Fridays were my sanctuary.
No classes. No meetings. No emails flooding my inbox demanding timelines and reports. Just the sky, the grass, and silence. I needed this day like air.
I wore something easy—light brown joggers, a loose white tee tucked half-heartedly at the front, and my worn-out beige sneakers. My hair was up in its usual messy bun, the strands at my temples curling slightly with the spring air. I didn't need to impress anyone today. I didn't want to.
I walked to the park a few blocks from my apartment. It wasn't big or fancy—just a patch of green tucked between buildings, with a few benches, some scattered flowers, and—my favorite part—a group of stray cats who'd practically claimed it as their kingdom. They were regulars, just like me. We had an unspoken agreement: I brought calm, and they brought company.
The moment I sat on the bench, they swarmed. One of the orange tabbies rubbed against my ankle. I smiled, reaching down to scratch behind its ear. Another climbed into my lap like it owned the world. It purred so loudly, I felt the vibration through my ribs.
"I missed you too," I whispered, like an old friend checking in.
And maybe they understood.
There was something comforting about their presence—no expectations, no questions, no judgment. Just warm fur and slow blinks. No masks required. No need to be the composed, sharp-tongued CEO. No pressure to be the perfectly measured professor. Just me. Just Daphne. The girl who used to sketch wildflowers in the margins of her notebooks. The one who still believed in quiet things.
I leaned back on the bench, watching sunlight slip between tree branches. The world slowed down out here. My mind softened. My heart felt less like armor and more like skin.
But even in all that stillness… he found a way to sneak into my thoughts.
Lucian.
That boy with the intense eyes. Eyes that didn't just look—they searched. Like he was trying to read the parts of me even I kept hidden. The one who hadn't said much to me, but whose silence still echoed.
I didn't want to think about him. I tried not to. But my thoughts wandered anyway. Back to the classroom. Back to the moment our eyes met and I saw something flicker behind his expression—like curiosity, hunger, and hesitation tangled together.
It was too soon. Too dangerous.
Still… my fingers moved slowly over the cat's head as I lost myself in the memory.
What was it about him?
Was it the way he didn't try to get my attention—but had it anyway? Or the way there was something sharp behind his quietness? Like a storm, tucked away in a clear sky. A match waiting to be lit.
Maybe it was just a passing feeling. A spark in the dark.
But something about it lingered. Like the scent of rain on pavement. Like the chorus of a song I forgot I used to hum in the shower. Familiar. Distant. But still there.
The breeze picked up. A few petals fluttered past. The sun dipped lower, casting golden light across the grass. I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the quiet soak into my bones.
Just cats. Just clouds. That was all I needed.
And maybe…
just maybe…
a boy with soft hair, stillness like gravity—
and secrets he hadn't told anyone yet.