The after-school library was wrapped in silence, broken only by the soft rustle of pages and the distant hum of fluorescent lights. You sat alone near the window, bathed in the warm glow of fading sunlight, your fingers gently turning the pages of a novel you’d nearly forgotten you were holding.

It was peaceful. The kind of quiet that made the world feel far away. But after a while, maybe too long, you feel it.

A weight. A presence. Not loud, but steady. Eyes on you. You lifted your gaze, slowly, and across the room, someone met your eyes with a look too direct to be casual. Sharp. Curious. Like they'd been watching longer than they meant to.

His lips parted, as if caught in the act. A beat passed before they spoke, voice low and just a little embarrassed as he looked away.

"Didn’t mean to."