting beneath a tree with Mia and Ethan.

Ethan dropped into the grass beside them.

"Tell me you did the assignment."

Aurora looked at Mia.

Mia looked at Aurora.

They both looked at Ethan.

"No."

Ethan sighed. "I hate this friendship."

"You'll survive," Aurora said.

"That's what you said last time."

"And you survived."

"Barely."

Mia laughed.

Aurora smiled.

For a while, everything felt normal again.

She almost forgot about the journal.

Then she noticed something on the table.

A coffee.

Her coffee.

She stared at it.

Mia followed her gaze.

"Did you buy that?"

"No."

Ethan shook his head. "Not me."

Aurora picked it up.

Her exact order.

No sugar.

Extra milk.

The lid had a small piece of paper attached to it.

She pulled it free.

Nothing was written on the front.

She turned it over.

**You looked tired this morning.**

Aurora's smile disappeared.

Mia took the paper from her.

"Okay."

Ethan leaned closer. "What's that?"

"Nothing," Aurora said quickly.

Mia gave her a look.

"Aurora."

She showed him.

Ethan's expression hardened.

"Who gave you that?"

"I don't know."

"Did you see anyone?"

"No."

He looked around the courtyard.

"Maybe somebody put it there while we weren't looking."

Aurora glanced at the coffee.

"But why?"

Nobody answered.

A minute later, Ethan stood.

"I'm getting you another one."

Aurora laughed. "Why?"

"Because I'm not drinking a mystery coffee."

Mia pointed at him. "See? This is why I like him."

"You didn't even pay for the first one."

"Details."

Aurora smiled.

But somewhere beneath the humor, something bothered her.

The message hadn't been threatening.

It was almost thoughtful.

That somehow made it stranger.

Whoever had left it had noticed that she was tired.

They had noticed what coffee she liked.

They had noticed her.

Aurora didn't know whether that should comfort her or frighten her.

That evening, Aurora stayed behind after class.

She needed a book from the library.

The sun had already disappeared by the time she left.

She pulled her jacket tighter around herself and started toward the dormitories.

Halfway there, she heard footsteps.

Behind her.

Aurora kept walking.

The footsteps continued.

She glanced over her shoulder.

A man was walking several metres behind her.

She couldn't see his face clearly.

Aurora walked faster.

So did he.

Her fingers tightened around her phone.

She considered calling Mia.

Then the footsteps stopped.

Aurora stopped too.

Silence.

She slowly turned around.

The path was empty.

The man was gone.

She looked around.

Nothing.

"Okay..."

Aurora exhaled.

Maybe he'd turned down another path.

She continued walking.

A few minutes later, she reached the dormitory.

Her phone buzzed.

A message.

Unknown number.

Aurora froze.

She opened it.

**You should take the main path after dark.**

Her heart began beating faster.

She looked behind her.

Nothing.

Another message appeared.

**The shortcut isn't safe.**

Aurora stared at the screen.

She typed:

**Who are you?**

The message showed as delivered.

No response.

She waited.

Nothing.

Aurora looked toward the path she'd just walked.

For the first time, she noticed how empty it actually was.

She hurried inside.

The following morning, Aurora found her wallet.

She had lost it the previous afternoon.

She remembered searching through her bag three times. She had even gone back to the library.

Nothing.

Yet now it was sitting neatly on her desk.

Aurora stared at it.

Mia walked past.

"Oh, you found it."

Aurora picked it up.

"I didn't."

Mia stopped.

"What?"

"I didn't find it."

"Then how did it get there?"

Aurora opened it.

Everything was inside.

Her student ID.

Her cards.

The little photograph she'd kept tucked behind one of the slots.

Nothing missing.

She turned the wallet over.

A folded piece of paper slipped from underneath it.

Aurora caught it.

Her stomach tightened.

She opened it.

**You shouldn't lose things so easily.**

Mia read it.

"This isn't funny anymore."

Aurora folded the paper.

"No."

"Are you scared?"

Aurora thought about it.

"Not exactly."

"Then what?"

Aurora looked at the wallet.

"I think I'm curious."

Mia stared at her.

"That's worse."

Aurora smiled.

"Probably."

That afternoon, Aurora decided to test something.

She wanted to know if whoever was leaving the gifts was actually watching her.

She told Mia she was going to the library.

Instead, she went to the student center.

She sat at a table near the window.

Then she waited.

Ten minutes.

Nothing.

Twenty minutes.

Nothing.

Thirty.

Still nothing.

Aurora began to feel ridiculous.

Maybe she'd imagined everything.

Maybe there wasn't anyone watching her.

Maybe the journal had been some strange coincidence.

She stood.

As she picked up her bag, she noticed something on the chair beside her.

A small black box.

Aurora froze.

She looked around.

Nobody seemed to be paying attention.

She picked it up.

Inside was a silver bracelet.

Simple.

Elegant.

Nothing extravagant.

Beneath it was a tiny note.

**For when you're afraid.**

Aurora stared at the words.

Then she looked around again.

Whoever had left it couldn't have been far away.

She hurried outside.

Students moved in every direction.

Aurora searched the crowd.

A man in a dark coat disappeared around a corner.

She followed.

Her footsteps echoed against the pavement.

She reached the corner.

Nothing.

No man.

No one waiting.

Only an empty walkway.

Aurora stood there, breathing heavily.

She looked down at the bracelet in her hand.

For some reason, she put it on.

It fit perfectly.

That night, Aurora sat on her bed with the journal open in front of her.

She stared at the blank page.

Then she began writing.

**Dear stranger,**

She paused.

Her pen hovered over the paper.

She continued.

**I don't know who you are.**

She stopped again.

Then added:

**But if you're going to keep leaving things for me, at least tell me why.**

Aurora waited.

Nothing happened.

She laughed quietly.

"Of course."

She closed the journal.

Then her phone vibrated.

Aurora looked down.

Unknown number.

One message.

**Because you don't notice when you're in danger.**

Her smile vanished.

She typed:

**And you do?**

Three dots appeared.

Then disappeared.

They appeared again.

Finally:

**I notice everything.**

Aurora stared at the words.

She didn't know why, but those four words sent a strange chill through her.

Not because they sounded threatening.

Because they sounded certain.

She typed:

**Do you know me?**

This time, there was no reply.

Aurora waited.

Five minutes.

Ten.

Nothing.

Eventually, she placed the phone beside her.

She opened the journal again.

The page was blank.

She smiled faintly.

"Goodnight, stranger."

She closed it.

Across the city, Lucien sat alone in the dark.

Aurora's message was still open on his phone.

**Do you know me?**

He read it once.

Then again.

His thumb hovered over the keyboard.

He could answer.

But not yet.

For now, he was content to remain a stranger.

A stranger who knew her favorite coffee.

A stranger who knew when she was tired.

A stranger who noticed when she was walking alone.

And a stranger who seemed to appear whenever Aurora needed someone most.

Aurora had no idea who was behind the messages.

But slowly, without realizing it, she was beginning to look for him.

Not because she knew his face.

Not because she knew his name.

But because somewhere in the back of her mind, she had started believing one thing:

Whenever something went wrong...

**he would be there.**