The Fence Between Us

Episode 18

I glanced at the clock on the wall. Time had slipped by faster than I thought.

— “I… have to go now,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady, even though a strange mix of thoughts still lingered inside me. “I’ve got a class this afternoon.”

Mathis nodded slightly, his eyes still resting on me, as if he wanted to say something. But he didn’t.

I turned to leave, clutching the books to my chest, walking out of the library in that gentle, quiet atmosphere. My heart was still beating softly, and the warmth of his presence hadn’t quite faded yet.

Just a few minutes after I left, Eliot entered through the back door of the library, holding a folded-up document.

— “Still standing here?” Eliot asked, half-joking, half-curious.

Mathis didn’t answer right away. He just kept his gaze on the direction I had gone, then exhaled slowly.

Eliot stepped closer, leaning against a bookshelf.

— “You’re looking at her like you’re trying to figure out your whole life.”

Mathis raised an eyebrow, but his gaze didn’t change.

— “I was just… thinking,” he said quietly, “that she’s not quite the person I once imagined.”

Eliot let out a small laugh.

— “Different how?”

Mathis was silent for a moment, then replied in a low voice:

— “Softer. Stronger. And the kind of person that makes you want to… stay.”

Eliot didn’t speak right away. After a moment, he placed the document on the shelf and slipped his hands into his pockets.

— “So, what are you going to do about it?”

Mathis tilted his head, looking out the window where sunlight poured through the trees:

— “I’m not sure yet. But maybe… maybe it’s time I stop watching from afar.”

Eliot smiled—not teasing like he usually would, but a quiet, knowing smile, as if he’d been waiting to hear that line for a long time.