Why do I feel this… sense of familiarity…
…even though I've never met her before?
The thought surfaced on its own.
Uninvited.
Unnecessary.
I didn't like it.
I took a slow step forward, closing the distance between us, my eyes narrowing ever so slightly as I studied her more carefully.
"Have we met before?" I asked, my voice coming out low and even, as it always did.
She blinked, clearly caught off guard, as if the question itself had never crossed her mind.
"I don't think so," she replied quickly, a small, almost absent-minded smile forming on her face.
That smile_
My gaze sharpened unconsciously.
No.
I would remember.
"Is that so?" I said flatly, taking another step closer.
"How old are you?"
"Eighteen."
"What?"
The reaction slipped out before I could stop it, a slight crease forming between my brows.
Too young.
For a moment, I considered ending the conversation right there.
Dismissing her.
And yet—I didn't idn't.
"Well… that's fine, I guess," I muttered, more to myself than to her. "It shouldn't be a problem."
Even to me, that sounded… strange.
My gaze returned to her again.
She looked hesitant now.
As if she wanted to say something, yet couldn't bring
herself to do it.
Then—"I… I can't do this job—"
I stilled.
"What?"
That—
I hadn't expected.
"Why is that?" I asked, my tone dropping, sharper this time as I stepped closer again, not giving her space to retreat.
She avoided my gaze.
My patience thinned.
Before she could pull away any further—
I reached out.
My finger slipped under her chin, lifting her face so she had no choice but to look at me.
Her skin was warm.
Unexpectedly so.
Our eyes met again.
And this time—I looked properly.
Closely.
Carefully.
Intently.
…
Something—shifted.
For a split second, my vision blurred.
A faint sound echoed somewhere in the back of my mind—My breath caught.
I pulled my hand back immediately, as if I had touched something I shouldn't have.
For the briefest moment, my composure slipped—my chest rising sharper than usual as I tried to steady it.
What—
was that?
The sensation vanished just as quickly as it came, leaving nothing behind except a faint irritation I couldn't quite explain.
_____________
There were already things in his life he preferred not to entertain.
Unnecessary attachments.
Predictable expectations.
Lily.
The thought passed through his mind without lingering.
Something he had already begun distancing himself from, long before today.
This—
Was different.