I didn't expect him to stay.
But he did.
And that was the problem.
He didn't rush the conversation.
Didn't force anything.
Just stood there, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Like we'd been talking for longer than a few minutes.
Like this wasn't new.
It was unsettling.
The way he carried himself.
The way he looked at me.
Not casually.
Not politely.
But intentionally.
Like he was paying attention to things I wasn't saying.
I shifted slightly, suddenly very aware of the space between us.
Or lack of it.
He noticed.
Of course he did.
His gaze flickered briefly, then returned to mine.
And somehow, that small movement made everything feel even more… real.
"You always sit here?" he asked.
I nodded.
"Yeah."
"Hmm."
That was it.
Just that.
But the way he said it—
Like he was noting it.
Remembering it.
Filed it somewhere.
I didn't like that.
Or maybe I did.
Which was worse.
A small silence settled between us.
Not awkward.
Just… heavy.
Like something was building again.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
I glanced away for a second, trying to reset.
But when I looked back—
He was a little closer.
Not enough to be obvious.
But enough for me to notice.
Enough for it to matter.
My pulse quickened.
"This is weird," I said before I could stop myself.
His brow lifted slightly.
"Weird?"
I nodded, exhaling.
"We don't even know each other."
"And yet," he said quietly, "you noticed me."
My heart skipped.
I frowned slightly.
"You noticed me too."
A pause.
Then that look again.
That knowing look.
"Yeah," he admitted.
And somehow, that felt like confirmation of something I wasn't ready to face.
I swallowed, suddenly very aware of everything.
The distance.
His presence.
The way this wasn't supposed to feel like this.
This was supposed to be simple.
Harmless.
But it wasn't.
Not anymore.
Because now—
He was too close.
And I wasn't moving away.