Chapter 1
The first time Ryan said my name, I had never told him what it was.
It was a Monday morning, and I was already late.
I hurried across campus with my bag hanging from one shoulder, trying to hold the papers in my hands together while searching for my phone at the same time.
Typical Mia.
Always rushing.
Always convinced I could do five things at once.
The lecture hall was only a few minutes away, but my phone was nowhere in my pocket.
I stopped walking.
My heart sank.
“No, no, no…”
I checked my bag.
Nothing.
I checked the other pocket.
Still nothing.
Then I remembered.
I had taken it out near the cafeteria.
“Great,” I whispered.
I turned around and started walking back, hoping I hadn't dropped it somewhere along the way.
That was when I heard a voice behind me.
“Excuse me.”
I turned.
A guy was standing a few steps away.
I'd seen him around campus before, but only from a distance.
He was tall, dressed simply, and looked completely unbothered by the chaos around him. While everyone else seemed to be rushing to class, he stood there as if he had nowhere else to be.
In his hand was my phone.
“You dropped this.”
My eyes widened.
“Oh my God.”
I quickly walked toward him.
“That’s mine. Thank you.”
He held it out.
I reached for it.
Then he smiled slightly.
“You should be more careful, Mia.”
I froze.
My fingers stopped inches from the phone.
“What?”
He looked at me.
“Mia.”
The way he said it was casual.
Like he'd known me for years.
I slowly took my phone from his hand.
“How do you know my name?”
For the first time, something changed in his expression.
Only for a second.
Then it disappeared.
“It was on your phone.”
I looked down at the screen.
My phone was locked.
My name wasn't displayed anywhere.
I looked back at him.
“No, it isn't.”
He shrugged.
“Maybe I guessed.”
“You guessed my name?”
“Maybe.”
“That doesn't even make sense.”
He smiled again.
“Have a good day.”
And just like that, he walked away.
I stood there watching him disappear into the crowd.
There was something strange about him.
Not just the fact that he knew my name.
It was the way he had said it.
Like he wasn't meeting me for the first time.
Like he had been waiting for me.
I looked down at my phone.
The screen was still locked.
No name.
Nothing.
“Who are you?” I whispered.
“Mia!”
I turned.
Anna was hurrying toward me, waving one hand above her head.
“There you are! I've been calling you.”
I slipped my phone into my bag.
“I didn't hear you.”
She stopped in front of me, breathing heavily.
“You're going to miss the lecture.”
“I know.”
She looked at me suspiciously.
“Why do you look like you've just seen a ghost?”
“I haven't.”
“You definitely have.”
I glanced in the direction Ryan had gone.
He was nowhere to be seen.
“Forget it,” I said.
Anna narrowed her eyes.
“Mia.”
“I said forget it.”
She sighed.
“Fine. But you're telling me later.”
We hurried toward the lecture hall.
I tried to push the strange encounter out of my mind.
Maybe he really had guessed my name.
Maybe I'd seen him somewhere before.
Maybe there was a simple explanation.
There had to be.
By the time the lecture started, I'd almost convinced myself of that.
Almost.
Until my phone vibrated.
I glanced down.
Unknown Number.
My stomach tightened.
I opened the message.
You shouldn't have followed him.
I stared at the screen.
My fingers went cold.
I hadn't followed anyone.
Before I could process it, another message appeared.
Stay away from Ryan.
I stopped breathing for a moment.
Ryan.
They knew his name too.
I slowly looked around the lecture hall.
Students were talking quietly. Someone was laughing in the row behind me. The lecturer was arranging his notes.
Everything looked normal.
But suddenly, I didn't feel normal anymore.
Someone had been watching me.
And somehow, they knew about Ryan.
I looked at the message again.
Then another one arrived.
He isn't who you think he is.
My heart began beating faster.
I locked my phone and placed it face down on my desk.
For the first time that morning, I wasn't wondering how Ryan knew my name.
I was wondering who was watching us.
And why they wanted me to stay away from him.
