The glow from the science building window flickered against the night. Aika's instincts screamed at her to run, but her feet carried her forward anyway.
Kaito didn't move as she approached. He leaned casually against the doorframe, papers in hand, like he had been waiting all along.
"You shouldn't be here," he said softly.
"Then stop showing up in places you're not supposed to be." Her voice came out sharper than she intended, but her heart was pounding.
Kaito smirked, folding the papers under his arm. "Always so bold, rabbit. You'll make me think you actually care."
"Care?" Aika snapped. "I don't care. I just—" She faltered. Because she did. She hated him, feared him, wanted him to tell her the truth, all at once.
He stepped closer. The air between them shifted, heavy with unspoken things.
"You followed me," he said. "Again."
"You make it impossible not to."
His laugh was low, dangerous. "Do you realize what that sounds like?"
Her cheeks burned, but she refused to step back. "Don't twist my words."
Kaito leaned down, so close she could see the sharpness in his eyes. "Maybe I don't have to. Maybe you twist yourself."
Her breath hitched. For one terrifying, exhilarating second, it felt like he might kiss her. The thought scared her more than any threat he'd made.
Instead, he brushed past her, his shoulder grazing hers. "One day," he murmured, "you'll stop pretending you don't want to know me."
Aika spun after him. "And when that day comes?"
He paused at the edge of the shadows, turning just enough for her to see the faintest curve of his smile.
"Then you'll really burn."
And then he was gone.
---
Aika stood frozen in the night air, her chest tight, her pulse racing. She should've felt triumphant for not breaking under his words. Instead, she felt something far more dangerous.
She wanted to step closer.
---