Ch-4.The Space Between Breaths

Kael couldn’t answer.

The words clung to the air between them, thick and unshakable.

"You’ve been waiting for me, haven’t you?"

It wasn’t a question. It was a statement. A certainty.

Kael’s throat was dry. He had to say something—anything—to break the weight of the moment, but his mind had gone blank. Every instinct screamed at him to deny it, to shove this feeling aside, to treat this stranger like nothing more than a customer, a passing face.

But he didn’t move.

Neither did the man.

For a long second, they just stood there—Kael behind the counter, the stranger only a few feet away, the air charged between them like a storm about to break.

Then, finally, the man tilted his head, watching him with something Kael couldn’t place.

"No answer?" His voice was smooth, laced with quiet amusement.

Kael forced his fingers to unclench from the counter. Say something. Now.

“Who the hell are you?” His voice came out sharper than intended. A defense. A shield.

The stranger smiled.

Slow. Knowing. Like he had expected that reaction. Like he had been waiting for it.

"Skyler," he said simply.

Kael’s chest tightened. Skyler. The name felt strange in his head, like something half-remembered from a dream.

He swallowed. "And how exactly do you know me?"

Skyler didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stepped closer, his movements deliberate, smooth, controlled. The scent of rain lingered on him, cold and sharp.

Then, before Kael could react—

Skyler reached forward.

Not fast. Not aggressive. Just slow, deliberate touch—fingertips grazing the edge of kael’s sleeve, his wrist, barely there, almost nothing—

But it sent a jolt through Kael's entire body.

Too real. Too much. Too intimate.

He yanked his arm back. "Don’t touch me."

Skyler only smiled wider. “You always react like that,” he murmured. “Like you’re afraid of what you might feel.”

Kael's stomach twisted. What the hell does that mean?

"I don’t know you," he said, firmer this time.

Skyler exhaled softly—almost like a laugh. Like he was entertained. "You'll remember."

Kael's breath caught.

Something about the way he said it—not if, but when—sent a chill down his spine.

Skyler took a slow step back, as if satisfied with whatever reaction he’d drawn out of him. Then, with that same unnerving certainty, he turned toward the door.

"I’ll see you soon, Kael."

The bell chimed as he stepped outside, disappearing into the rain.

Kael stood there, frozen, pulse hammering, every nerve in his body still electrified from that single, fleeting touch.

And worse than anything—

Worse than the fear, worse than the confusion—

Was the unbearable, sinking feeling in his chest.

Like a part of him already knew Skyler was right.

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Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh.....yes finally...hah...

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