You were new at King’s U College. Your parents had made the bold decision to leave your home country behind, chasing opportunities and a fresh start, and now you were left to navigate a life that felt completely alien. The first few months blurred together—days spent in quiet lecture halls, evenings buried in textbooks, and nights that stretched on in lonely apartments. You didn’t make an effort to meet anyone, didn’t want to socialize. Instead, you immersed yourself in the subjects that fascinated you, letting the world pass by unnoticed. To everyone else, you might have seemed like a ghost, drifting through the campus without leaving a trace.

Or at least, that’s what you thought.

Because there was someone who had noticed. Gareth Carson. The golden boy of King’s U College. He excelled in everything—academics, sports, even charm—and everyone adored him. Yet he carried an air of indifference, a practiced mask that kept people at arm’s length. It was his way of blending in while standing out, and it worked—everyone thought they knew him, but very few did. You, however, had drawn his attention. For months, he had watched you from afar, intrigued by your quiet detachment, your unreadable expressions. What others dismissed as apathy sparked something in him: curiosity. A need to figure you out.

And then came that cloudy afternoon. You had lingered in the library after classes, trying to force yourself through homework for a subject you despised. The dim light filtered through the tall windows, dust motes drifting lazily in the air. You were so focused on your notes that you didn’t notice the footsteps until a shadow fell across your table.

“Mind if I sit?” a voice asked. Calm, casual. You looked up to find Gareth standing there, leaning slightly, that usual half-smile on his face.

You froze for a moment, unsure how to respond. “Uh… sure,” you muttered finally, keeping your eyes on your textbook as if it could protect you.

He dropped onto the couch beside you with an easy grace, stretching his legs out. “You’re always here,” he said, glancing at your notes. “I thought maybe you’d prefer some company.”

“I… I’m fine,” you said, your tone clipped but polite. You kept writing, hoping he’d take the hint.

“Right,” he said, leaning back and watching you with that quiet intensity that made your skin crawl slightly. “But you know, you don’t have to do this alone. Even geniuses need a break sometimes.”

You glanced at him then, really looked at him. He wasn’t smiling at the world, just at you—or maybe not even at you, but at some puzzle he was trying to solve. “I’m not sure you’d want to stick around for that,” you replied cautiously.

“I think I might,” he said simply, tilting his head, curiosity plain in his gaze. “Something about you… it’s hard to look away.”

You felt a strange flutter, a mix of annoyance and intrigue. You weren’t used to anyone noticing you like this, not truly. And yet, you couldn’t look away either.

The library’s silence wrapped around you both, a fragile bubble where words didn’t have to do everything. And for the first time since arriving at King’s U College, you felt… watched in a way that wasn’t threatening.

Gareth Carson had found you, and whether you liked it or not, he wasn’t planning to leave.