Eli's heart raced in his chest as Jason's eyes bore into him. The room seemed smaller, the air thicker, as though everything around him was closing in. The name J.M. hung in the space between them like a bomb, threatening to detonate any second.
"I—I don't know what you mean," Eli stammered, his voice betraying his panic.
Jason didn't let go of his arm, his grip firm and unyielding. The intensity in his eyes only grew. "Cut the bullshit, Eli. I've seen how you've been acting lately. The way you're glued to your phone, the late nights, the way you can't seem to focus on anything. And I'm not blind. I know what's going on."
Eli swallowed hard, trying to steady his breath. The last thing he wanted was to get into a conversation about J.M. He didn't even fully understand it himself—what it was, what it meant, or how deep it had already gone.
"I—" Eli's mind raced for an excuse, some way to deflect, to get Jason off his back. But every time he thought he might have a way out, Jason would tighten his grip, like he could sense every lie before it left his lips.
Jason stepped closer, his breath now brushing Eli's face. There was something in his eyes, something too dark, too calculating for comfort. "Don't lie to me, Eli. I know you've been talking to someone. I don't know who, but the way you've been acting... it's not normal. Who's J.M.?"
Eli felt the walls close in even more. The air felt like it was sucking all the oxygen out of the room, leaving him gasping for a way to escape. The name—J.M.—had become a curse, and every time he heard it, it weighed him down like an anchor, dragging him deeper into a sea he wasn't sure he could swim out of.
"I'm not talking to anyone," Eli lied, his voice wavering despite his best efforts. "There's no J.M."
But even as he said it, the words felt hollow. He knew it. Jason knew it. And worst of all, J.M. knew it.
Jason's grip loosened, but only slightly. He didn't believe it. He didn't have to. There was something in the way Eli had avoided the question, in the way his entire body tensed, that confirmed it. Jason took a step back, his expression unreadable for a moment before a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"You're lying," Jason said, his tone smooth and low. "You know what? I'll figure it out myself. I always do."
Eli's stomach churned. Jason's words were casual, but the way he said them so sure of himself, so calculating made it clear that he wasn't going to drop this. Jason had always been clever. He could read Eli like an open book, but now… now something was different. The distance between them had shifted. Jason wasn't just his best friend anymore. There was a strange tension in the air, an unspoken threat that hung in the silence.
Before Eli could respond, Jason turned, his eyes flicking back over his shoulder with that same, knowing smirk. "You don't need to tell me. I'll just keep an eye on you."
Jason left without another word, his presence lingering in the room like a storm cloud waiting to burst.
Eli stood there, his hand gripping the door frame as if it were the only thing holding him up. He felt a wave of nausea settle in his stomach, the weight of the situation crashing down on him. Jason didn't just know something was wrong; he was getting closer to the truth. And Eli had no idea how to stop him.
Sinking down onto the couch, Eli reached for his phone, the device still buzzing in his hand from earlier. His screen lit up, the glow casting a faint, eerie light across his face. A new message from J.M. appeared.
> "You're scared, aren't you, Eli?"
— J.M.
Eli stared at the message, his hands trembling. He didn't want to reply, but something in him couldn't stop himself. Every time J.M. reached out, it was like a pull, a magnetic force that he couldn't resist. He needed to know what was happening, needed to understand why this man—this stranger—had such a grip on him.
> "What do you want from me?" Eli typed, his fingers moving quickly as the words spilled out before he could think.
— Eli
The reply came almost instantly.
> "I want you to trust me."
"I want you to let go of the walls you've built around yourself."
"I'll show you what's been right in front of you the whole time."
— J.M.
Eli's chest tightened at the words. Trust him? Let go? The last thing he wanted to do was let anyone inside, especially someone like J.M. who seemed to know more about him than anyone else. But there was a pull, a need to understand, to uncover the mystery behind the man whose voice had haunted his every thought.
> "I don't even know who you are." Eli typed back, his voice raw with emotion.
— Eli
The reply came so quickly it almost startled him.
> "You know me better than you think."
"And I'm right here."
"Always."
— J.M.
Eli felt a chill run down his spine. His heart thudded in his chest, erratic and heavy. What did that mean? How could he know him better than he thought? Who the hell was J.M.?
The next moment, the phone vibrated again, but this time it wasn't a message from J.M. It was a call. A private number.
His pulse quickened. This was it. This was the moment he'd been dreading. Slowly, almost cautiously, Eli pressed answer.
The voice that greeted him was calm, smooth. Too smooth. The tone wrapped itself around him like silk.
"I thought you'd be curious," J.M.'s voice whispered through the phone, each word sinking deeper into Eli's skin. "Curious enough to answer when I call. Curious enough to learn who I really am."
Eli couldn't breathe. His throat was dry, his entire body locked in place. The voice, so familiar now, was both comforting and terrifying all at once.
"I've been waiting for you, Eli." The words were a promise, but they felt more like a warning. "I'll be here whenever you're ready."
And then, the line went dead.
The silence that followed was suffocating, heavier than it had ever been. Eli held the phone to his ear, unsure whether to hang up or to scream. There was no escaping this. No walking away.