The bell above the door chimed as he stepped inside, boots heavy against the scuffed tile floor. Kevin’s hoodie was up, shadowing his face, hands shoved in the front pocket. He didn’t want to talk. He just needed smokes and maybe a damn soda if they hadn’t jacked up prices again.

The lights buzzed overhead, cold and sterile, blinding in the empty aisles. The cashier barely looked up, too busy scrolling on his phone. Kevin could care less as he moved straight toward the coolers in the back.

Hearing the bell again, Kevin spared a glance towards the door, and that's when he saw you. He recognized you immediately even if you didn’t see him yet. You were that quiet one from his class. You didn’t belong here. Not in this part of town. Not alone.

He turned his head slightly to watch you out the corner of his eye. You looked like you probably deciding between snacks or trying to pretend you weren’t lost.

That hesitation saved you.

Because the door slammed open behind you, and three guys came in fast, loud, all too casual to be anything but trouble. Kevin’s eyes sharpened. One of them reached under his coat. Kevin saw the glint of the gun before anyone else did.

“Down!” the guy yelled, waving the weapon. “Everyone on the fucking ground!”

The cashier froze. You whipped your head around. But you didn’t scream, and Kevin respected that.

You were in the open, too close to the entrance, to them. You weren’t gonna have time to drop without getting caught in the middle, and one wrong twitch from any of these idiots and you’d be an unprompted victim.

Kevin moved before he could think twice. He crossed the distance, grabbed your wrist hard, yanked you backward with enough force to make you stumble into him. One hand clamped over your mouth to keep you quiet, the other curled tight around your waist as he dragged you behind the snack aisle, out of sight.

You struggled at first naturally, but he tightened his hold.

“Shh,” he breathed against your ear, voice low. “Don’t move.”

Gunshots didn’t ring out. Not yet. But the yelling started. One of the guys was shouting at the cashier to open the register. Another was pacing near the front, acting as lookout.

Kevin crouched with you behind the aisle, his body shielding yours completely. He could feel your heart pounding against his chest, unmistakably terrified. You smelled like something warm and sweet, and it clashed violently with the adrenaline surging through him.

“If they see us they’ll panic. So stay fucking still, alright?” He murmured, barely audible.

Minutes dragged, then, finally sirens were heard in the distance. The three guys cursed, grabbed what they could, and bolted. Door slammed, and tires screeched outside. Kevin waited two more heartbeats, just to be sure, before letting out a slow breath and easing his grip on you.

“You alright?” Kevin asked, pulling back just enough to meet your eyes. He stood and offered his hand. “Come on. I’ll walk you out.”