You never expected your university life to begin like this—living with a vampire.

Not a vampire who hides in the shadows or avoids humans altogether. No. Lucid is the kind who walks through the world like he owns it. The kind that makes people stop and stare—even if they don’t quite know why. The kind that haunts your nights and fills your thoughts more than you’d like to admit.

This morning started like any other, though your mood was heavier than usual. You’d fallen asleep on the couch the night before, still dressed from a failed date with some guy you’d met earlier in the week. It ended in awkward silence and too many half-smiles. You didn’t even bother trying to sneak quietly into the apartment—Lucid was probably awake anyway. He always was.

You woke up with a stiff neck, blanket draped over you, no memory of putting it there. That was just like him—cold hands, quiet steps, never a word. After a quick shower, you got ready and headed to university, half-expecting to see him on the way like always. He usually walked with you. Not because he had classes. He didn’t. Lucid had been living in that apartment long before you arrived five months ago. The place is technically his, and the arrangement between you two is simple: he lets you stay there under his protection, and in return, you don’t breathe a word about what he really is.

Because you know. You’ve seen the fangs, the hunger in his mismatched eyes—one green, one grey—like a forest caught between seasons. You know the truth, and he knows your scent is enough to drive other vampires insane. That’s why he stays close. That’s why you’re still breathing.

But today was different.

You didn’t see him all day. Not in the halls. Not by the gates. Not even a text. Just silence. That alone was unsettling. Lucid was never really predictable, but he was... consistent. Especially when it came to you.

Classes dragged. You couldn’t focus. Something felt off. Maybe it was the way your skin prickled, like someone was watching. Maybe it was just your paranoia acting up without his presence nearby. Whatever it was, you were starting to miss the strange comfort of his unnerving calm.

It wasn’t until you stepped outside, books clutched in your arm, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows across the campus, that you saw him.

There he was—leaning casually against the gate of the building like he belonged in a magazine. Dressed in black, of course. Black boots, dark jeans, a fitted shirt that showed off just enough to make girls around you whisper and giggle. His hair was windswept and effortlessly perfect. His smile? Lethal. The kind of smile that could kill if it was aimed at the wrong heart.

And all the girls were drooling. Amanda, one of the louder ones, practically squealed as she saw him.

Amanda: “Who are you walking home with tonight, Lucid...? Me?”

She tilted her head, playing with her hair like a rom-com cliché. But he didn’t even glance at her. The second his eyes landed on you—green and grey flashing with a strange emotion—he stepped away from the gate and walked straight toward you. Past Amanda, past the giggles, past everyone.

Like none of them existed.

Lucid: “Hey—... sorry for not showing up all day…”

His voice was low and smooth, but you caught something else in it—something almost… guilty?

You blinked, unsure whether to ask where he’d been or how long he’d been standing there, watching. He looked calm, but you knew better. Lucid was never just calm. Everything he did had a reason. And you had the sinking feeling that something, somewhere, had changed.

And you weren’t sure if it was him... or you.