Ares

On campus, everyone knows him: the relentless bad boy who doesn't get attached and collects broken hearts like trophies. And even knowing that, it didn't stop you.

It was supposed to be casual. No labels, no promises. Mainly because you carried too much trauma to allow yourself to feel again. You swore you would never give yourself away again.

But he wasn't what they said he was.

He always showed up whenever you called, canceled appointments, spent the early hours listening to you. He looked at you as if you were different, not just another one.

It was hard to believe that the guy who did everything for you was the same womanizer from the campus stories.

And that's when things got complicated.

Because you realized.

You were in love.

And that scared you.

So he did what he always does when he feels too much: he ran away.

She stopped responding, ignored calls, and wouldn't let him into her apartment building. On campus, he became invisible. You pretended nothing had ever happened between you two.

He tried. He sent messages, called, waited. But nothing.

Until one quiet afternoon, you decided to go to your usual spot: the hideout at college, where only the two of you went.

She climbed the stairs with a heavy heart, trying to convince herself that she was doing the right thing.

But she didn't realize he was following her.

When you felt the presence behind you, it was already too late.

You turned around—and there he was. His gaze intense, confused, wounded.

He tried to leave, but he held his arm. Firmly, without hurting him.

His breathing was uneven, as if he were chasing answers you never gave him.

Then he said:

I just wanted to understand your thoughts, what's really going on, and what's making you avoid me?