The routine wasn't meant to change
Jarnell liked routines.
Not because they made life interesting—
but because they made life predictable.
And predictable things didn't hurt.
Every morning followed the same quiet pattern.
Wake up.
Silence.
A house too large for one person.
A message that didn't need replying.
A choice between driving… and walking.
And like most of the times —
He chose to walk.
That morning was no different.
Jarnell stepped out of his house, closing the gate behind him with a soft metallic click.
The air was still cool, carrying the early sounds of the city slowly waking up.
He adjusted the strap of his one arm of the bag slightly and began walking.
Calm and steady detached from everything around him.
But today…
Something felt different.
Not outside but inside.his steps slowed slightly just for a second and then continued.
He told himself it was nothing.
But his mind betrayed him again.
Because a certain face appeared—
Uninvited.
Unnecessary.
Unavoidable.
Jayden.
Jarnell frowned slightly.
"…Annoying."
He muttered it under his breath.
Not loudly.
Not emotionally.
Just enough to push the thought away.
But it didn't go.
It stayed.
Like something had already started shifting… and refused to go back.
He was halfway down the road leading to campus when it happened.
A car slowed beside him.
Not suddenly.
Not loudly.
Just… intentionally.
Jarnell didn't look immediately.
He didn't need to because he already felt it. That same presence. That same awareness.
The car stopped.
Right next to him.
The window rolled down.
And then—
"Get in."
Jayden's voice.
Calm.
Casual.
Like this wasn't strange at all.
Jarnell finally turned his head.
Jayden sat in the driver's seat, one hand resting on the steering wheel, the other casually placed near the window.
His expression wasn't teasing.
Wasn't serious.
Just… certain.
Like he had already decided this moment before it happened.
"No," Jarnell replied simply.
And continued walking.
For a second, there was silence.
Then the car moved again.
Slowly.
Matching his pace.
"You walk every day?" Jayden asked.
Jarnell didn't answer.
"You live that far?" Jayden continued.
Still no response.
Jayden exhaled slightly.
Then smiled to himself.
"…You're really not easy."
Jarnell stopped walking.
That was the first reaction.
Small.
But noticeable.
He turned slightly toward the car.
"Why are you following me?" he asked.
Direct.
Straight.
No hesitation.
Jayden met his eyes.
And for the first time—
there was something more than curiosity in his gaze.
Something quieter.
More intentional.
"I'm not following you," Jayden said calmly.
"I'm just going to campus."
"Then go."
"I am."
A pause.
Then Jayden added—
"I just don't mind going slowly."
Silence.
Jarnell stared at him for a second longer than necessary.
Trying to understand something that didn't make sense.
Why this person?
Why him?
Why now?
Then he turned away again.
And walked.
The car followed.
Again.
They didn't talk for a while.
Jarnell walking.
Jayden driving slowly beside him.
An unusual scene for anyone passing by.
But neither of them seemed to care.
"You live alone."
Jayden said it suddenly.
Not a question.
A statement.
Jarnell didn't respond immediately.
Then—
"hmm."
Jayden nodded slightly.
"I thought so."
That made Jarnell stop again.
This time slower.
More deliberate.
"You assume a lot," he said.
Jayden smiled faintly.
"I observe."
Another pause.
Then Jayden added softly—
"You don't like noise."
"You don't like people asking too much."
"And you don't like being followed."
Jarnell's eyes narrowed slightly.
Not in anger.
In awareness.
"Then stop."
Jayden tilted his head slightly.
Studying him.
Not backing off.
Not pushing too hard either.
Just… staying.
"That's the problem," Jayden said quietly.
"I don't want to."
And that—
That was the first moment something truly shifted.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
But deep enough to be noticed.
Jarnell continued walking again.
But this time—
his steps weren't as steady as before.
Because for the first time in a long time…
someone wasn't leaving when he expected them to.
And Jayden—
didn't drive ahead.
Didn't turn away.
He stayed right beside him.
Like distance…
was no longer something he planned to keep.
The road to campus had always belonged to Jarnell because he always walked so peacefully on it like he didn't care about vehicles on it.
But in the quiet way routines become personal.
It was his space to think.
To breathe.
To exist without interruption.
But today—
it wasn't his anymore.
Jayden's car was still moving beside him.
Slow.
Controlled.
Patient.
Like he had nowhere else more important to be.
Jarnell kept walking.
Eyes forward.
Ignoring him.
Or at least trying to.
"You always ignore people this much?" Jayden asked lightly.
No response.
Jayden smiled to himself.
"…Or is it just me?"
Jarnell stopped again.
This time, his patience had thinned slightly.
He turned toward the car, his expression calm—but no longer completely indifferent.
"You talk too much," he said.
Jayden chuckled softly.
"Then you should talk too. Balance it out."
Silence.
Then—
"I don't need to."
Jayden studied him for a moment.
Then nodded.
"Yeah… I can see that."
That response was unexpected.
No teasing.
No pushback.
Just… acceptance.
And for some reason—
that unsettled Jarnell more than anything else.
They continued moving.
One walking.
One driving.
Side by side.
"You could just get in," Jayden said after a while.
"No."
"It's easier."
"I didn't ask for easy."
Jayden's grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly.
Not in frustration.
In interest.
"You're stubborn," he said.
Jarnell didn't respond.
But something about the word stayed in the air longer than expected.
"You don't let people do things for you," Jayden continued.
Still calm.
Still observing.
Jarnell stopped again.
But this time—
it wasn't irritation.
It was something else.
"Why are you doing this?" he asked.
Jayden didn't answer immediately.
For once—
he actually thought about it.
Then he said quietly—
"I don't know."
That honesty…
It wasn't expected.
It wasn't calculated.
It was real.
And that made it harder to dismiss.
Jayden turned off the engine.
Suddenly.
The car stopped completely.
Jarnell frowned slightly.
"What are you doing?"
Jayden opened the door.
Stepped out.
Closed it behind him.
Now—
they were standing at the same level.
No car.
No distance.
Too close.
"You walk every day," Jayden said.
"I'll walk today too."
Jarnell stared at him.
Trying to understand if this was a joke.
But Jayden wasn't smiling.
"You don't have to," Jarnell said.
"I know."
"Then don't."
Jayden stepped closer.
Not aggressively.
But enough to reduce the space between them.
"That's the problem," he said softly.
"I want to."
Silence.
Jarnell felt it again.
That unfamiliar shift inside him.
Not discomfort.
Not fear.
But something dangerously close to being affected.
And he didn't like that.
They started walking together quietly
No words just mere footsteps.
Side by side.
The city noise filled the gaps between them.
But somehow—
the silence between them felt louder.
"You really live alone?" Jayden asked after a while.
"Yes."
"Big place?"
Jarnell hesitated.
Then—
"Yes."
Jayden nodded slowly.
"Must be quiet."
Jarnell almost said peaceful.
But the word didn't come out.
Because it wouldn't have been true.
"…It's fine," he said instead.
Jayden glanced at him.
Just once.
But that glance lasted long enough to notice something deeper.
"You don't sound convinced."
Jarnell didn't reply.
Because he wasn't.
As they got closer to campus, more students appeared.
Voices.
Laughter.
Movement.
A group of girls walked past them.
One of them slowed slightly, glancing at Jayden.
Then smiled.
"Hey Jayden," she said casually.
Jayden nodded back so happily and confident. "Hey Sherry."
How are you doing my friend it's been long. I never thought that i could go to the same university with you again. Am so happy. They continued talking but Jarnell who wasn't interested in talking to Jayden still felt like he had to wait for him so he tried to keep his steps as slow as Jarnell and Sherry's steps were but not exactly on their same level. He always looked at the way Sherry looked at Jayden like she was interested in Jayden.
Sherry who lingered for a second longer than necessary her eyes clearly interested.
Jarnell noticed.
Without meaning to.
And something in his chest tightened slightly.
He didn't understand it.
Didn't acknowledge it.
But it was there.
"You know her?" Jarnell asked suddenly.
The question slipped out before he could stop it.
Jayden turned to him, slightly surprised.
Then smiled faintly.
"Yeah."
That was all.
No explanation.
No details.
And for some reason—
that made it worse.
Jarnell looked away immediately.
His steps became slightly faster.
Jayden noticed.
Of course he did.
"You don't like that?" he asked quietly.
Jarnell stopped.
Turned.
"What?"
"That people know me."
Silence.
Then Jarnell said—
"That has nothing to do with me."
Jayden held his gaze for a moment longer.
Then nodded slowly.
"Yeah… you're right."
But his tone said something else.
They reached the campus entrance together.
But something had changed.
Jarnell walked ahead this time.
Not waiting.
Not slowing down.
Because for the first time—
he felt something he couldn't control.
And Jayden…
stayed behind for a second.
Watching him go.
Then smiled slightly to himself.
Because now he knew something important:
Jarnell wasn't unaffected.
He was just… trying very hard to be.