Chapter 12 — First Meeting
Arin sat in the hospital cafeteria, alone, as usual.
A tray clattered beside him.
"Mind if I sit here?" a soft voice asked.
Arin looked up. A girl, warm smile, curious eyes.
"…Sure," he muttered, voice flat.
"I'm Meira," she said, setting her tray down.
"You always eat alone?"
He shrugged.
"Not always. Just… mostly."
She studied him for a moment.
"You look like you don't want company. But sometimes the quiet ones just need someone who won't bother them."
Arin blinked.
"Why are you talking to me?"
"Because you look interesting," she said simply.
"Besides, I like talking to people who are hard to reach."
A faint, almost imperceptible twitch appeared in his lips—a start of a smile.
Days turned into weeks.
She appeared in the library. In the cafeteria. Even in the hallways, always careful not to crowd him, but never too far.
She asked questions.
He answered in grunts at first, then words, then sentences.
And slowly, without either of them noticing, the walls around Arin began to shift.
Not collapse.
Just… move.