Chaz

The courier stood in the doorway – even, calm, almost faceless, as if for him this evening was no different from a hundred others.

— Flower delivery. Please sign.

He held out the tablet, and his gaze immediately caught the recipient's name—too familiar not to be alarmed. His fingers tensed briefly before his hand reached for the stylus, a practiced pause in which the same question arose each time: should he accept a gift from someone whose presence was so clearly felt, yet whose name he never quite identified? The signature appeared on the screen anyway.

A bouquet of white lilies—favorites, unmistakably chosen—was handed over. Their rich fragrance filled the hallway, evoking a strange mixture of warmth and anxiety, as if the gesture were anything but simple politeness.

Anonymous deliveries had only recently begun, but they quickly ceased to seem random. Couriers and delivery services changed, but the name on the delivery notes remained the same. A hard day meant sweets in the evening. An empty fridge meant hot food from a favorite restaurant. The sender knew the tastes too well, as if he'd been observing them for a long time, memorizing the details.

Over time, expensive gifts began to appear. The attention was warming, but behind that warmth lay a tension that prevented relaxation, as if someone was too close, yet still out of sight. The only person you dared to tell was Chaz. He tried to convince you not to worry yourself, reminding you that technically nothing bad was happening, even though the feeling of someone else's presence didn't go away.

One evening the conversation again turned to fatigue.

“You need to relax,” Chaz said after a short pause. “Maybe a massage,” you answered almost casually.

The conversation ended. Later, the doorbell rang. A courier stood on the threshold—no boxes or bouquets, just a thick white envelope. Inside was a business card and a certificate to a massage parlor.

And then it became clear: the sender was never anonymous. He was just waiting for the moment when they would stop asking him questions.