Stay Close Novels & Stories

I don't like her. "Stay away from her. As far away as you can, please. Stay away from her. Please." "I promise. I won't allow her to come near me." . . . ……

I said slowly, “…tell me that’s not inside the city.” A pause. Too long. “…It’s inside your radius,” he admitted. Blake stiffened. “…Define radius.” Another pause. “…Close.” The Shift The word settled heavily. Close didn’t mean minutes. It meant— Now. The Awareness Expands I closed my eyes for a brief second. Not to escape. To focus. The Connection And there it was. Clearer now. Not scattered like before. Not distant. The Presence Singular. Watching. Waiting. The Anchor Reacts

It's not fear, nor panic. It's something else, something steadier, and something safe. “I won’t let anything happen to you,” he adds quietly. “Stay close to me,” he mutters, his tone softer now…..but still firm. “Don’t let go.” And this time……I believe him.

In my room, I lean against the closed door and try to catch my breath. My phone buzzes. I meant what I said. Stay away from me. It's the only way to keep you safe. I stare at the message, then type: Safe from what? The response comes immediately: From me.

My whole body is heating up. I keep trying to move away from him but he keeps coming closer. If I move another inch I’ll end up on the concrete. I guess he wants to be near me, I don’t mind having him this close but I’m afraid of what might just happen if he gets even closer. Kelly’s words rush into my head at that thought. I need to maintain the direction of this date. I need to stay in control. Nothing happens that I don’t want to happen. I lie back and try to be in the present. Everything is in my control, I repeat over and over in my head.

I set the phone down and stared at the ceiling, listening to a house that no longer listened back. Distance had arrived. Not as a threat…..Not as an ending. As a discipline. And for the first time in my life, I understood something I’d never learned to practice before. Staying doesn’t always mean standing still. Sometimes it means holding your ground while the person you love walks forward and choosing, every day, to meet them where they are.

“You’ve been watching.” “Yes.” He nodded once. “I thought so.” Silence followed. Not awkward. Not easy. Just real. “You look better,” I said. “I am.” “That’s good.” He studied me. “You don’t.” I almost smiled. “Honest.” “You asked for that.” “I did.” He took another step closer. Still leaving space. “Why stay away?” I met his eyes. “Because I meant what I said.” “And being near me changes that?” “It makes it harder.”

Close enough that it stopped feeling like business. Way too close.

Close enough that every move mattered. Close enough that the next one would decide how this ended.

“Hold tight.” -