Friday felt different.
Lighter.
Or maybe I just decided it would be.
No classes. No lectures. No pressure to focus on things that refused to stay still in my mind. Just a full day of nothing, and for once, that felt like something I actually needed.
Maya had suggested we go out, have the day to ourselves and just have carefree fun.
And so here I was in front of my mirror, tying my hair into a loose ponytail before letting it fall again.
"You're fine," I said quietly to my reflection.
And this time…
I almost believed it.
By mid-morning, I had already convinced myself of one thing:
I was done overthinking.
Done turning small moments into something bigger than they were. Done staring out windows like I was waiting for something to happen.
Because nothing was happening.
Right?
A knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts.
"Lara!" Maya's voice came through almost immediately after. "If you're not ready, I'm leaving you behind."
Talk about the Drama queen. She was already at my apartment waiting for me
I rolled my eyes, grabbing my bag. "You wouldn't dare."
"Try me!"
I opened the door to find her leaning casually against the frame, sunglasses perched on her head, a wide grin already in place.
"Finally," she said. "I thought you were going to cancel and claim 'emotional exhaustion' or something dramatic."
"Very funny," I replied, stepping out and locking the door behind me.
Aunt Elena's voice called from inside, "Don't stay out too late!"
"I won't!" I answered quickly.
Maya raised an eyebrow. "Your aunt is this close to installing a tracking device on you."
"She's just protective."
"Mhm," Maya hummed. "And you've been acting suspicious."
"I have not."
"You have."
I sighed. "Can we not do this today?"
She paused, then smiled.
"Fine. Today is a no-stress, no-weirdness day."
"Thank you."
"But if you start staring into space again, I'm recording it," she added.
I laughed. "Deal."
The city felt alive in a different way on Fridays.
Less rushed. More relaxed.
We ended up at a small outdoor shopping area, the kind filled with music, laughter, and people who looked like they had nowhere urgent to be.
"Okay," Maya said, spinning slightly as we walked. "Today, we eat, we shop, and we pretend we're rich."
"I already pretend I'm rich every day," I replied.
She scoffed. "With what money?"
"Future money."
"Ah yes. The best kind."
For the first time in days, I felt… normal.
Really normal.
We laughed too loudly at nothing. Tried on clothes we had no intention of buying. Took pictures we would probably never post.
At some point, we ended up sitting at a small café, drinks in hand, watching people pass by.
"This," Maya said, leaning back in her chair, "is what you needed."
I nodded.
She wasn't wrong.
The tension that had been sitting quietly in my chest felt lighter now. Not gone but quieter.
Manageable.
"You see?" she continued. "No mysterious strangers. No weird energy. Just life."
I smirked. "You sound like you're trying to convince yourself."
"Please," she said. "If anything weird happens today, I'm running first."
I laughed, turning my head slightly—
And that's when I saw him.
My breath caught.
It was subtle at first. Just a figure moving through the crowd. But something about the way he walked—the stillness in his movement, the quiet confidence made everything else fade slightly.
My heart skipped.
"Lara?" Maya's voice came from somewhere distant.
I didn't answer.
Because I knew that figure.
Or at least…
I thought I did.
He was walking away from us, heading toward the far end of the walkway.
Tall.
Dark hair.
The same build.
The same presence.
"Adrian," I whispered under my breath.
The name came without effort.
Like it had been sitting there, waiting.
I stood up before I could think about it.
"Wait.....Lara?" Maya called after me.
But I was already moving.
Each step felt heavier than it should.
Like I was walking toward something I didn't fully understand.
My heart beat faster not from fear, but from something else. Something familiar. Something unfinished.
"Hey!" I called out.
The figure didn't stop.
I quickened my pace.
"Hey excuse me!"
He slowed slightly.
Then turned.
And everything stopped.
Because it wasn't him.
Not even close.
Different face.
Different eyes.
Different everything.
I froze.
"Oh," I said quickly, stepping back. "I'm so sorry.....I thought you were someone else."
The man frowned slightly, confused but not offended.
"It's fine," he said before turning and walking away.
I stood there for a second longer than I should have.
Heart still racing.
But now…
For no reason.
"Lara!"
Maya caught up to me, slightly out of breath.
"What was that?" she asked.
"I thought I saw someone," I said.
"Clearly not," she replied.
I forced a small laugh. "Yeah. Clearly."
She studied my face.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"You keep saying that."
"I am fine."
She didn't look convinced.
But she didn't push.
"Okay," she said slowly. "Let's go back before you start chasing more strangers."
I rolled my eyes lightly. "It was just one time."
"Mm-hmm."
We returned to our seats, but something had shifted.
Not drastically.
Not enough for anyone else to notice.
But I felt it.
That small, quiet tension creeping back in.
Like a reminder.
Like something I couldn't fully escape.
"You're thinking again," Maya said, sipping her drink.
"I'm always thinking."
"Not like this."
I sighed. "I just thought I recognized him."
"And you didn't."
"Yeah."
She leaned forward slightly.
"Do you even know this 'someone' you thought you saw?"
I hesitated.
Then nodded.
"Kind of."
"That's not reassuring."
I smiled faintly. "I met him once."
"The stranger you kissed? And that was enough for you to chase him across a crowded street?"
I didn't answer.
Because when she said it like that…
It didn't make sense.
Not at all.
The rest of the afternoon passed without anything unusual.
Or at least…
Nothing obvious.
But every now and then, I caught myself looking.
At faces.
At movements.
At people passing by.
Searching.
Without meaning to.
By the time Maya dropped me off, the sky had already softened into evening.
"You're better," she said as I opened the car door.
"I told you I would be."
"Still," she added, pointing at me slightly, "if you start seeing things again, call me."
"I wasn't seeing things."
"You chased a man who wasn't there."
"I thought he was someone else."
"Exactly."
I laughed lightly. "I'll be fine."
She gave me one last look.
Then nodded.
"Okay. Just… don't disappear on me, alright?"
"I won't."
Inside, the apartment was quiet.
Aunt Elena had left a lamp on, the soft glow filling the living room.
"I'm back," I called out.
"Welcome home," her voice came faintly from her room.
I dropped my bag and walked slowly toward the window.
I didn't know why.
I just did.
The street was calm.
Empty.
Still.
Nothing out of place.
And yet…
For a brief second—
I felt it again.
That presence.
Faint.
Distant.
Watching.
I turned away quickly.
"No," I whispered. "Not today."
I wasn't doing this again.
Not tonight.
Later, I opened my diary.
My pen moved slower this time.
More deliberate.
Today felt normal.
I paused.
Then added:
I wanted it to be normal.
I stared at the words.
Then continued.
I saw someone I thought I recognized.
A small breath.
It wasn't him.
The name sat at the edge of my mind again.
Unspoken.
Unwritten.
But there.
I closed the diary gently.
And for the first time…
I wasn't just confused.
I was starting to question something deeper.
"Because if I could recognize someone I barely knew…then maybe… I hadn't forgotten him at all."