The stairwell was heavy with silence, only their uneven breathing filling the space.
She wiped at her cheek quickly, embarrassed that he'd seen her cry again. But Kai didn't move away. He leaned against the opposite wall, hands buried in his pockets, jaw tight.
"I don't usually…" His voice was rough, hesitant. "…I don't usually let people see me like that."
She tilted her head, her heart still pounding from everything. "Like what?"
He gave a small, humorless laugh. "Uncontrolled. Angry. Weak."
Weak. The word rang sharp in her chest. That wasn't what she saw. Not at all. But she could tell he believed it with everything inside him.
She took a careful breath. "You weren't weak. You stood up for me. That's… more than anyone's ever done."
Kai's eyes flicked up, meeting hers for a fleeting second before darting away again. "That's the problem," he muttered. "I can't just stand by. I've seen too much of that before. Too many times where I kept my mouth shut and—" He cut himself off, swallowing hard. His voice cracked on the next word. "…and it ruined everything."
Her chest tightened. There it was. A piece of the shadow he carried.
She wanted to ask. She wanted to know. But she also knew the danger of pushing too hard.
So instead, she stepped closer, her voice low. "You don't have to tell me. Not yet. But… if you ever do, I'll listen."
Kai's shoulders dropped like her words had disarmed him. His dark eyes finally held hers—steady, unflinching.
"You're different," he said quietly. "You act like you're fine, but your eyes… they give you away. I think that's why I can't stop noticing you."
Her breath caught, her entire body warm under his gaze. No one had ever said something like that to her—like he saw straight through her masks.
She swallowed, forcing her voice not to shake. "That's… not fair."
"Why?" he asked, almost gently.
"Because you look at me like you already know me. And that scares the hell out of me."
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The world outside the stairwell went on without them—students rushing to class, the bell ringing—but inside, time seemed suspended.
Kai finally exhaled, running a hand down his face. "I scare myself too."
And in that fragile moment, she realized: their shadows weren't so different after all.