Chapter 6: The Way He Looks at Me
635 Words
I didn’t expect him to stay in my thoughts.
But he did.
Not constantly.
Not in an overwhelming way.
But in small, quiet moments.
Like a question I hadn’t answered yet.
Like something unfinished.
The next day felt slower.
Heavier.
Not because something was wrong… but because something had changed.
And I couldn’t ignore it.
I found myself replaying our conversations.
The pauses.
The way he spoke.
The way he looked at me.
Especially that.
There was something about his gaze that felt different from anything I had experienced before.
It wasn’t just attention.
It was intention.
Like he was trying to understand something beyond what I showed.
And that made me nervous.
Because I wasn’t used to being seen like that.
I went out again that afternoon, not planning to go anywhere specific.
But somehow…
I ended up in the same place.
Again.
I stopped a few steps away from the bench this time.
Watching.
Waiting.
And then I saw him.
Already there.
Sitting.
Like he knew I would come.
My heart reacted instantly.
Faster this time.
Stronger.
I walked closer, trying to keep my expression neutral.
“You’re early,” I said.
He looked up.
And there it was again.
That look.
“You’re predictable,” he replied.
I raised an eyebrow slightly.
“That’s not a compliment.”
“It’s not an insult either.”
I sat down again, leaving less space between us this time without realizing it.
Or maybe… I did realize it.
And just didn’t question it.
“You think you know me already?” I asked.
“No,” he said.
“Then what?”
“I think you’re trying not to be understood.”
That hit deeper than I expected.
I looked away.
Because for a moment…
I didn’t know what to say.
“You’re wrong,” I said quietly.
“Am I?” he asked.
I didn’t answer.
Because I wasn’t sure.
Because part of me knew he wasn’t completely wrong.
And that scared me more than anything else.
Silence settled again.
But this time, it felt different.
Closer.
More personal.
“You don’t talk about yourself,” he said after a while.
“Neither do you,” I replied.
He smiled slightly.
“That’s true.”
“Then why are you asking me to?”
“I’m not asking,” he said.
“I’m observing.”
I shook my head slightly.
“You’re strange.”
“I’ve been called worse.”
That made me smile without meaning to.
A small one.
But real.
And he noticed.
Of course he did.
“You should do that more often,” he said.
“What?”
“Smile.”
My heart skipped again.
Why does that affect me?
I looked away, trying to hide the reaction.
“It doesn’t happen often,” I said.
“It could,” he replied.
I didn’t answer.
Because I didn’t know if I believed that.
Or if I wanted to.
We sat there as the sky slowly changed colors again, like time was repeating itself… but not in the same way.
Nothing felt the same anymore.
Not after this.
Not after him.
“I should go,” I said eventually.
But this time… I didn’t stand up immediately.
Neither did he.
“You always leave first,” he said.
I looked at him.
“And you always stay.”
He nodded slightly.
“Someone has to.”
That made something shift inside me again.
Something quiet.
Something real.
I stood up slowly this time.
Not rushing.
Not escaping.
Just… moving.
“I’ll see you,” he said.
Not a question.
Not a doubt.
A statement.
And for the first time…
I didn’t correct him.
I didn’t say maybe.
I didn’t hesitate.
I just nodded.
And walked away.
Knowing…
I would come back.
- Writer
