I shouldn't have admitted it.
That was the problem.
Because now—
He knew.
And the way he looked at me after that…
It changed.
Not dramatically.
Not in a way anyone else would notice.
But I noticed.
Of course I did.
His gaze lingered longer now.
More openly.
Less restrained.
Like whatever invisible line had been there before—
It didn't matter anymore.
And that made everything worse.
Because now, every time I looked up—
He was already looking.
And not just looking.
Watching.
Studying.
Like he was trying to figure something out.
Or maybe…
Like he already had.
"Stop," I muttered under my breath, even though I knew he couldn't hear me.
But somehow—
It felt like he did.
Because his expression shifted slightly.
Not away.
Not softer.
Just… more aware.
And that made my chest tighten in the most frustrating way.
I looked away quickly, exhaling.
This was getting out of control.
Too intense.
Too fast.
We barely knew each other.
This wasn't supposed to feel like this.
I tried to focus again.
Tried to act normal.
But it was impossible.
Because I could still feel it.
His attention.
Constant.
Unmoving.
Until finally—
I couldn't take it anymore.
I turned to him again, meeting his gaze directly.
"Don't look at me like that," I said.
My voice was quiet.
But steady.
For a second, he didn't respond.
Just held my gaze.
Then—
"Like what?" he asked.
And the way he said it—
Like he already knew—
Made my heart race even more.
I frowned slightly.
"You know what you're doing."
A pause.
Then that faint smile again.
"Do I?"
I looked away first.
Again.
Because if I didn't—
I wasn't sure what would happen next.