I couldn't stop thinking about what he said.
"I'm not human."
Even when I closed my eyes, those words stayed there.
---
But worse than that…
was the way he looked when he said it.
Like he wasn't proud.
Like he was tired.
Like he wished it wasn't true.
---
I told myself I should stay away.
I really tried.
But every time night came…
I found myself outside again.
---
Waiting.
Not admitting it.
But waiting.
---
And then he appeared.
Like he always did.
Adrian.
---
"You shouldn't be here," he said immediately.
---
I almost laughed.
"That's becoming your favourite line."
---
He didn't smile.
Didn't react.
Just watched me carefully.
---
"You think this is a game?" he asked quietly.
---
I shook my head.
"No. I think you're the one who keeps coming back."
---
That made something shift in his expression.
Just slightly.
---
"You don't understand what you're standing in front of," he said.
---
"And you don't understand why I'm still here," I replied.
---
Silence.
Heavy.
---
He stepped closer.
This time, slower than before.
More controlled.
Like he was fighting himself.
---
"I could hurt you," he said.
---
"But you haven't," I answered softly.
---
That made him pause completely.
---
For a moment… nothing moved between us.
Not even the air felt the same.
---
Then he spoke again.
Lower this time.
Almost a whisper.
---
"That's the problem."
---
My heart tightened.
"What is?"
---
He looked at me like he was making a decision he didn't want to make.
---
"I don't know how long I can keep stopping myself."
---
The words landed differently this time.
Heavier.
Real.
---
I should have stepped back.
I should have been afraid.
But I wasn't.
Not the way I should have been.
---
Instead, I took a small step closer.
---
His eyes changed instantly.
---
"Don't," he said quietly.
Not angry.
Not commanding.
Warning himself more than me.
---
But I didn't stop.
---
"I want to understand you," I said.
---
That was when everything in him broke a little.
Not outwardly.
But I saw it.
In his eyes.
In his breathing.
In the way his hands tightened at his side.
---
"You shouldn't," he said again.
But weaker now.
---
A silence fell between us.
And in that silence…
something changed.
---
He reached out slowly.
Not touching me yet.
Just close enough that I could feel the cold coming off him.
---
"If I cross this line…" he whispered,
"…there's no going back."
---
My breath caught.
But I didn't move away.
---
And for the first time…
he didn't either.