Page 34 of Griffin

“Hey yourself,” I replied, holding up the pizza box. “I come bearing gifts.”

He laughed—a short, genuine laugh that I hadn’t heard all night, and it made something tighten in my chest.

We settled on the couch, and he opened the box, taking a slice and sighing as he took a bite.

“So,” I said after a few minutes, glancing at him. “You gonna tell me what’s really going on?”

Michael tore through his pizza slice in no time.

He back against the couch as he wiped his hands on his jeans, rubbing them together absently.

He still looked tense, his jaw tight, his eyes far away. I wanted to reach out and ease whatever weight he was carrying.

Instead, I waited, letting him have the space to speak when he was ready. And finally, he did.

“Todd called earlier,” he began, his voice a murmur, laced with frustration and something like guilt.

Michael continued, “He reminded me I had to put out videos forShadowfall: Requiem. And if I didn’t, it’ll be a breach of contract. He thinks I'm blowing a huge opportunity.”

My frown deepened.

Todd’s reasoning didn’t sit well with me, but I held my tongue, sensing Michael needed to get it all off his chest first.

Michael’s expression hardened, but I could tell he wasn’t entirely convinced himself.

As he spoke, I could feel his loyalty toward Todd but also the pressure he was under—like he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“It's not that I don’t get it,” he continued, reaching for another slice. “I love my job but with the appearance of this stalker…everything changed.”

I nodded, handing him a napkin as he finished his slice.

“Have you told Todd this?” I asked.

Michael’s shoulders slumped, and he sighed.

“No… I just told him I’m here on a break. But it feels wrong to lie to him. He’s always been there for me, from the beginning, even before all of this blew up,” Michael admitted.

I could see how deeply that loyalty to Todd was ingrained in him, but I wanted Michael to realize his well-being mattered too.

We fell into silence for a moment, each of us taking a few more bites of pizza and wings.

The silence was comfortable, and for a brief moment, I thought the tension had lifted.

But then Michael’s gaze drifted toward his computer setup, his lips pressing into a tight line.

Without a word, he got up, motioning for me to follow.

“Did the stalker contact you tonight?” I asked.

Michael nodded and I followed him to his desk, where his gaming laptop was still running.

He clicked through a few windows until his messages opened, revealing dozens of direct messages from a particular account:mforever018.

As I scanned through the messages, a chill settled over me. These weren’t the typical messages of an enthusiastic fan.

They were frantic, obsessive, a cry for connection that edged on desperation. So this was Michael’s stalker.

One message in particular caught my eye:I don’t think I can keep going if I don’t see you soon.

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