The Date above Their Heads

Avoidance Is a Skill

I changed my route the next day.

It’s not planned.

It’s instinct.

I tell myself it’s a coincidence at first.

Different streets. Different timing. Different direction.

But deep down, I know the truth.

I’m avoiding him.

Not because I want to talk to him less.

But because I saw him.

And seeing him means knowing.

And knowing means responsibility.

I don’t take responsibility anymore.

Not like that.

I keep my head low as I walk through a different part of the city.

Quieter here.

Less crowded.

Safer.

That’s what I tell myself.

But it doesn’t feel safer.

It feels controlled.

Like I’m steering away from something I don’t want to name.

My fingers tighten slightly around my bag strap again.

Stop thinking about it.

But I can’t.

Because his face keeps coming back.

And worse,

The date.

17.06.2028

I close my eyes briefly as I walk, trying to erase it.

It doesn’t work.

It never does.

People pass me on both sides. Normal people. Normal lives. Normal ignorance.

None of them see it.

None of them knows what it means to see too much.

A bus passes nearby, loud enough to shake the ground slightly.

I flinch automatically.

Then I stop myself.

I shouldn’t be reacting like this.

It’s just one person.

One date.

But my mind already knows the pattern.

Every time I see someone clearly like that,

They don’t leave my thoughts easily.

And that’s dangerous.

I turned down another street quickly.

Faster now.

Still not running.

But close.

Because if I keep seeing him,

If I see him again,

I might look too long.

And looking too long is how it started.

That’s how it always starts.

I slow down slightly when I reach a quieter corner of the city.

Lean against a wall for a second.

Breathe.

In.

Out.

Control it.

Control yourself.

He is just a person.

A person with a date.

Like everyone else.

But even as I think about it,

I know I don’t believe it.

Because something about him felt different.

Not in a way I can explain.

Just,

He didn’t feel like background noise.

And that’s exactly why I need to stay away.

I pushed off the wall and started walking again.

This time, deliberately.

No looking up.

No mistakes.

No exceptions.

Because I already broke the first rule once.

And I am not breaking it again.

Not for him.

Not for anyone.