I reached out my hands to catch a snowflake.
...It melted before it even touched my skin.
The winter air stung my fingers-sharp, but not unpleasant. I rubbed my hands together, watching my breath cloud the stillness.
With a sigh, I dug into my pocket and pulled out my phone.
4:37 a.m.
The first train would arrive any minute. I just hoped I wouldn't be late on my first day of college.
The station was mostly empty, bathed in the faint glow of the blue hour. Streetlamps hummed overhead, flickering against the snow-covered platform. I sat on the cold metal bench, shoulders hunched, scarf pulled high, waiting.
Then, voices.
"Pfft-really?!?" someone laughed, far too loud for this hour. A few steps away, two students chatted animatedly, their conversation rising and falling like static. I looked down, pretending not to hear. Their laughter drifted easily through the crisp morning air, but it felt distant, like it belonged to a world I wasn't part of.
I adjusted my scarf, staring at the faint frost clinging to the edge of my boots-the kind of details no one else seemed to notice.
The rumble of the approaching train echoed in the distance. A low vibration rolled across the tracks, the sound of metal meeting momentum.
And then-footsteps.
Someone approached the bench. A shadow fell across my vision, tall enough that I had to tilt my head to look up.
He was smiling.
"Cold morning, huh?" His voice was warm, casual, like we'd spoken before.
I blinked, caught off guard. My lips parted, but no words came out.
He chuckled softly, unfazed by my silence. The train screeched closer, the wind shifting as if announcing its arrival. He adjusted the strap of his bag, eyes still on me.
"Have a great morning, Harvey."
And just like that, he stepped onto the train as the doors hissed open.
I froze.
Did he just-?
...How did he know my name?
The train pulled away, its sound fading into the dawn. I sat there, unmoving, his words looping over and over in my head.
Have a great morning, Harvey.
For some reason, the chill of winter didn't feel so heavy anymore.
I wanted the day to pass quickly so I could paint at home, and for spring to come sooner, so I could tend to my plants.
...Wait. What train was that?
---
5:59 a.m.
Why was the train taking so long to return? Good thing my first class started at 6:30.
The college hallways buzzed with voices, laughter bouncing off the walls. Groups of students moved together like they already belonged here. And, of course-couples. Eugh.
Finding my classroom wasn't difficult. I slipped inside quietly, choosing a seat by the window. My sketchbook sat on my desk, my safe territory in a world too loud. Just who was that guy this morning? The one who knew my name.
Could I even remember his face?
No... only the smile lingered.
I shook my head and opened my sketchbook. Better to draw. Drawing was easier. Safer. A stem, a leaf, petals forming one by one-soon a flower bloomed in graphite across the page.
Then-warm breath brushed against my ear.
"Hello, Harvey."
I stiffened. My pencil froze mid-line. That voice-exactly the same as this morning.
I turned, heart skipping.
He was there. Sitting right beside me, as if the empty seat had been waiting for him all along. His smile hadn't changed.
"A flower drawing?" Eli tilted his head, eyes soft as they landed on my sketch.
"Harvey, why are you ignoring me?" His tone carried the faintest edge of hurt.
I glared, silently wishing he would just shut up.
"Grumpy today? You look like a Pallas cat," Eli said, smirking.
I clicked my tongue, snapping my sketchbook shut. "Shut up."
Eli only laughed, leaning back in his chair as if my glare were the most entertaining thing he'd seen all morning. His smile had this annoyingly persistent quality-no matter how many times I turned away, it crept back into my mind.
The professor arrived, saving me from further conversation. Class began, and I buried myself in notes, though my focus wavered more than I'd like to admit. Every so often, I felt Eli glance sideways at me, and my pencil slipped just enough to frustrate me.
By the time the lecture ended, I packed my things as quickly as I could. Eli stretched lazily, unfazed by the long hour, and shot me a grin that clearly said, See you around.
I didn't answer.
I glanced at him to ask his name, but the smirk on his face made me abandon the thought.
---
After class, I made my way to the dorms, navigating hallways filled with students lugging boxes, backpacks, and winter jackets. My dorm building stood at the edge of campus, taller than I expected, with warm lights glowing through the frosted windows.
Moving in had been chaotic. Roommates introduced themselves with enthusiastic chatter, furniture was rearranged, and boxes sat like miniature towers of chaos. Now, my room felt like a small refuge. I kicked off my shoes, dropped my backpack, and finally let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding.
My sketchbook rested on the desk, waiting. The bed was neatly tucked. The small desk cluttered with pens and notebooks became my little corner of the world. For the first time, I could actually breathe.
With an hour to spare before the next class, I wandered the campus. The Department of Arts buzzed with creativity-canvases leaned against walls, students laughed in studios, and the faint scent of paint drifted outside. Across the quad, the Department of Science gleamed with glass and steel. Students in lab coats carried books and equipment with careful precision. The contrast was dizzying-creativity and logic, imagination and experimentation-all coexisting under one sky.
I sipped a coffee from the campus café, letting the morning settle around me. Somewhere in the crowd, Eli's presence lingered in my thoughts. I didn't know him, yet he felt uncomfortably familiar.
My next class began in ten minutes. Sliding into a seat near the window, I opened my sketchbook just in case boredom struck.
A faint shadow fell beside me.
"Mind if I sit here?" Eli asked, voice casual as ever.
I stared at him. He already claimed the empty seat, as though it had been reserved. No way to escape.
I bit my lip, opened my sketchbook wider, and whispered under my breath, "Not again..."
He grinned, unbothered. "I promise I'm not here to distract you."
Yeah, right.
The professor strode in, and the lecture began. Notes, diagrams, and the hum of the classroom filled the air. Somehow, college-its dorms, lectures, campus life, and endless hallways-felt bigger and more real than I'd imagined. And I had a feeling Eli was going to be part of it, whether I liked it or not.