I shouldn't have stayed.
I knew that.
The moment I heard the footsteps—
I should've left.
But I didn't.
Because something in me refused to walk away again.
Not like before.
Not this time.
I turned back.
She was still there.
Watching me.
"…Go," she whispered.
But her voice—
It wasn't as certain as before.
Like a part of her didn't want me to leave either.
The footsteps grew louder.
Closer.
Too close.
Someone was coming around the corner.
Now.
I moved.
Not away.
Toward her.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"What are you doing—"
I grabbed her wrist.
Gently.
And pulled her toward the side of the building.
There was a narrow gap—
Between the wall and an old storage unit.
Barely enough space.
But enough.
We slipped into it—
Just as the footsteps reached the corner.
Silence.
Too close.
Too real.
I held my breath.
She did too.
We were pressed together—
Closer than we'd ever been before.
Not by choice.
But by necessity.
Her shoulder against mine.
Her breath near my neck.
Every small movement—
Felt louder than it should.
Outside—
The footsteps stopped.
"…I thought I heard something."
A voice.
Not a student.
Older.
Controlled.
My chest tightened instantly.
One of them.
Of course.
"They were here," another voice said.
Closer.
Too close.
I clenched my jaw.
Because now—
This wasn't just risk.
This was a mistake.
A big one.
"…Check around," the first voice said.
A pause.
Then—
Movement.
Closer.
Right outside where we were hiding.
I could see the shadow shift.
One step—
And they'd see us.
That's all it would take.
One step too far.
Her fingers tightened slightly on my sleeve.
Not panic.
But awareness.
She knew it too.
We didn't have space to move.
Didn't have time to run.
Didn't have any options left.
"…Nothing here," the second voice said.
But he didn't sound convinced.
The shadow didn't move.
Stayed.
Lingering.
Like he knew something wasn't right.
My heartbeat got louder.
Too loud.
I was sure they could hear it.
Feel it.
Sense it.
Then—
Her hand moved.
Slowly.
Carefully.
She grabbed my sleeve tighter.
Not to stop me.
Not to warn me.
But to steady herself.
Or maybe—
To steady both of us.
Because in that moment—
We were both on the edge.
"…We're wasting time," the first voice said.
Another pause.
Then—
The shadow shifted.
Steps.
Moving away.
One.
Two.
Three.
Then—
Gone.
We didn't move.
Not immediately.
Because even when the danger passes—
You don't trust it right away.
Not when it was that close.
Not when it almost ended everything.
"…They're gone," I whispered.
She didn't respond.
Not right away.
Then—
"…That was too close."
Her voice—
Barely steady.
For the first time—
She sounded shaken.
Not scared.
But affected.
Real.
I let out a slow breath.
"…Yeah."
We stayed there a moment longer.
Still close.
Still quiet.
Still aware—
That we almost got caught.
That this wasn't just dangerous anymore.
It was serious.
Very serious.
Finally—
We stepped out.
Carefully.
Checking.
Making sure.
Nothing.
Clear.
For now.
She looked at me.
"…This is what I meant."
I nodded.
"I know."
And I did.
Now more than ever.
Because this wasn't just warnings anymore.
It wasn't just words.
It was action.
Real consequences.
"…You should go," she said again.
This time—
There was no hesitation.
No hidden meaning.
Just truth.
I looked at her.
At everything this had become.
At how close we just came to losing it all.
"…Next time," I said quietly.
A pause.
"We won't almost get caught."
Her expression softened slightly.
"…Next time," she repeated.
Not questioning it.
Not denying it.
Just accepting it.
And that—
That was enough.
I turned.
Walking away again.
But this time—
It felt different.
Because now—
We both knew.
This wasn't something small anymore.
This wasn't something we could control.
This was a risk.
A real one.
And the more we held onto it—
The more dangerous it would become.
But even after all that—
Neither of us let go.
And that…
Might've been the biggest mistake of all.