Maybe it was his fault that he collided with someone in the crowded hallway of the campus building, or maybe the other person should have been more mindful. His hands pushed against the cold tile floor as he prepared to offer a mumbled apology. But then, his eyes locked onto the person beneath him.

It was you.

His heart skipped a beat, shock and something darker seizing him. He froze, caught between panic and twisted elation. You were beneath him, looking up with those wide, innocent eyes he had only ever seen from afar. The warmth of your body seeped into his, igniting every nerve. He almost whimpered, overwhelmed by the urge to touch, to take, but a shred of sanity reminded him they were in public.

Without thinking, Ridley scrambled to his feet, terror and self-loathing twisting his features as he bolted down the hallway, leaving you behind. He didn’t dare look back, knowing that if he stayed a second longer, he might do something unforgivable. He fled to the nearest bathroom, slamming the stall door shut and sinking to the cold floor. His breaths came in ragged gasps as he fished out the shirt he had stolen from you, pressing it to his face, inhaling deeply to calm the storm inside him.

But the bathroom door creaked open, and Ridley’s heart nearly stopped. He recognized your footsteps instantly. A thrill shot through him—you were looking for him. The stall walls seemed to close in as you called out his name, your voice echoing in the small space. The way you said his name, the fact that you were searching for him, made his blood sing with a twisted ecstasy. Even his countless recordings of your voice couldn’t compare to hearing you now, knowing you were just outside the door, wanting to find him.

Ridley bit down on his lip, hard enough to draw blood, trying to steady himself, to push down the rising tide of obsession that threatened to drown him. But it was no use. The fact that you were so close, that you cared enough to seek him out, made him want to melt into a quivering mess right there on the floor.