CHAPTER TWO: You’re Not Supposed to Be Here
1307 Words
Lila should’ve looked away.
That would’ve been the normal thing to do.
Pretend she didn’t notice. Pretend her chest didn’t feel tight. Pretend Ava’s eyes weren’t locked on hers like—
Like she’d found something that didn’t belong.
“Lila?”
Teni’s voice sounded far.
Distant.
Like it had been pushed behind glass.
“Are you even listening”
“Shh.”
It came out sharper than she meant.
Teni blinked. “Excuse me?”
But Lila wasn’t looking at her anymore.
She was watching Ava.
Ava didn’t move at first.
She just stood there.
Still.
Composed.
Perfect.
Like she had all the time in the world.
Like the world would wait for her.
Then she started walking.
And the room… adjusted.
Not dramatically.
Subtly.
Chairs shifted just enough. People leaned aside without realizing it. Conversations dipped at the exact moment she passed.
Like everything had been rehearsed.
Like everyone knew their role.
Everyone except Lila.
“Why is she coming here?” Teni whispered, suddenly tense.
Lila didn’t answer.
Because she already knew.
Ava stopped at their table.
Right in front of her.
Close enough that Lila could see the tiny details—the smooth skin, the calm expression, the way her eyes didn’t waver.
“You,” Ava said.
Not a question.
Not a guess.
A statement.
Teni let out a small, nervous laugh. “Hi…?”
Ava didn’t even glance at her.
Lila swallowed.
“…Me?”
Ava tilted her head slightly.
Like she was studying something strange.
“Yeah,” she said softly. “You.”
There was a pause.
A long one.
Too long.
“Do I know you?” Lila asked.
Her voice sounded steady.
She didn’t feel steady.
Ava smiled.
And it wasn’t warm.
It wasn’t mean either.
It was just
Off.
“No,” Ava said. “That’s the problem.”
Teni frowned. “Okay, what does that even mean—”
“Can you give us a second?” Ava said.
Still not looking at her.
Teni blinked.
“Um… I”
“Please.”
Something in Ava’s tone shifted.
Softer.
But heavier.
Like it wasn’t really a request.
Teni looked at Lila.
Confused.
“Do you—”
“I’m fine,” Lila said quickly.
Lie.
Another lie.
“…Okay,” Teni muttered, grabbing her bag. “I’ll just... yeah.”
She walked off, glancing back twice.
Now it was just them.
Silence stretched.
Thick.
Uncomfortable.
Ava pulled out the chair across from Lila and sat down slowly.
Graceful.
Controlled.
Like every movement was intentional.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” Ava said.
Lila let out a small, disbelieving laugh.
“Wow. Okay. That’s… rude.”
“I’m serious.”
Something in her voice made Lila stop smiling.
“What do you mean?” Lila asked.
Ava leaned forward slightly.
Her eyes didn’t leave Lila’s face.
“Things don’t move unless I’m there.”
Lila’s heart skipped.
“What?”
“People don’t… continue,” Ava said, choosing her words carefully. “Not properly. Conversations stall. Events pause. It’s like”
She stopped.
Frowned.
“Like what?” Lila pressed.
Ava’s gaze sharpened.
“Like they’re waiting for me.”
A chill ran down Lila’s spine.
“Okay… and?” she said, trying to sound normal. “What does that have to do with me?”
Ava didn’t answer immediately.
She just stared at her.
Long.
Hard.
“Because,” Ava said quietly, “you kept going.”
Silence.
Lila’s fingers tightened around the edge of the table.
“What?”
“I saw it,” Ava said. “Just now. When I walked in.”
Her voice dropped slightly.
“Everything adjusted like it’s supposed to. Everyone reacted like they always do.”
A pause.
“But you didn’t.”
Lila’s breath caught.
“You were already… there,” Ava continued. “Like you didn’t need the moment to start.”
“Okay, I actually don’t understand what you’re saying,” Lila snapped.
But her voice cracked slightly.
Betraying her.
Ava leaned back.
Studying her again.
“You really don’t know,” she murmured.
“Know what?”
Another pause.
And then Ava smiled again.
This time… softer.
Almost amused.
“That’s new.”
Lila frowned. “What is new?”
Ava didn’t answer.
Instead, she asked—
“Do you ever feel like things reset?”
Lila froze.
“Like,” Ava continued, watching her closely, “you say something… and it disappears?”
“Or you leave a room and everything just… stops?”
Lila’s throat went dry.
“Or like people don’t remember things they should?”
“Stop,” Lila said quietly.
Ava tilted her head.
“You feel it too,” she said.
It wasn’t a question.
Lila shook her head immediately. “No.”
“Liar.”
The word hit harder than it should’ve.
“I’m not lying,” Lila snapped. “You’re just—this is weird. You’re weird.”
Ava laughed softly.
And this time… it sounded real.
“Yeah,” she said. “I get that a lot.”
Another pause.
But this one felt different.
Less tense.
More…
Curious.
Ava leaned forward again.
Closer this time.
Too close.
“Can I ask you something?” she said.
Lila hesitated.
“…What?”
Ava’s voice dropped to almost a whisper.
“Why do I feel like I’ve been looking for you?”
Lila’s heart stuttered.
“That doesn’t even make sense,” she said quickly.
“I know.”
Their eyes locked.
And for a second—
Everything else disappeared.
No café.
No noise.
No people.
Just that feeling.
Sharp.
Pulling.
Wrong.
Lila leaned back suddenly.
Breaking it.
“Okay, no. This is no.”
Ava didn’t move.
Didn’t look away.
“You felt that,” she said softly.
“I didn’t feel anything.”
“Another lie.”
“Gosh, can you stop saying that?”
Ava smiled again.
Small.
Knowing.
“I could,” she said.
“But then you’d keep pretending.”
Lila opened her mouth—
Closed it.
Because she didn’t have a response.
Ava watched her for a second longer.
Then—
“Something’s wrong,” she said.
Lila let out a breath. “No shit.”
Ava ignored that.
“It’s not just you,” she continued. “And it’s not just me.”
A pause.
“Something changed.”
Lila’s stomach twisted.
“What kind of change?” she asked quietly.
Ava’s gaze darkened slightly.
“The kind that isn’t supposed to happen.”
Silence fell again.
Heavy.
Then Ava stood up.
Just like that.
Like the conversation was over.
“Wait what?” Lila said. “That’s it?”
Ava looked down at her.
Expression unreadable.
“For now.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“I know.”
A beat.
Ava hesitated.
Just slightly.
Then she said
“Stay away from me.”
Lila blinked.
“What?”
Ava’s jaw tightened.
“If you stay close…” she said slowly, “things might start breaking.”
Lila let out a small, disbelieving laugh.
“Breaking? What does that even”
“But,” Ava added.
Cutting her off.
Lila stopped.
Ava’s eyes met hers again.
And this time
There was something else there.
Something softer.
Something dangerous.
“I don’t think I want you to.”
Lila’s breath hitched.
“…What?”
Ava didn’t explain.
Didn’t clarify.
She just held her gaze for one second longer
Then turned and walked away.
And just like that
The room shifted again.
Noise returned.
People laughed.
Chairs scraped.
Everything… normal.
Except Lila.
She sat there.
Frozen.
Heart racing.
Mind spinning.
“...What the f**k was that?” she whispered.
And across the room
Ava stopped walking.
Just for a second.
Like she heard her.
But didn’t turn back
- Writer
