Author's Preface
[Six Years Ago]
[Annie]
It is past 7:45 p.m. by the time I rush out of the library.
I had been so absorbed in my work with a few classmates that I completely lost track of time.
Kai had messaged me in the morning saying that he would be waiting at Captain's Café on Avenue Street at 7 in the evening.
It takes about fifteen minutes from my dorm.
On a busy day, closer to twenty.
I glance at the time again and feel my stomach drop.
I grab my things in a hurry, ignoring the confused looks from a few students as I rush out across the campus lawn.
My fingers move quickly over my phone.
No messages. No missed calls.
Kai hasn't tried to reach me.
For a brief moment, I slow down.
Maybe I should just apologize. Reschedule for tomorrow.
It's already late—he might have left.
The thought leaves a strange heaviness in my chest.
"Let me just check," I mutter, picking up my pace again.
[ *** ]
The café glows with warm, amber light.
Inside, a handful of students sit scattered across tables, their laughter blending with the faint music in the background.
The air feels almost too calm for the restlessness inside me.
I step in and glance around, searching for a familiar face.
Nothing.
I shift the weight of my bag and hesitate.
Maybe he did leave.
I reach for my phone.
"Annie."
The sound of my name makes me turn.
Kai is seated in a corner booth, one hand raised slightly in acknowledgment.
Relief comes quicker than I expect.
As I walk towards him, I can feel his eyes on me, steady & quiet, almost too aware, as if he had noticed me the moment I walked in.
"Sorry… I lost track of time," I say as I sit across from him.
My eyes drift to the table.
Two empty glasses.
He follows my gaze.
"It's fine," he says, offering a small, calm smile. "I thought that might happen. I didn't remind you either."
Something about the way he says it feels deliberate.
Like he had already decided he wouldn't.
The soft café lighting falls across his face, making his features appear gentler than I remember.
For a moment, my pulse quickens.
"No, it's still my fault," I insist. "You shouldn't have waited so long."
Our eyes catch for a second.
I catch the faintest hint of something in his eyes, but it's gone before I can place it.
"How long have you been here?" I ask.
"…About an hour."
I immediately start feeling guilty. "I'm really sorry...."
"You came," he interrupts quietly, glancing down at the menu. "....That's all that matters."
He just says it so simply like it was never about the time.
I look away, suddenly aware of the warmth rising to my face.
We place our orders soon after.
We talk, but not about what we actually came here for.
Instead, the conversation drifts through safe, meaningless topics.
I speak more than I should, filling the pauses before they can turn into silence.
Kai mostly just listens.
It seems this is what he does best.
But I realize, he is not just listening, he is observing.
The way his attention stays fixed on me, the way his responses come a second too late, as if he is carefully choosing his words rather than speaking them.
By the end of it, I realize I still know almost nothing about him.
And yet, he seems to know far more about me than I intended to share.
[ *** ]
"I'll walk you back..." He was quite adamant like it was a decision already made.
We walk side by side under the quiet stretch of road leading back to campus.
The night air is cool, the moon bright enough to cast soft shadows along the pavement.
"Do you want me to help carry your bag?" he asks, glancing down at it.
I look up at him, only now noticing how tall he actually is.
"No, it's fine. I don't mind."
He nods.
For a moment, it seems like he's about to say something.
But he doesn't.
The silence hangs over us, not awkward, but not entirely comfortable either, rather as if there are words being held back.
The campus gates come into view in the distance.
"It's already nine," I say, "You should head back."
"I will," he replies, "After I drop you to the gate."
There are a few students nearby with most of them being couples, walking slowly, absorbed in each other.
For a fleeting second, a thought crosses my mind. 'Would anyone mistake us for one?'
I push it away just as quickly.
"I… do I make you uncomfortable?", His voice cuts through my thoughts.
I look at him only to find him already looking at me.
He isn't looking casually but rather carefully.
"What? No," I say quickly, forcing a small smile.
He stops walking and I do the same.
"Your dorm is here," he says, nodding ahead.
I hadn't even noticed.
Neither of us speaks for a moment.
"I'm sorry about yesterday," he says out of the blue.
His tone is even, but there's a pause before it, as if the words had been considered more than once before being said.
"It's okay," I reply. "I'm sorry too. I might have overreacted… your words just caught me off guard."
He observes me stoically for a moment.
"I'm working on it," he finally says.
Working on what exactly, I'm not sure but I nod my head anyway.
"Do you need help tomorrow?" I ask.
He goes quiet again.
And it's not hesitant, just deliberate.
"Not tomorrow," he says. "I'll let you know."
"Okay." I take a step back towards the gate.
"Thanks for today..Good night, Kai." I offer a polite smile.
"Good night, Annie."
I turn and walk inside.
But just before I disappear past the entrance, something makes me glance back.
He's still there.
Standing under the streetlight.
Not moving.
Watching.