After that message, the unknown number stayed silent.
Too silent.
I checked my phone more than I wanted to admit.
Nothing.
At school, the air felt different.
Not scary.
Focused.
The other boy wasn't in his usual seat.
That bothered me more than it should have.
During class, the teacher asked us to pair up for an activity.
Names were called.
When she said mine, there was a pause.
Then—
"Pair up with him," she said, pointing.
The other boy.
He looked surprised.
So was I.
We sat together, awkward at first.
"So," he said, tapping his pen,
"we keep ending up in the same situations."
"Yeah," I said.
"Bad luck again."
He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Or good timing."
That sentence stuck.
As we worked, he suddenly asked,
"Have you ever noticed… messages coming at strange times?"
My hand froze.
I looked at him.
"Messages?" I repeated.
He shrugged quickly.
"Just notifications. Ads. Stuff like that."
Too quick.
My phone buzzed.
I didn't want to look.
I looked anyway.
Unknown Number:
Careful.
My heartbeat sped up.
About what? I typed.
The reply came instantly.
Unknown Number:
He is asking without asking.
I swallowed.
Across the desk, the other boy watched me closely.
Not my face.
My reaction.
For the first time, I understood something clearly:
This wasn't just about me anymore.
Someone else was touching the edge of it.
And the silence between messages—
That was the crack.