Selene's POV
After calming down, I forced myself out of bed, though my legs still felt weak. I walked to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and splashed cold water on my face. The shock helped a little, but my hands wouldn't stop shaking.
I stared at my reflection in the mirror, watching the water drip down my cheeks. My long black hair was a tangled mess, and my near-white eyes looked even starker under the harsh bathroom light. I reached for my black contacts and slipped them in, blinking a few times until they settled.
My phone alarm blared from the bedroom — 10:00 AM.
"Crap."
I silenced it and rushed through a shower, grabbing the first decent outfit I could find — a plain black shirt and jeans. Good enough. I snatched my bag, locked the apartment behind me, and headed out.
The bus ride was the usual two hours of staring out the window. The city moved the way it always did — crowded streets, fast footsteps, horns bleeding into each other. I didn't mind the noise. It was better than being left alone with my thoughts.
By the time I arrived at work, I was already worn out.
"Selene, you're finally here!" My coworker Mia greeted me with her usual bright smile.
"Yeah, sorry — took the bus," I said, slipping behind the counter.
She waved it off. "You always do."
I sighed. She wasn't wrong. My shift ran from lunch to 5 PM — nothing glamorous, but enough to get by. I tied my apron and got to work, pushing everything else to the back of my mind.
When my shift ended, I stepped out of the café and stretched. The sun was already low, pulling the sky into soft shades of orange and pink. I adjusted my bag strap and started the familiar walk to the bus stop.
At the crosswalk, the light turned red. I stopped with the crowd — most of them staring at their phones, barely aware of anything around them.
Then that same uneasy feeling from the morning crept back in.
I glanced across the street — and my stomach dropped.
It was him.
The same man from before, standing completely still while the crowd shifted around him. His sharp blue eyes were fixed on me. I didn't know why he looked familiar, but something about the way he stood — too calm, too deliberate — made my skin prick.
I looked away fast, pretending I hadn't seen him. The light turned green. I crossed, keeping my head down.
Then I walked straight into someone.
"Sorry, I'm sorry—" I stepped back quickly.
When I looked up, my breath caught.
It was him.
Up close, he was taller than I'd expected. Dark clothes, silver hair — striking enough on their own — but it was his eyes that stopped me cold.
"Ah, miss—" he began.
I didn't let him finish.
I didn't know what he wanted, and I wasn't about to find out. I pushed past him without looking back and didn't slow down until I was through my apartment building door, heart still hammering in my chest.
Who was he? And why did I feel like I already knew him?
I shook my head as I climbed the stairs. It was nothing. Just some random guy. No reason to spiral over it.
But that night, even after I lay down, his face wouldn't leave me alone.
The next day was uneventful — the same shift, the same long ride home. But as I made my way back, I spotted him again.
This time he wasn't staring. He was simply there, leaning against a lamppost near the crosswalk, hands in his pockets, watching people pass.
I swallowed and kept walking, eyes forward.
"Selene."
I stopped.
How did he know my name?
I turned slowly. He stood a few steps away, blue eyes steady on mine.
"Who are you?" My voice came out sharper than I meant it to.
He paused, like he was weighing something. Then — "Axel."
The name meant nothing to me. And yet, somehow, it didn't feel entirely new either.
"What do you want?" I crossed my arms, forcing my expression flat even as my stomach knotted.
He studied me for a moment, then exhaled and stepped back.
"Nothing. Not yet."
Not yet?
Before I could push for more, he turned and walked away, vanishing into the crowd like he'd never been there at all.
To be Continued.