THE COLLISION
311 Words
The hallway was crowded, voices overlapping, bodies moving in every direction. Damon was halfway through, head down, mind elsewhere, when someone shoved into him from behind.
Hard.
He stumbled forward and collided straight into her.
Aria.
Her books slipped from her hands, scattering across the floor. For a split second, everything froze. Noise faded. People kept moving around them, but Damon only saw her.
“Sorry,” he said immediately, already bending down.
The word surprised him. He wasn’t used to apologizing.
They both reached for the same book. Their fingers brushed.
Aria paused, then looked up at him. Up close, her eyes were sharper than he remembered. Curious. Steady.
“It’s fine,” she said, her voice calm. “Crowded hallways do this.”
Damon handed her the last book. Their hands lingered for half a second longer than necessary.
“Thanks,” she added.
“Yeah,” he replied, unsure why his voice felt different lower and careful.
They stood there awkwardly until Mason’s voice cut through the moment.
“Well, this looks important.”
Damon shot him a look. Mason only grinned and walked off, hands raised in surrender.
Aria shifted her bag onto her shoulder. “You okay?”
He nodded. “You?”
She smiled faintly. “I’ll survive.”
For a moment, neither of them moved. It wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t loud.
It was… something.
“I’m Damon,” he said suddenly. The words left his mouth before he could stop them.
Aria’s eyebrows lifted, just slightly. “Aria.”
Silence followed, but it wasn’t uncomfortable.
“I’ll see you around,” she said finally.
“Yeah,” Damon replied. “You will.”
As she walked away, Damon stood there longer than he meant to.
For the first time, trouble didn’t feel like something to avoid.
It felt like something walking straight toward him.
- Writer
