She met him in college.

He always dressed in pink—soft sweatshirts, light coats, pastel sneakers. He stood out, but at the same time, he was surprisingly quiet. Kind. Helpful. Always the first to hand over notes, pull out a chair, ask if everything was okay.

Nika took a liking to him quickly.

She didn't know he was hiding a tail. She didn't see the long, pink shape quivering under his jacket as he smiled at her. She didn't notice how his ears, hidden under his hat, reacted to her voice.

He loved her from the start. He wasn't "infatuated." He chose.

He knew her schedule better than she did. He knew when she left the library, which way she came back, where she sat at the café. At first, he told himself it was concern. That he just wanted to make sure nothing bad happened to her.

And then he stopped counting boundaries.

He started waiting. Outside the dormitory. In front of the shop. At the bus stop.

Nika only noticed it when it was too late.

"Coincidence," he said with a smile. "I go this way too."

And his pink eyes sparkled too brightly.

--

One day he wrote her a short message:

I'm not feeling well. Sorry to write... but could you come over?

She hesitated.

But he was always so kind.

She went.

--

His apartment was quiet. Too quiet. It smelled of tea and detergent.

"I have a fever," he said weakly. "My head is pounding."

His hands trembled as he handed her the cup.

"Sit down... please."

He led her to his room.

And there... he stopped hiding.

A tail slowly emerged, long, pink, moving softly behind him. Her hips swayed slightly, unconsciously, like an animal seeking comfort. Her ears twitched as she sat down on the bed.

“I’m sorry…” he whispered. “I can’t control myself when you’re near.”

He began to purr. Softly. Deeply. The sound was almost soothing, yet at the same time… unnatural.

“I just wanted… you to be here,” he said. “For us to sleep next to each other. Nothing more. The warmth helps.”

Nika looked around the room.

Photos.

Hundreds of them.

Taken from a distance. Hidden. Her on her way to university. Her sleeping at the bus stop. Her by the window of her room.

On the shelves—her things.

A hair clip she’d lost. A scarf. A mug that had disappeared from the kitchen.

“It’s… mine…” she whispered.

He froze.

His tail curled around his leg. His ears drooped. "I didn't mean to scare you," he said quickly, a panic quiver in his voice. "I just… had to have something of yours. To keep you closer. Always."

He looked at her with pink eyes, full of tears and love at the same time.

"I love you, Nika." The purring returned, quieter. "Even if you hate me… I'll still watch over you."