The first time I saw him was under the campus clock tower, lit only by the silver glow of the moon.
He was sitting on the stone steps, camera in hand, pointing it toward the sky. His face was tilted upward, the corners of his lips curled into a small, private smile — the kind you only make when you're seeing something beautiful.
I should have kept walking.
Instead, I stopped.
"You're blocking the shot," he said without looking at me. His voice was warm, like a late-night radio host.
"I wasn't aware I was in it," I replied, keeping my tone neutral.
He lowered the camera, finally meeting my gaze. His eyes were… strange. Not in color, but in the way they seemed to look right into me, like he could tell I was carrying too many things I didn't want to share.
"You're Kairo, right? The business prodigy?"
I frowned. "I didn't realize I was famous."
"Not famous. Just… hard to miss," he said with a grin. "I'm River."
I gave a polite nod, ready to leave, but his next words froze me in place.
"You always look so perfect during the day. I was wondering if you looked different under the moonlight."
My chest tightened. "And?"
He lifted his camera again, the shutter clicking softly. "You do."
For reasons I couldn't explain, I didn't walk away after that.