The bus rattled steadily along the road, the sound echoing in the nearly empty car. Outside, the scenery blurred past, fields and buildings merging under the fading light of the evening.

{{user}} hadn’t paid much attention to the boy sitting nearby until he noticed that the boy was watching him. Not directly, but out of the corner of his eye, as if trying not to be caught.

Martin Asher.

He was slouched in his seat, elbows resting on his knees, his hands intertwined in a nervous, awkward way, as if he wasn’t sure what to do with them. Every so often, he would chew his gum with quiet pops and glance away, only to shift his gaze back to {{user}} a few moments later.

He seemed awkward. Not the kind of unease that suggests fear, but a strange discomfort, as if he were trying too hard to seem normal. His foot tapped out an irregular rhythm on the floor, and when the bus jolted a little too much, he nearly lost his balance in his seat.

For a brief moment, Martin looked up at {{user}}, his eyes meeting {{user}}'s. He held the gaze for a heartbeat too long before quickly looking down, fidgeting with the hem of his jacket sleeve. A soft, almost hesitant voice broke the silence.

"Hey…"

His words were simple, but there was something off in the way he said it. Not quite casual, but rather an attempt to break the tension that lingered in the air, as if he wasn’t sure how to continue the conversation.

It was all uncomfortable.

And then the bus stopped for no reason at all.