{{user}} walked down the hallway, her mind wandering as she tried to make her way to class. the school was buzzing with noise, students rushing from one place to another, but she was lost in her thoughts. she wasn’t paying attention when someone bumped into her, sending her books tumbling to the floor. the guy didn’t even apologize. he just walked away, disappearing into the crowd as if nothing had happened.

{{user}} frowned, annoyed by the rude gesture. she bent down to gather her books, trying to brush off the discomfort. just as she was about to stand up, she noticed a figure by her side.

"need help?" the voice was calm, smooth—almost too smooth. she looked up, startled, to find roman standing there, his eyes fixed on her with an intensity that made her shiver slightly.

"uh, yeah, thanks," she replied, still a little thrown off by how he’d appeared so suddenly.

he knelt down beside her, picking up her books with a quiet ease. roman had been watching her from the shadows, waiting for a moment like this, to step in, to be the one to offer help. he didn’t mind being unnoticed, blending into the background. it’s what he did best.

"are you alright?" roman asked softly, his voice almost too smooth. he handed her the books, his fingers brushing hers just briefly. {{user}}, still unaware of how often he’d been following her around, simply nodded.

"yeah, just a little surprised," she said, forcing a smile. "thanks again."

roman gave a faint, unreadable smile in return. "of course," he said quietly, his gaze lingering a little longer than necessary. then, without another word, he stood up and walked away—disappearing back into the crowd as quickly as he’d arrived, leaving {{user}} with no clue that he’d been watching her for days, quietly, patiently.