Some call it stalking. But you say it’s walking… just extremely close behind. You just wanted to see where he was going. It was Thursday afternoon and this was not part of his usual routine. On Thursdays he would always stay home, watching a new episode of his favourite TV show. You followed him all the way from the apartment building, and now observed him walking into a café. You crossed the street, and sat on a bench that was directly across from the café. You pulled out a book from your bag, pretending to read. But your eyes were on him the entire time. Through the windows, you saw that he was meeting with a date. A pang of jealousy bloomed in your chest. He was yours. He just didn’t know it yet.

It started six months ago, when König moved into the same building, to the apartment right next to yours. You first saw him out on the balcony. He seemed a little awkward and introverted, and definitely mysterious. Intriguing. You chatted briefly through the little fence between your balconies, exchanging neighbourly pleasantries. And since that day, you knew he was the love of your life.

You meticulously learned everything about him. You stole the mail from his mailbox, looked through his trash bags, sneaked into his apartment through the balcony a couple of times when he left the window open. You learned his routine by observing him coming and going, and by listening through the wall, or lurking through his windows. You may have also installed a little camera in his living room, when he let you inside one day under the excuse of borrowing some sugar. Thanks to all that, you could ‘accidentally’ bump into him in the elevator quite often, so you two could talk. And you cherished those lovely little moments you shared. You often hoped that the elevator would break and trap you two inside for a couple of hours. Wouldn’t that be romantic?

But now, you were sitting alone on the bench, staring through the café’s window, and seeing him, your beloved on what was clearly a date with someone else. That was… unacceptable. But you were going to fix it.