As she walked toward the main building, adjusting her bag strap, her eyes caught the back of a familiar figure ahead. The tall frame, the calm way he carried himself… it looked like Shane.

But that didn't make sense. He worked at the ice-cream shop. Could he really be here too?

Before she could decide whether to call out, something slipped from his pocket. A folded piece of paper fluttered to the ground.

Without hesitation, Flora picked it up. "Excuse me!" she called. "You dropped this!"

The boy stopped and turned.

Her breath caught. It was Shane, but not the Shane she remembered. His hair now fell slightly forward, half-hiding his forehead, and a pair of glasses softened the sharpness of his face. The quiet confidence she'd noticed before was still there, buried beneath a layer of calm that felt deliberate, too deliberate.

For a second, she just stared. "You… Why do you look like that? It's like you're trying to ruin your perfect face on purpose."

His lips twitched, almost a smile. "You think so?"

Flora blinked, realizing she had said it aloud. "Ah, I didn't mean____"

He shook his head lightly. "Don't worry. It's easier this way. Sometimes, being invisible keeps you out of trouble."

He reached out and took the paper from her hand. Their fingers brushed briefly, enough to make her heart skip.

Something about that moment felt strange. He looked at her, then at the paper again, folding it once more with quiet precision.

"So you weren't lying yesterday," she said, managing a small smile. "You really do go here."

"I told you," he replied softly. "We just don't share the same section. That's why we never crossed paths before."

Flora nodded, a little embarrassed. "Right… different sections."

For a moment, they simply stood there, caught in a strange quiet that didn't feel awkward, just uncertain.

Then Shane stepped aside, motioning for her to go first. "You should hurry. You'll be late for class."

She smiled faintly. "You should too."

As she walked past him, she couldn't help glancing back once. He was still standing there, watching her leave, expression unreadable behind those glasses. The folded paper was now tucked into his pocket, edges barely visible.

A faint chill passed through her, and she told herself it was just the morning breeze.

---

Shane waited until she disappeared inside before slipping his hands back into his pockets. His lips curved faintly, though the smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

The wind lifted his hair, and for a moment, he looked down at the same paper she thought had fallen by mistake. His thumb brushed across a faint ink mark, something that looked less like a note and more like a number, half-erased.

He tucked it safely away and turned toward the main building. In the glass of the door, his reflection looked like someone else entirely.

And that was exactly how he wanted it.

---