The Plan

Luna POV

At work, Lucy waves me over the moment I walk in, her face already set in a dramatic pout. “Again?” she asks, sitting down beside me.

I nod, feeling the weight of it all. “Yeah, again.”

“Did you talk to him about it?”

“I was going to,” I sigh, leaning back in my chair. “But then he gave me one of the anniversary gifts, and I just... I couldn’t bring it up. I mean, it’s not like he’s using me, but he’s just...” I trail off, not even sure how to explain it.

“He’s not giving you time,” Lucy says knowingly. Then, her face lights up. “Wait! I have the perfect idea!”

I raise an eyebrow. “I don’t think I’m going to like your idea.”

She laughs. “No, seriously! Sexy lingerie, leave a brand-new toy out on the bed, and send him some teasing messages. Tell him you want to be punished for hours.”

I laugh at first, but then I consider it. Maybe she’s right? Maybe this is the way to get his attention without coming off as demanding. Maybe it’s the playful push he needs to take his time with me again.

“I think I need to go shopping after work,” I announce, and Lucy beams.

“I’m coming with you! We’ll find the perfect outfit to have him squirming.”

I glance at my phone, still amazed it’s functioning after I dropped it in the bath yesterday. “Do you think he’s bored of me?” I ask quietly.

Lucy shakes her head. “Not bored. Just settled. It happens in every relationship. You just need to spice it up.”

Before I can respond, Joseph, our boss, calls over to us. “Lucy, Luna, are you planning to do any work today?”

Lucy snickers, dragging her laptop closer to her. “We’re doing it, Joseph,” she mutters, throwing me a wink.

“We’ll fix it,” she whispers to me. “It’s just a bump in the road, nothing more.”

But it feels like more. It feels like Justin doesn’t care anymore. I sigh, looking down at my desk. “He doesn’t even care about the stalker stuff, Lucy. Most guys would be worried, but he just laughs it off like it’s no big deal.”

Lucy’s eyes widen. “Wait, did something else happen?”

I nod, lowering my voice. “There was a heart drawn on my window. And then, when I was in the bath, I got a call. Heavy breathing, a grunt, and then he growled my name. I swear, he was... touching himself. Or maybe with someone else.”

“What did Justin say?”

“He laughed. Thought I was overreacting because the guy only said my name,” I admit, my frustration bubbling to the surface again.

Lucy frowns, trying to process it. “Maybe Justin doesn’t see the danger? He’s a guy, you know. If you’d seen the stalker inside or noticed things moved around, maybe then he’d care. But if they’re just watching from outside... maybe he doesn’t get it?”

“Lucy, Luna!” Joseph snaps again, and we both laugh.

“Okay, okay, we’re working,” I say, pulling my focus back to the screen in front of me. But my mind is elsewhere, torn between my relationship with Justin and the unsettling presence of my stalker. What is he doing right now?

I walk around the store with Lucy, browsing through the racks of lingerie, holding up different outfits to show her. Every time I slip into something new, I step out of the dressing room to get her opinion. I’ve also been taking pictures and sending them to Justin, partly as a tease and partly to make sure he knows I want him to come over tonight. Alone. That’s the hope, anyway.

I step out of the dressing room in a particularly daring piece—a black bra with cutouts, perfectly framing my nipples, leaving nothing to the imagination. Lucy’s eyes light up.

“That one! Hell yes, but ditch the thong. Get peephole ones instead—trust me, it’ll drive him crazy,” she says with a mischievous grin.

I laugh and nod, heading back into the changing room. I switch out the regular thong for a more scandalous one, and when I’m done, we finally leave the store. The adrenaline of planning something exciting with Justin still buzzes through me, and I feel a spark of hope. Maybe this will change things between us.

“So, are you ready for tonight?” Lucy asks, walking beside me as we make our way back to the cars.

“Yeah, I think so,” I reply, a little less sure than I want to sound. “If he goes too quick again, I’ll say something this time. I’ll tell him to slow down, or at least make him aware that I need more. Even if it’s just playing with myself after. I can’t keep letting him brush me off.”

Lucy gives me a quick hug before we part ways, encouraging me with a bright smile. I feel better, more confident, as I drive home. But when I reach my front door, my heart skips a beat. There’s a box sitting on my doorstep, neatly wrapped with a large red bow. Shit.

Do I even want to open this? I don’t know if I can handle another weird gift from my stalker. I lift the box and carry it inside, more because I don’t want to linger outside if he’s watching. Locking the door behind me, I place the box on the table, the tension in my chest rising. Please don’t be something awful... like a dead animal.