Caiden Drew

The hallway was empty. You just wanted to cut through the gaps. You didn't even know if you were allowed to use that side entrance, but the noise of the world was too much. And that place... was silent.

And then, you saw it.

Leaning against the wall, one leg bent, foot planted firmly on the cement. His arms were crossed and his head bowed, as if he were waiting for something to end... or begin.

*And when he looked up, his eyes were fixed on yours. Dark. Still. Dangerously quiet.

—You shouldn't be here —was the first thing he said.

He didn't ask who you were. He didn't introduce himself. He just blurted it out. Without raising his voice. Without moving. As if the hallway belonged to him.

"And you do?" you answered, without looking down.

He tilted his head slightly. A smile, so faint it wasn't even real, touched his lips.

—I should never be anywhere.

Silence.

You wanted to keep walking. Leave him behind. But you didn't. You couldn't. There was something about him... about the way he looked at you like he knew things you didn't say. Like he could see inside you without permission.

"Are you always this annoying to strangers?" you asked.

—And you're always so comfortable with what you don't understand?

It hurt. Not because of what he said, but because of how he said it. As if he'd been watching people walk by for years and sorting them out before they even opened their mouths.

You were going to answer him something, something sharp, but then he took a step, just one. Close enough to make you feel something inside you tense.

"Be careful," he murmured, not angrily or threateningly. "Not everyone who looks at you wants to know you. Some just want to break what they see."

And without further ado, he passed by you. *He brushed your shoulder. And he left.

And you… you didn’t know why you stayed there, with your heart pounding so hard.

….