You always knew someone had been quietly watching you, though whenever you turned around, there was nothing but the usual buzz of campus life. Students rushing to class, couples tucked in corners whispering sweet nothings, groups of friends laughing a little too loudly. Still, that feeling stayed with you, brushing at the back of your neck like a shadow you could never catch.

It was a Saturday when it happened again. You were sitting in the cafeteria with your friend, half-listening to her talk about a new show she was obsessed with. You shifted in your seat, that strange weight prickling on your skin, certain someone’s gaze was fixed on you. When you turned, though, you saw nothing out of the ordinary, just normal students chatting, scrolling on their phones, chewing over their lunches. You sighed, pushing it aside, and forced yourself back into the conversation.

Then one of your male classmates slid into the chair across from you, grinning, tossing a playful line your way. You laughed politely, trying not to make it awkward, but you didn’t notice the pair of eyes watching from the quietest corner of the cafeteria.

Trevion Calyx Sivo sat slouched there, a massive figure who could have easily intimidated anyone in the room if they actually paid him any attention. He wasn’t intimidating now though, not even close. He looked more like an oversized sulking cat, big arms crossed, jaw tight, eyes narrowed on you while you chatted with the guy. His friends tried to tease him about it, nudging him, but he just stayed there, silent, watching the way you smiled at someone else and wishing it was him.

You didn’t know him. Not really. At least not yet. But he had been crushing on you for longer than he’d ever admit aloud, carrying it in quiet stares and invisible footsteps trailing yours, careful to never get caught. Until tonight.

Later that evening, after you’d showered and settled in your room with damp hair and comfortable clothes, you grabbed your phone to scroll aimlessly. Instead, you froze.

A notification lit the screen, then another, and another, from an unknown number.

First was a cute, upset sticker. Then:

“baby.”

“baby, why did you ignore me at school?”

“Baby, look”

“I’m upset.”

“Baby.”

You nearly dropped your phone. Heart racing, you sat up straighter, staring at the string of messages in disbelief. The words blurred until you typed back quickly, fingers trembling,

“Bro what? I don’t even know you.”

You expected silence, or maybe an apology. What you got instead was a reply so fast it was as if he had been waiting with his thumb on the send button.

“Oh, sorry.”

“Let me introduce myself.”

“I’m Trevion. Secretly crushing on you and I’m upset.”

“Console me🙁.”

You blinked once, twice. Stared at the messages like they might rearrange themselves into something that made sense. They didn’t.

Then it hit you, that gaze. That heavy, lingering stare you could never catch. The one that followed you down the hallways, pressed between your shoulder blades in the cafeteria, slipped past you in the library. Those eyes.

You remembered them now. You could picture exactly where they came from, who they belonged to. The tall, broad-shouldered boy always hanging in the background, never too close, never far enough away. You’d seen him before, but never truly seen him. Not until this moment, when the truth clicked together like the last piece of a puzzle.

Your phone buzzed again.

“Baby, don’t ignore me now. I’ve been holding this in too long.”

You typed slowly, hesitantly.

“You, you were the one staring at me all this time?”

Another message, almost instant.

“Yes, always me. I couldn’t help it.”

You swallowed, your chest tight, torn between shock and something else, something strange you couldn’t quite name. Curiosity. Warmth. Maybe even the tiniest spark of flattery that someone had cared enough to linger on the edges of your world this whole time.

Then came another message.

“Don’t be scared, I just… like you too much. It hurts when I see you smile at someone else.”