Bibxy stumbled out of the library doors, her fingers still trembling. The glow she had seen inside was burned into her mind's eye — that vision of her past life, the betrayals, the forbidden love, the deaths. The night air bit into her skin, cold and sharp, but it wasn't the wind that made her shiver. It was the weight of what she now knew.
She wrapped her arms around herself and tried to steady her breathing. Her steps were uneven, each one feeling heavier than the last. She wanted to run, but where could she go?
From across the courtyard, Josh noticed her. He had been leaning against the railing, pretending to scroll through his phone, though his eyes had been fixed on the library the whole time. The moment he saw her pale face and unsteady walk, he forgot everything else.
"Bibxy!" he called, his voice echoing faintly in the quiet.
She flinched at the sound, but before she could respond, he was already striding toward her. His eyes were full of questions, but also something softer — concern.
"What happened? You look… shaken." He reached out, hesitated for a fraction of a second, then placed his hands gently on her shoulders.
"I…" Her voice cracked. She wasn't ready to explain what she'd seen. The truth would only pull him into a storm he might not escape from.
Josh tilted his head, searching her face. "You don't have to say it right now," he murmured. "But you shouldn't be alone like this."
The warmth in his tone cracked the thin wall she'd built around herself. A tear slipped down her cheek, and Josh's thumb brushed it away before she could stop him. His touch was steady, grounding.
Without thinking, she stepped forward, and his arms went around her. The hug was quiet, almost hesitant at first, but then it deepened. His warmth seeped into her cold skin, and for a moment, she let herself breathe against him.
That was when a sharp voice cut through the air.
"So this is what's going on?"
They broke apart to see Sleek standing a few steps away, his expression dark. His jaw was tight, and his eyes burned with something between hurt and fury.
Bibxy froze. "Sleek, this isn't—"
"Save it," he snapped, his gaze fixed on Josh. "I should've known. Always hovering around her, acting like the hero. What exactly are you trying to do, Josh? Take her from me?"
Josh's brows knitted together. "Take her from you? She doesn't belong to you, Sleek. And if you cared about her, you'd see she's upset instead of making this about your pride."
Sleek took a step forward, his fists clenched. "You think you're better than me? That she'll just—"
"This isn't a competition," Josh interrupted, his voice rising. "You're just making things harder for her."
The tension between them was a living thing, thick in the air. Bibxy's heart pounded, and her hands shook at her sides.
"Stop!" she yelled, her voice breaking.
Both of them turned to look at her.
"I'm not… I'm not some prize for either of you to fight over!" Her voice trembled, but her eyes were fierce now. "I'm tired — tired of the arguments, the pulling, the accusing. Just… let me be."
Her words hung in the air, sharp and heavy. Sleek's glare faltered, and he looked away, muttering something under his breath. Josh stepped back, guilt flickering across his face.
Before either of them could speak, another voice joined the scene.
"Bibxy?"
They turned to see Soya approaching, her long scarf trailing behind her in the breeze. She looked from Bibxy's flushed face to Josh's tense posture and then to Sleek, who stood rigidly a few feet away.
"What's going on here?" Soya asked, her tone cautious but not without curiosity.
"Nothing you need to worry about," Josh said quickly, running a hand through his hair.
Soya raised a brow but didn't press. Instead, she stepped closer to Josh, placing a hand on his arm. "You look like you could use a moment to breathe," she said softly. "Come on, let's walk."
Josh hesitated, glancing at Bibxy as if to ask permission. She avoided his gaze, staring down at the stone pathway beneath her feet.
Soya gave his arm a gentle tug, and he finally allowed her to guide him away. Sleek stayed where he was, his eyes still on Bibxy, but now his anger had cooled into something more complicated — hurt, maybe even regret.
Bibxy didn't move. Her chest still heaved from the confrontation, but the courtyard suddenly felt too large, too empty. The shadows of the library loomed behind her, and she could almost feel the weight of its secrets pressing against her back.
When she finally dared to look up, Sleek was gone. She was alone again, but the echo of their voices still clung to the night air.
She wrapped her arms around herself once more, feeling the cold seep in. She knew this was only the beginning. The vision in the library had been a warning, and now the threads of her past and present were tangling faster than she could untangle them.
And somewhere deep inside, she feared the knots were already too tight to undo.