The first time I saw him, he was bleeding. Not the kind you see in movies quick, dramatic, gone in seconds. This was real. Dark red staining his shirt, dripping slowly from his hand onto the pavement behind the building.
I should have walked away. I know that now. But in that moment, standing under the flickering back light of the café where I worked late shifts, I didn't move.
"Are you going to keep staring," he said, his voice low and rough, "or are you going to call someone?"
His eyes locked onto mine, sharp, cold, and way too calm for someone who looked like that.
"I…" I hesitated. "Do you need help?"
For a second, he just looked at me, like he wasn't sure if I was serious. Then he let out a quiet breath, almost like a laugh, but there was nothing funny about it.
"You don't want to help me," he said. "Trust me."
He took a step forward. I stepped back. Smart, right? Except I still didn't leave.
"You're hurt," I said, nodding toward his side. "Bad."
"I'll live."
"Yeah, but not comfortably."
That got his attention. His jaw tightened slightly, like he wasn't used to people talking back to him. Good. Because I wasn't about to pretend this was normal.
"Look," I said, crossing my arms to keep them from shaking, "I've got a first aid kit inside. You can either come in and let me help, or you can stand out here and bleed all over the pavement. Your choice."
Silence. For a long moment, he just stared at me. Then, finally
"Five minutes," he said.
I raised an eyebrow. "Wow. Generous."
He didn't respond. Just walked past me toward the back door like he already owned the place. I rolled my eyes and followed.
Inside, the storage room felt smaller than usual. The fluorescent light buzzed overhead as I grabbed the first aid kit off the shelf.
"Sit," I said, pointing to a chair.
He didn't move.
I sighed. "You're really not great at taking instructions, are you?"
Another pause. Then he sat slowly, carefully. Up close, it was worse. Cuts along his face, bruising forming, and whatever was going on with his side… yeah, that wasn't minor.
"Who did this?" I asked, opening the kit.
"No one you need to worry about."
"That's not comforting."
"It's not supposed to be."
I glanced up at him. "You always like this, or am I just lucky?"
Something flickered in his expression. Amusement, maybe.
"Definitely lucky."
I snorted softly and shook my head, pressing the gauze gently against a cut on his forehead. "Hold still."
He flinched barely but I noticed.
"Tough guy, huh?"
"You know nothing about me."
"True," I said. "But I know you showed up half-bleeding and still have attitude, so I'm making some guesses."
He didn't respond. But he didn't pull away either.
The room went quiet, except for the faint hum of the lights.
Then
"Why didn't you leave?" he asked.
I paused. "What?"
"You saw me out there," he said, watching me closely. "Most people would've walked away."
I hesitated. Because honestly… I didn't have a good answer.
"I guess I'm bad at minding my own business," I said finally.
His gaze didn't leave mine.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "That's going to get you into trouble."
I shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time."
A drop of blood hit the floor. I reached for more gauze, focusing on my hands so I didn't think too much about how close he was. About how intense his eyes felt when he looked at me like that.
"Don't help people like me," he said suddenly.
Something about the way he said it made my chest tighten.
"Why?"
His expression darkened. "Because people like me don't stay."
Before I could respond, voices echoed from outside. Car doors slammed. Footsteps. More than one person.
He went completely still. Different. Alert. Dangerous.
"Someone's here," I whispered.
"I know."
He stood quickly, ignoring the way his body clearly protested.
"Wait," I said. "You're not done"
But he was already moving toward the door. Then he stopped. Turned back to me.
For a second, everything felt… still. Like the world paused just long enough for me to notice the way he looked at me. Not cold this time. Not distant. Something else. Something I couldn't name.
"Five minutes," he said quietly. "That's all I was supposed to stay."
And then he was gone.
I didn't understand it then. Didn't understand him. But I would. Because that night the one where I should have walked awaywas the beginning of everything.