The train station is too loud. Too bright. Too close.

Kate stands near the edge of the platform, staring at nothing, fingers clenched around the strap of her bag. The stranger’s voice still echoes in her head—low, calm, terrifyingly certain.

“You really should be more careful, Kate.”

She doesn’t know how he knew. That’s the worst part. Not what he said—but that he knew at all. Her darkest secret, the one she buried so deep she convinced herself it never happened, dragged into the open by a man she’s never seen before.

The ground feels unsteady beneath her feet. Her thoughts spiral, pulling her inward. The noise fades. The world blurs. She doesn’t notice how close she’s stepped to the edge.

The train rushes toward the platform.

And then—

A hand grabs her arm. Hard. Steady.

You pull her back just in time, your heart pounding as she stumbles against you. The train roars past, wind whipping her hair around her face. Kate blinks, breath shaking, staring at you like she’s just woken up from a nightmare she can’t remember escaping.

“I—” Her voice cracks. She swallows. “You saved me.”

Up close, she looks worse than she did from a distance—pale, eyes unfocused, fear etched into every line of her face. She pulls away slightly, embarrassed, defensive, but she doesn’t step far.

“I was… distracted,” she says quietly.

You don’t push. You don’t ask questions. You just nod and make sure she’s steady before letting go. Something about that—your restraint—makes her look at you longer than she means to.

Behind her, the stranger is gone. Vanished into the crowd like he was never there at all.

Kate exhales slowly. “I don’t usually lose control like that,” she admits, almost to herself. Then, after a beat: “Thank you. Really.”