The door clicks shut behind me, and for a moment I just stand there on the small landing outside my building, letting the noise of the world wash over me. The street is already buzzing with the constant movement of people rushing past each other, conversations overlapping, engines humming beneath it all. It feels like stepping into a river that never stops flowing.
I take the first step forward.
Cold air brushes against my face, carrying the smell of exhaust, street food, and something I can't quite explain, but I realize it's been there ever since I've woken up. I merge into the crowd, or at least I try to. It doesn't quite work. Even without meaning to, I stand out, towering over everyone who passes by. Their heads barely reach my shoulders. It's strange realizing it only now, like I'm discovering my own body at the same time everyone else is noticing it.
Eyes follow me.
I feel them before I see them, quick glances, lingering ones, curious ones. A group of women look up as I walk past; one of them nudges her friend, and both of them smile in that soft, amused way people do when they see something, or someone they like. A couple of men look too, not with the same expression, but with something closer to admiration, or maybe envy.
It's the kind of reaction that should make sense to someone who knows who he is.
It doesn't for me.
…
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
The door slowly opened.
And a young woman stands behind it.
Her eyes are swollen, ringed with dark circles. Her hair is messy, pulled back in a loose tie that's already falling apart. Her expression looks… ruined. Like something wore her down from the inside and didn't stop until there was nothing left to break.
For some reason, the sight of her hits me harder than it should.
Before I even think, my hands are already on her shoulders.
"Are you okay? What happened!?"
The words leave my mouth without second thoughts.
My hands freeze. My thoughts catch up just a moment too late.
Why did I do that?
She slowly lifts her head.
Her eyes widen the second she sees my face. Her lips tremble, but she doesn't speak. Instead, her breath breaks, and a small, helpless sound escapes her.
Then she suddenly pulls me into her.
Her arms wrap around me tightly, desperately, like the moment she lets go, something terrible will happen again. Her whole body shakes as she cries into my chest.
I stand there, stunned.
My mind says she's a stranger.
My body just doesn't believe it.
My arms come up around her on instinct. The movement feels practiced, like I've done it before, countless times. It feels… right, in a way nothing else has since I woke up.
Like muscle memory from a life I can't see anymore.
When the shaking finally slows, I gently guide her back, my hands still resting on her shoulders. Her face is streaked with tears, her breathing uneven. I raise a hand to wipe one of the tears away–
But she quickly turns her head and rubs her eyes with her sleeve instead.
That small reaction stops me.
I take a step back.
"…I'm sorry," I say quietly. "I don't know what came over me just now."
She doesn't reply. She just stares at me like she's afraid I would disappear the moment she looks away.
I force myself to calm, to remember why I'm here.
"I'm looking for a man named Tobin Price."