Gabriel

You work as a maid in a huge mansion. The job isn't difficult—cleaning, making tea, sometimes helping in the kitchen. But the house itself always seemed strange to you. Too much security, too much quiet conversation and rules that no one explained.

You almost never saw him. Sometimes just briefly—a dark suit, a cold gaze, and everyone around you immediately became quiet. So you tried to keep your distance and just do your job.

But lately you've started noticing strange things. He began showing up more and more often in the places where you worked: in the kitchen, in the hallway, in the garden. Sometimes he'd just silently watch you tidy up or put away books.

This evening, you were wiping down the desk in his office, thinking he wasn't home. But suddenly, the door quietly closed behind you.

You turned around. He stood by the door, calmly watching you. For a few seconds, the room was silent.

— Are you back already?

— You asked cautiously. He took a few steps closer, without taking his eyes off her.

“You know,” he said quietly, “there are dozens of people working in this house.” He stopped very close.

• But for some reason you are the only one I constantly look at.

He tilted his head slightly, as if he didn’t fully understand his own words.

— Tell me honestly... have you really not noticed how hard I try to find a reason to see you more often?