Something about you

I looked back

FELIX’S POV

Sunday mornings always felt lighter. No rush, no lectures, no voices arguing over seats or deadlines. Campus on Sundays belonged to people who actually wanted to be there, couples walking hand in hand, joggers with headphones in, students pretending they were productive while lying under trees with books they were not reading.

I liked Sundays because my head stayed quiet. I left the house late, around 1pm, after my uncle reminded me twice to eat something and not live on coffee alone. I told him I would. He did not believe me. I grabbed my jacket and headed out anyway.

The park sat a few blocks from home, wide and green and open, with benches scattered like someone had dropped them just anywhere without thinking too much. Kids were laughing near the swings. A street performer was tuning a guitar. It felt normal. Too normal, maybe.

I was halfway through deciding whether I wanted to sit or walk when I noticed Amy. She was sitting on the grass, legs crossed, sunlight hitting her hair just right. There was a calm to her that stood out. Not the kind that begged to be noticed. The kind that simply existed. She was flipping through something on her phone, lips curved in a small smile, like she was reading something only meant for her.

I didn't plan to walk over. I swear I did not. But my feet moved before my brain caught up. She looked up when I got closer, eyes meeting mine, and for a second something shifted. Recognition, not strong, just enough.

“Oh,” she said, smiling. “Hi.”

“Hi,” I replied. “Funny running into you here.”

She nodded. “Yeah. I like Sundays. They feel slower.”

“That’s one way to put it.”

I sat on the grass across from her, keeping a polite distance. We talked easily, about nothing important. The weather, how quiet the park felt, how strange it was to have free time without feeling guilty about it. She laughed at something I said, soft and real, not forced. I found myself wanting to hear it again, which was annoying because I don't usually think like that.

“I’m Amy,” she said, like she had just remembered we had never done that part.

“I know,” I replied, then paused. “Uhm, I mean, from class. Felix.”

“I know, we met the other day.” she said back, amused.

There was a comfort there that surprised me. No awkward pauses, no need to impress, just an easy conversation. She talked with her hands a little when she got excited. I noticed that. I noticed a lot of things I shouldn't have. Then a voice cut in.

“Amy.” We both turned.

A girl stood a few steps away, slightly out of breath, like she had rushed to catch up. She was smaller than Amy, shoulders pulled in, eyes bright in a way that felt practiced. Her smile was wide but did not quite reach her eyes.

“Oh,” Amy said. “Maya. Hi.”

Maya’s gaze moved to me, quick and sharp, then back to Amy. “I didn’t know you were coming here today.”

“I wasn’t really planning to,” Amy replied. “I just ended up here.”

Maya laughed lightly and stepped closer, close enough that her shoulder brushed Amy’s arm. “That’s so you. You always do things like that.”

Always was a strong word.

“I’m Maya,” she said to me, before Amy could speak. “Amy’s friend.”

“I was just about to introduce you,” Amy said.

Maya waved it off. “It’s fine. I know Felix. Everyone does.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Do I have a reputation now?”

She smiled. “A good one.”

Something about the way she said it made my stomach twist just a little. I ignored it.

We walked together after that, the three of us, along the path that cut through the park. Amy walked in the middle. Maya stayed close. Too close. She answered questions meant for Amy, jumping in before Amy finished speaking.

“Amy’s always like that,” Maya said shyly at one point, when Amy hesitated over a choice of words. “She overthinks.”

Amy laughed awkwardly. “I don't.”

Maya squeezed her arm. “You do.”

I watched it happen. Every time Amy spoke, Maya hovered over her, leaned in on her, redirected her words. It was slight, almost easy to just not notice. But once I saw it, I could not unsee it. Amy did not seem bothered. Or maybe she was just used to it.

We sat on a bench after walking to a lake for a while. We talked about random things like music, movies, nothing really deep. The sun moved slowly above us. Time slipped by without warning.

At some point, Amy checked her phone and frowned. “I need to stop by the hardware store before it closes.”

“Hardware store?” I repeated. “On a Sunday?”

She shrugged. “Something for my apartment.”

Maya looked up. “I forgot I have homework to finish.”

That made me pause. It was Sunday, no lectures. But I didn't say anything.

“I should probably head back too,” I said. “My uncle needs me.”

Amy smiled. “It was nice running into you.”

“Yeah,” I replied. “It was.”

We stood, Amy waved and started down the path toward the street. Maya lingered for half a second, eyes fixed on Amy’s back.

Then she turned and smiled at me. “See you around, Felix.”

“Yeah,” I said slowly.

She walked off in the opposite direction. I headed toward the exit, hands in my pockets, mind replaying the afternoon. It had been good. But something sat wrong in my chest. A feeling without words. Halfway to the gate, I turned around. I don't know why. Instinct, maybe. Amy was almost out of sight, crossing toward the street. Maya had stopped walking. She stood still, staring at Amy. Not casually, not distracted. Just Watching. Her face was unreadable. Flat and focused.

It sent a chill through me. Then Maya blinked, like she realized where she was, and continued walking. I stood there longer than I should have. “You're imagining things Felix”, I told myself. “You are tired, overthinking. It is not your business.”

My phone rang. I glanced at the screen. Uncle Cal.

“Hey,” I answered.

“Come home,” my uncle said. His voice was tight. “Now.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing you need to worry about,” he replied. “Just get here.”

The call cut. I looked once more in the direction Amy had gone. Then I turned and headed home.