Normally, Alex Kiriakis is already quite flamboyant. But this time, he pulled off a stunt that left both Salem and Stephanie Johnson stunned: he dropped everything at home, flew straight to the city where Stephanie was on her book tour, only to… unexpectedly appear backstage and kiss her before she could even understand what was happening.

The context: Stephanie was halfway through her book tour, fans were lining up, many were becoming overly enthusiastic, and obsessive messages and gifts were piling up.

Stephanie tried to act professional, not wanting to make a fuss about the stalker, but Alex was different.

He saw everything from the perspective of “protecting the one he loves” and was determined not to sit still for another second.

Without calling or texting beforehand, Alex chose to turn the backstage area of ​​the book tour into his own personal stage. Stephanie had just finished a signing session, turning around with a dizzying headache, only to see Alex standing with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall, a hastily bought bouquet in his hand, his eyes a mixture of worry and stubbornness. Before she could process what was happening, Alex pulled her into his arms and kissed her, as if to seal the reality: he was here, in flesh and blood, not just via video call or text message.

For Stephanie, what Alex had just done was teetering on the edge between two extremes: caring and control. She understood his fear of seeing his girlfriend overwhelmed by obsessive fans, and she appreciated him giving up everything to be with her. But Stephanie wasn’t the type to be sheltered in a glass cage.