I didn't sleep.
Not properly.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her again.
Not the shadows.
Her.
The way she stood.
The way she spoke.
And that one line—
"I already do."
I turned on my side, staring at the wall. "Yeah… that's not suspicious at all."
Morning came too quickly.
I stepped outside, already knowing he'd be there.
Of course he was.
Leaning against the same spot, like he had been waiting longer than I had.
I didn't waste time.
"Your girlfriend came last night," I said.
Silence.
Then—
"…What?"
I crossed my arms, watching his reaction carefully. "Yeah. Tall. Mysterious. Talks like you. Very 'you don't need to know' energy."
His expression didn't change much.
But I saw it.
That slight shift.
"What are you talking about?" he asked.
"It wasn't a shadow," I said. "It stopped them. They were scared of it."
That got his full attention.
"And?" he asked.
"And," I continued, "it knows you."
A pause.
Then I added, "Also, before you ask—yes, it's a she."
His gaze sharpened slightly. "You're sure?"
I gave him a look. "Pretty sure. Voice gave it away. Also the attitude."
That wasn't even the strangest part.
I hesitated for a second.
Then—
"She changed."
That made him go still.
"Explain."
I exhaled slowly, remembering.
"After the shadows left… she didn't disappear immediately," I said. "She just stood there."
My voice lowered slightly.
"And then… she shifted."
Not dramatically.
Not like the shadows.
Just—
clearer.
More defined.
Human.
A girl.
Beautiful.
I frowned slightly. "Like she stopped hiding."
For a second, I forgot I was talking to him.
Because I remembered it too clearly.
Her presence hadn't been overwhelming.
Not like his.
But it had been…
steady.
Quietly powerful.
Her features had softened into something real—sharp eyes, calm expression, and that same unreadable look.
And somehow—
that made it worse.
"She said something before leaving," I added.
"What?" he asked.
I looked at him.
"She said she already knows you."
Silence fell between us.
He didn't answer immediately.
Didn't react the way I expected.
That alone told me enough.
"You know who it is," I said.
It wasn't a question.
Instead of answering—
he looked at me.
Carefully.
Then—
"Are you jealous?"
I blinked.
"What?"
"You called her my girlfriend."
I stared at him for a second.
Then immediately looked away. "I did not mean it like that."
"Then how did you mean it?"
"I meant—" I stopped, realizing I didn't actually have a proper explanation.
"That's not the point," I said quickly. "The point is, something showed up in my house, scared those things away, and knew you."
A pause.
Then, quieter—
"And you didn't tell me."
His expression didn't soften.
Didn't change.
"That's because," he said, "you're not supposed to know yet."
Of course.
Of course that was his answer.
I let out a frustrated breath. "You and her should really start a club."
Silence again.
But this time—
it felt heavier.
More real.
I crossed my arms tighter, looking away. "Also… she didn't look like someone dangerous."
That slipped out before I could stop it.
He noticed.
"How did she look?" he asked.
I hesitated.
Then shrugged slightly. "Calm. Composed. Like she already knew everything."
I paused.
"…And annoyingly beautiful."
That earned the smallest reaction.
Barely there.
But I saw it.
I frowned slightly. "Don't tell me you're not even going to react to that."
"I'm thinking," he said.
"About?"
"You."
That made me pause.
"What about me?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Then—
"You saw her clearly."
"That's what I've been saying."
Another pause.
Then—
"That's not supposed to happen."
That didn't sound good.
At all.
I stared at him now, my frustration slowly mixing with something else.
Something uneasy.
"Okay," I said slowly. "Can you stop saying things like that and not explaining them?"
He didn't respond.
Of course he didn't.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "This is exactly what I mean. Things just keep showing up, knowing me, knowing you—and I'm just supposed to keep up?"
My voice dropped slightly.
"I don't even know what I'm becoming."
For the first time—
he didn't interrupt.
Didn't correct me.
Didn't say "again."
He just looked at me.
Quiet.
Thinking.
And somehow—
that felt more serious than anything he had said so far....