The day you forgot my name

Chapter 4— When Curiosity Turns Dangerous

Chapter 4 — When Curiosity Turns Dangerous

The next morning, I woke up to a notification.

Not from Thalia.

Not from school.

From him.

I stared at my phone for a few seconds, still half-awake, trying to convince myself I was imagining it.

But the name was there.

Kenzo

No unknown number this time.

Just his name.

Like it belonged on my screen.

I didn’t open it immediately.

I should’ve deleted it.

Blocked it.

Ignored it.

But my finger moved anyway.

Kenzo: Did you sleep?

I exhaled sharply through my nose.

Of course that was his first question.

I typed back quickly.

Me: That’s none of your business.

Three dots appeared almost instantly.

Like he was waiting.

Kenzo: So no.

I rolled my eyes.

This guy was impossible.

I locked my phone and forced myself to get ready for school, ignoring the way my chest felt slightly tighter than usual.

—

Apex Academy felt different that day.

Not louder.

Not bigger.

Just… heavier.

Like something was about to happen, even if nobody had said it out loud.

Thalia was already at our desk when I arrived.

“Good morning,” she said.

I nodded. “Morning.”

She looked at me carefully. “You look like you didn’t sleep again.”

“I did,” I lied automatically.

She didn’t argue, but she didn’t believe me either.

I sat down and placed my bag beside the desk.

And then I felt it.

That shift again.

The room changing before anything even happened.

I didn’t need to look.

I already knew.

Kenzo had arrived.

“Morning,” he said, stopping beside my desk like it was normal now.

I didn’t look up immediately. “You’re early.”

“I’m always early,” he replied.

“Why?”

“Because I can be.”

I finally glanced at him. “That’s not an answer.”

“It is for me.”

He sat down beside me without asking.

Of course.

I exhaled slowly and turned away from him.

“Did you sleep?” he asked casually.

I froze slightly.

Then answered flatly, “Why do you care?”

A pause.

Then—

“I don’t,” he said. “I’m just curious.”

That word again.

Curious.

Like I was something to figure out.

Something unsolved.

I didn’t respond.

—

Class started, but I couldn’t focus.

Not because I was distracted easily.

But because I was aware of him.

More than yesterday.

More than before.

Kenzo wasn’t doing anything unusual. He was just there. Sitting. Listening. Occasionally writing something down.

But every now and then—

I caught him looking at me.

Not quick glances.

Not accidental ones.

Intentional.

Like he was studying reactions.

Like I was part of something he was trying to understand.

I hated it.

And I hated that I noticed it.

—

When break time came, I didn’t wait.

I stood up immediately.

“I need air,” I muttered.

Thalia blinked. “Again?”

“I’ll be back.”

I left quickly before anyone could follow.

Especially him.

The hallway was quieter, and I walked faster than usual, stopping near the far end where fewer students passed.

I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes.

Better.

Just breathe.

In.

Out.

In—

“You’re avoiding me now?”

I opened my eyes immediately.

Kenzo.

Standing a few steps away.

Hands in his pockets.

Like he had just followed me here without effort.

I straightened. “You’re not my responsibility.”

“I never said I was,” he replied.

“Then stop acting like I’m interesting enough to follow.”

A faint smirk appeared on his face. “You keep saying that.”

“Because it’s true.”

“Then why do you react every time I show up?”

That made me pause.

Just a second.

But he saw it.

Of course he did.

I looked away. “I don’t.”

“You do,” he said simply.

Silence stretched between us.

Then he stepped closer—not too much, just enough that the space felt smaller.

“You’re not like the others here,” he said.

I frowned slightly. “What does that even mean?”

“You don’t pretend.”

I scoffed lightly. “Everyone pretends.”

“Not like them,” he repeated.

There was something different in his tone now.

Not teasing.

Not casual.

Just honest.

And I didn’t know what to do with that.

—

The bell rang, cutting through the tension.

I immediately stepped back.

“I’m going back.”

“Avyra,” he called again.

I stopped.

Again.

I hated that I stopped.

I looked at him over my shoulder. “What?”

His expression shifted slightly.

Like he was choosing his words.

Then—

“Don’t shut everything out,” he said.

I stared at him.

For a moment, I didn’t move.

Didn’t speak.

Didn’t breathe properly.

Then I forced myself to respond.

“I’m not shutting anything out.”

But even I heard it.

The lie.

—

The rest of the day passed in fragments.

Lessons. Noise. Movement.

But my mind wasn’t fully there.

Every time I tried to focus, I felt it again.

That presence.

That awareness.

Kenzo didn’t talk much after that.

But it didn’t matter.

Because silence didn’t mean absence.

It meant attention.

And his attention felt heavier than words.

—

After school, Thalia walked with me again.

“So,” she started, “you’re definitely avoiding him now.”

“I’m not avoiding anyone.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You left every break the second he showed up.”

“I needed air.”

“Mhm.”

I sighed. “You’re annoying.”

“I know,” she smiled. “But I’m right.”

We walked in silence for a moment.

Then she added, more softly, “He’s not bad, you know.”

I glanced at her. “You know him that well?”

“I know enough,” she said.

That didn’t comfort me.

It only made things more complicated.

—

Halfway home, my phone buzzed again.

I already knew who it was before I checked.

Kenzo.

Kenzo: You avoid eye contact when you’re thinking too much.

I stopped walking.

My chest tightened slightly.

How did he—

Another message appeared.

Kenzo: You’re doing it again, aren’t you?

I stared at the screen.

Then typed slowly.

Me: Stop analyzing me.

Three dots.

Then:

Kenzo: So I’m right.

I exhaled sharply.

This wasn’t normal.

This wasn’t casual.

This was intentional attention.

And it was starting to feel like something I couldn’t control.

I locked my phone and put it away.

But even then—

My mind didn’t stop replaying it.

—

That night, I couldn’t sleep again.

I sat by the window, watching the city lights flicker like distant thoughts I couldn’t catch.

Kenzo’s voice kept coming back.

Not loud.

Not overwhelming.

Just… constant.

Like a question I hadn’t answered yet.

And the worst part?

I was starting to answer it without realizing.

I didn’t know when curiosity turned into awareness.

Or when awareness turned into something heavier.

But I knew one thing now.

Kenzo wasn’t just watching.

He was learning.

And I had a feeling—

I was going to be part of whatever he was planning to understand.

I closed my eyes briefly.

“This is getting worse,” I whispered to the empty room.

Because deep down…

I already knew.

This wasn’t just curiosity anymore.

It was the beginning of something I didn’t know how to stop.