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‘I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it,’ I admit. ‘He seemed to know me. It was weird.’ I shake my head, as if that will help rid my thoughts of him. ‘It’s nothing. I just got spooked.’ I look down at my mug and notice Tess eyeing me from my peripheral.

‘I wouldn’t say you looked spooked,’ Elodie teases. ‘You looked more turned on to me.’

Heat rushes to my cheeks. Great.

Tess’s eyebrows rise sharply, as surprise flickers across her face. ‘My, my, does someone have a mask kink?’

‘I certainly do,’ Elodie pipes up when I fail to reply. ‘Why do you think I suggested we go?’

‘Fair point,’ Tess replies. ‘When I wasn’t running away, I did check a few of them out. Some of them were pretty hot.’

‘So he chased you. That’s it?’ Elodie probes.

My face gives me away. They both pause, exchange a glance, and then grin in unison.

‘Oh my God,’ Elodie squeals. ‘Something happened.’

‘No!’ I protest, flustered. ‘But he caged me in. It was scary, but in a sexy way.’

‘Love that!’ Elodie grins.

Tess nudges me gently. ‘You okay, though? You seemed a little shaken after.’

‘Yeah. I’m fine. It was just the adrenaline.’

I take another sip of coffee, trying to steer my thoughts to something else, but my mind keeps slipping back to the mysterious man in the mask. Thoughts of someone else threaten to consume me, but I shove them firmly back into the folder I’ve labelled ‘do not open’, because I simply can’t go down that road again. The masked man is not him, and I refuse to let him occupy any more space in my mind.

Elodie hops off her stool and starts rummaging through the cupboards. ‘We should make pancakes. I’m in a pancake mood.’

Tess groans. ‘You’re always in a pancake mood.’

‘That’s because pancakes are a lifestyle.’

I smile, grateful for the normalcy of the two of them. Their apartment is cramped and mismatched, decorated with op-shop furniture and photos blu-tacked to the walls, collage-style. The smell of coffee lingers, mixing with the faint hint of pancake batter.

Tess is scrolling on her phone, mumbling about a new song, while Elodie leans back on the counter, drumming her fingers.

‘Oh! Shadow Land is doing a ticket giveaway on their TikTok. Should I enter and we go again?’

‘No thanks,’ Tess replies without looking up from her phone.

I pause mid-sip, my stomach twisting with a mix of nerves and … something else. The idea of seeing him again feels inevitable the moment I think of it. I tell myself it’s just curiosity, nothing more.

‘I might enter,’ I admit, my voice quieter than I intended.

‘That’s the spirit! Come on, it could be fun, and who knows? Maybe you’ll see Mystery Maze Guy again.’ Elodie winks, nudging me with her elbow.

I flush, setting my mug down. ‘He probably does that with everyone and won’t remember me.’

Tess finally looks up, eyebrows raised. I avert my gaze, a little embarrassed at how obsessively I’m thinking about him. The thought of being back there, surrounded by fog and lights, with the sound of his footsteps just behind me, makes my stomach tighten in a way that is equal parts thrilling and terrifying. The way he said my name has me in a chokehold.

Elodie smirks. ‘Let’s both enter. Double the odds of winning.’

Biting my lip, I scroll through the Shadow Land page, scanning all the videos of actors prowling around the park, scaring people, and dressing up in terrifying outfits. I comment under the giveaway video, securing my entry into it, and a little thrill sparks through me. I want to see him again, even if I shouldn’t. Our moment in the maze would have meant nothing to him. He’s probably just an intense actor who takes his role very seriously. He won’t remember me, or care for a repeat of last night.

Or so I tell myself …

I click on another video with almost one million views. It’s a quick montage of fog machines, people screaming on rides, and actors leaping out at unsuspecting visitors. Elodie scrolls too and suddenly brings her phone closer to her face, an amused smirk dancing across her lips.