“I don’t like what comes with it.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it. What does that mean?

He didn’t explain. And she didn’t push. Somehow, it felt like the kind of answer you had to earn over time—like layers of an old story he wasn’t ready to tell.

“You should go home,” he said finally, softer this time. More like concern, disguised under indifference. “It’s late.”

“I know.”

But she didn’t move.

Neither did he.

They just stood there, a few feet apart, the hum of the hallway lights buzzing quietly between them. She wanted to say more. Ask more. But something told her to wait. To let the moment settle.

Because for the first time, it felt like he wasn’t just the janitor anymore.

He was something else. And she was starting to wonder if that something might be connected to her in ways she couldn’t understand yet.

He looked at her again, that same unsettling gaze—like he was peeling her apart,  seeing things she hadn’t even said out loud. Things maybe she didn’t want to say.

“I don’t mind it,” he said, voice low. Calm. But not empty.

Lily hesitated.

Then, almost without realizing it, she stepped closer. Not enough to cross a line, but just enough to feel the strange pull between them tighten.

“You don’t... get bored?” she asked, trying to keep her tone light, but it came out softer than she intended. 

He tilted his head, his eyes flickering just slightly. And in that fraction of a second—barely even a breath—she saw something shift in him. A flicker of something not quite right. A shadow in his expression that didn’t belong there. His expression was painful, his eyes became moist, he wiped them with his sleeves.

Something else.

“I don’t have time for that,” he said quietly, his words almost too smooth, too final, as he turned back toward the sink.

The silence that followed wasn’t comfortable. It wasn’t awkward either. It was thick—like something had been said between the words, something unspoken and too dangerous to name.

Lily stayed for a moment longer, unsure if she should press again. Ask what he really meant. Ask why he always looked like he was somewhere else entirely—like he’d seen something he couldn’t unsee.

But she didn’t. Because deep down, she knew the answer wouldn’t be simple.

So she gave him a small nod, already retreating. “Okay, well... I'll go, then.”

He didn’t turn.

“Be Safe,” he said.