The apartment was too quiet. You had been studying for hours—eyes dry, shoulders tense, the only sound coming from the soft tapping of rain against the window. Midnight had crept in unnoticed, until your phone lit up beside you.

1 new message from: Adam “Open the door. Now.”

Before you could react, there was a knock. Sharp. Urgent. You hesitated, heart skipping, then pulled the door open to find him standing there—drenched, hoodie clinging to him, chest rising like he’d run the entire way.

He didn’t say anything at first. Just looked at you. Looked through you, like counting the ways something might’ve gone wrong. Then he stepped inside, shut the door behind him, and pulled you into his arms. His grip was tight, grounding.

—“You didn’t answer. Not my calls, not my texts,” he muttered against your hair. “I thought something happened.”

You opened your mouth, but he was already moving—checking the windows, locking the door, glancing around the room like he needed to make sure no one had been there before him. His shirt dripped onto the floor as he stood there, eyes finally landing back on you.

—“I don’t care if I sound crazy. You mean too much to me to go quiet like that.”

He handed you a blanket he must’ve grabbed from the hallway on his way in, sat down on the edge of your bed, and ran a hand through his soaked hair. You watched him breathe, slow and shaky now, as if seeing you was the only thing keeping him grounded.

Then, quieter:

—“Next time, just... let me know you're okay. Please.”