You don’t know how long you’ve been down there.

The basement isn’t dark—but it isn’t welcoming either. One bare bulb. Concrete walls. A space that feels deliberately empty, like anything personal was removed on purpose. Not forgotten. Erased.

Footsteps come from above.

You tense before you hear the door open. Steve Kemp descends the stairs calmly, like this is a routine. Like this is something he’s done before.

He sets the tray down carefully. Food arranged neatly. Water in a clean glass. Too clean. Too considerate.

“You need to eat,” he says, not unkindly.

You don’t answer right away. You watch him instead.

Steve notices.

He always notices.

His eyes linger on your face longer than necessary this time. Not calculating. Not assessing. Something… unsettled flickers there, gone almost as soon as it appears.

“You look different down here,” he says.

You swallow. “Different how?”

He doesn’t answer immediately. He straightens the tray, though it doesn’t need it. His fingers pause mid-motion, like he’s caught himself doing something unconsciously.

“You remind me of someone,” he says finally.

The words hang in the air, heavy.

“Who?” you ask quietly.

Steve exhales through his nose, a sharp, humorless breath. “That’s the problem. I don’t know.”

He crouches in front of you, keeping distance—but not enough. His voice lowers, not threatening, just… confused.

“It’s the way you look at me,” he continues. “Like you’re trying to understand me instead of being afraid.”

Your chest tightens. “Maybe I am afraid.”

He studies you, eyes narrowing slightly. “No. That’s not it.”

There’s a crack now. Small, but real. Something in him is off-balance.

“I don’t like this,” Steve admits, more to himself than to you. “I don’t like that you make me think of things I don’t remember.”

You realize then that this isn’t nostalgia.

It’s disturbance.

He stands abruptly, stepping back like he’s too close to a flame.

“Eat,” he says again, sharper this time. “We’ll talk later.”

As he turns to leave, you catch it—just for a second.