The seminary corridors were quieter than usual that evening.
Most of the seminarians were still outside on the football field or gathered in small groups around the courtyard. The long hallway leading to the dormitory bathrooms echoed softly with distant voices and the occasional sound of footsteps.
Michael pushed the bathroom door open.
Warm steam drifted through the room from the showers at the far end. The tiled floor was damp, and the faint scent of soap hung in the air.
He stepped inside, rolling the sleeves of his shirt slightly as he walked toward the sink.
It had been a long day.
The incident in the refectory was still lingering in his mind, along with the quiet evening by the river afterward. He wanted nothing more than to wash his face and clear his thoughts before night prayers.
Michael turned on the faucet.
Cold water rushed into the sink.
He cupped his hands beneath it and splashed the water across his face.
When he looked up again, he suddenly realized he wasn't alone.
Lucas was standing a few steps away near the mirrors.
Michael hadn't noticed him at first.
Lucas had just come from football practice. His dark hair was slightly damp, and a thin layer of sweat still clung to his skin. A towel hung loosely around his neck as he leaned casually against the counter.
For a moment, Michael simply stared.
Lucas looked up and noticed him.
"Long day?" he asked.
Michael blinked quickly and looked away, grabbing a paper towel.
"You could say that."
Lucas smiled faintly.
Lucas dried his hands with the towel around his neck.
"Francis hasn't changed," he said quietly.
Michael glanced at him through the mirror.
"Do you know him?"
Lucas nodded.
"He knew exactly what he was doing in the refectory."
Michael leaned against the sink, folding his arms.
"He's always been like that."
Lucas looked at him for a moment.
"Back in the minor seminary… he lied about me once."
Michael's expression hardened slightly.
"That's though"
Lucas turned the faucet off.
"For a second today," he said, "I thought you were really going to punch him."
Michael gave a short breath.
"I almost did."
Lucas looked at him carefully.
"But you didn't."
The sound echoed lightly against the tiled walls.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke again.
The bathroom was strangely quiet.
Michael focused on drying his hands, but he could feel Lucas standing closer than usual beside him.
When he finally looked up, their eyes met in the mirror.
Lucas didn't look away.
Something about the moment felt different.
Michael felt a sudden awareness of how small the room seemed.
Lucas turned slightly toward him.
"You handled it better than I expected," he said quietly.
Michael shrugged.
"You mean I didn't punched him?"
Lucas laughed
"That too."
Michael leaned against the sink, crossing his arms.
"Well, you stopped me."
Lucas smiled faintly.
"I wasn't sure you'd listen."
For a moment they simply stood there
Close.
Closer than they usually were.
Michael became suddenly aware of the faint warmth coming from Lucas standing beside him.
Lucas's expression softened slightly as he looked at him.
"You know," he said quietly, "you're stronger than you think."
Michael looked at him.
The words caught him off guard.
For a second neither of them moved.
The sound of running water filled the silence between them.
Lucas stepped half a step closer.
Michael didn't move away.
Their eyes met again.
Michael felt his heartbeat quicken unexpectedly.
Lucas seemed about to say something.
Or maybe do something.
Michael wasn't sure.
But the air between them suddenly felt heavy with something neither of them fully understood.
Lucas's gaze softened. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, he tilted his head slightly forward, closing the small space between them. Michael's breath caught.
For a heartbeat, it felt as if the world had quieted down — the echoing water, the tiled walls, even the distant voices outside — nothing existed except the space between their lips.
Michael froze. His heart raced. He wanted to move, but part of him couldn't look away.
Then, just as the moment felt unbearably close… The bathroom door swung open, and voices spilled inside.
Lucas blinked, and the almost-kiss vanished as he stepped back, letting the tension dissolve.
Michael quickly adjusted his posture, his mind still reeling.
Loud voices filled the room.
Two seminarians walked in, laughing loudly about something from football practice.
Lucas immediately stepped back.
The moment vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
Michael straightened slightly, grabbing his towel from the counter.
Lucas cleared his throat.
"I should get back before evening prayer."
Michael nodded.
"Yeah."
They walked out of the bathroom together, but the corridor felt different now.
Quieter.
Michael stopped near the stairway.
Lucas gave him a small nod before continuing down the hallway toward the dormitory.
Michael remained there for a moment.
His heart was still beating faster than usual.
He leaned slightly against the wall beneath a small crucifix hanging in the corridor.
For some reason, he couldn't stop replaying the moment in his mind.
The way Lucas had looked at him.
The way neither of them had moved.
Michael shook his head slowly.
Then he pushed himself away from the wall and continued down the hallway toward his room.
But one question followed him all the way back.
Why had that moment felt so different?