It started raining before either of us realized how dark it had gotten. One minute, we were walking across campus, arguing about whether WWE was scripted or not, and the next it was like the sky had cracked open, releasing all it had been holding back.
"Run," I laughed. We removed our jackets and held them above our heads, laughing and running in the downpour. We didn't make it far. The nearest shelter was an empty lecture hall building.
It was quiet and empty, with the lights dimmed out and the raindrops racing down the windows. We were both slightly breathless when we stepped inside.
Suddenly, it felt like we had just realized that it was only us.
"You always get caught in the rain?" Sean asked, shaking water from his hands.
"Only when I'm distracted," I said, looking up at him, directly into his eyes.
He stepped closer. He looked at me with the same look in his eyes. Longing.
A drop of rain slid from his hair down the side of his face. Without thinking, I reached up. My fingers brushed his jaw, and it felt like time paused. His eyes darkened slightly.
"You missed one," I murmured.
His hand moved instinctively to my waist, gripping it slightly. It felt grounding. Dangerously grounding. My heart started beating. Harder, faster with each passing second.
"You get nervous when its quiet like this," he said softly.
I swallowed. "No, I don't."
"You do." His thumb shifted slightly against my waist.
"You overthink when things get intense."
The word intense felt heavier than it should have.
"You don't know that," I whispered. His gaze held mine, lingering. The things he said always got to me. Because Markus used to say things like that too.
I stepped back slightly and the air changed. "Why do you talk like you've known me forever?" I asked, trying to keep my tone light.
He tilted his head slightly. "Maybe I pay attention to details, patterns. Things you do when you think no one is watching."
"My last relationship," I said suddenly, before I could stop myself, "wasn't that great." The words felt strange leaving my mouth. "He made me feel like I was always wrong," I added quietly. "Like I imagined things."
Sean's jaw tightened in a barely noticeable way. But I saw it.
"He used to say you overreacted, didn't he?"
My heartbeat caught. I had never mentioned that. Especially not those words and that specific phrase. I stared at him intently, my heart pounding faster than ever.
"How would you know that?" I asked, my gaze never leaving his eyes.
"Guys like that always say that," he shrugged. "It's predictable."
Maybe he was right. Maybe manipulative men all followed the same script. But still, the way he said it hadn't felt like a guess. It felt like he knew what he was saying, like a memory of some sort. I shook it off. I had to anyway. It wasn't like I had any way of knowing if he actually knew something that he wasn't telling me.
Rain streaked down the glass behind me, distorting the world outside.
"Does he still talk to you?" he asked.
The question felt too careful. "No," I lied.
Silence stretched between us again. Then he spoke, almost casually.
"My dad always said people don't really leave your life. They just change positions."
I frowned slightly. "That's oddly specific."
He smiled faintly. "He is quite dramatic."
"What does he do?" I asked.
"Business," he replied. "Moves around a lot. Remarries fast too."
Something about what he said stuck. Remarries fast. Maybe because my childhood felt blurry in some places. That word tugged at something old and faded.
"What about your mom?" I asked.
"She left when I was young."
I was intrigued. I wanted to ask how young he was when she left, but before I could say anything he stepped closer.
His hand came up closer and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. His fingers lingered, and my breath caught. This wasn't innocent anymore.
The air between us thickened.
"If I kissed you right now," he murmured, eyes dropping briefly to my lips, "Would you overthink that too?"
Heat rushed through me.
"We barely know each other," I whispered.
His gaze lifted back to mine. And then he said it, quiet, but certain.
"I think I know more than you think."
The words landed differently now. Not entirely romantic, but like they carried a lot of weight behind them. My heart pounded on.
"Like what?" I challenged softly.
The rain slowed outside and the moment hovered between us.
Then, he leaned in, slow and deliberate. This time I didn't step back. His lips brushed mine, soft and testing. Enough to make everything inside of me shift.
When he pulled away, his forehead rested against mine.
"You're not as guarded as you think," he whispered.
As I looked into his eyes, one thought refused to settle. How does he know exactly where my walls are, if I never showed him where they were built?
The rain had thinned to a drizzle by the time we stepped outside. Everything smelled cleaner. We walked side by side, not touching this time, but close enough that I could still feel the warmth of where his hand had been on my waist.
My phone buzzed in my hand. I didn't think twice at first. Probably PJ. We had planned to meet up later and I was already behind time.
I glanced down at my phone, and it was like my hands forgot how to work. It was Markus. The name alone was enough to tilt the ground slightly.
The message preview was short.
Markus: Hey. I've been meaning to reach out. I think we need to clear something up.
Cold shivers went down my spine. When Markus said that word, clear, he meant something entirely different. He meant he wasn't being misunderstood, I was imagining things, I twisted his words. My fingers felt colder around my phone.
"You okay?" Sean asked. I loc ked my screen instantly. Probably a bit too fast.
"Yeah," I said, forcing a shrug. "Everything is fine."
Everything was definitely not fine.