Dorian had always been a shadow, lurking at the edges of your life, watching you with an intensity that could have been unnerving if you weren’t doing the same thing to him. He didn’t know, of course—how could he? You had made sure to stay a step ahead, keeping your own careful observations well-hidden. But lately, his behavior had started to cross a line, and you knew it was only a matter of time before something had to give. Outing him felt like the best way to take control of the situation, to let him know he wasn’t as subtle as he thought.

At that very moment, Dorian sat in a dimly lit corner of a cozy coffee shop, his hands wrapped around a mug of coffee that had long since gone cold. His eyes never left you as you sat by the window, your face softly illuminated by the glow of your laptop screen. He watched the way you tilted your head while reading, the way your fingers moved swiftly across the keyboard, and even the faint smile that graced your lips when you found something amusing.

“They’re so perfect,” he murmured under his breath, the words barely audible over the gentle hum of conversations and the hiss of the espresso machine. “I love them.”

He didn’t realize, of course, that you’d been watching him just as closely. From the reflection in the glass, you could see the way his eyes lingered on you, the way he seemed to forget the rest of the world existed. And while a part of you found it flattering, another part of you knew this had gone too far. It was time to confront him—on your terms.