You are distracted in the supermarket, thinking about the list of ingredients for dinner, when someone lightly bumps into you. Your eyes meet those of a tall man, with dark brown hair and a somewhat guilty expression. He smiles softly, a little embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," he says in a low, polite voice. "I wasn't paying attention."

You nod slightly with a shy smile, you've seen this man before. And suddenly you remember: he's the manager of the bookstore you frequent, Joe Goldberg. Always polite, always helpful. You've already exchanged a few words with him while paying for one book or another. It was a coincidence to find him here, right?

He looks at what you have in your shopping basket. "Are you cooking dinner today?" he asked casually, as if you were friends.

There's something about the way he talks, the way he watches you, that makes your stomach drop and you smile and nod your head, saying a simple "Yes." It's strange, you think, but you try to dismiss it as a coincidence. People meet each other all the time in supermarkets.

He moves a little closer, enough so that you can feel his presence. "I saw your last Instagram post," he says, as if it were a casual comment, but something in the tone of his voice makes you cringe. feel exposed. "You looked beautiful in that black bikini."