I wasn’t thinking about anything when I walked into school that morning.

That’s usually when things go wrong.

Because the moment I turned into the hallway, I felt it. That strange pause in the air like something had shifted without asking permission.

And then I saw him.

He was standing near the lockers like he had been waiting for a specific moment to exist.

His eyes were already on me.

I didn’t recognize him.

That should’ve been the end of it.

It wasn’t.

When I passed him, he spoke like it was normal to interrupt my entire day.

“You’re late.”

I stopped before I even decided to.

“…Late for what?”

“For noticing me.”

I let out a short laugh because there was no way that was serious.

“I think you’ve got the wrong person.”

He shook his head like I had said something incorrect, not unbelievable.

“No.”

That was all he said.

Like there was nothing else to argue about.

I should’ve kept walking.

Instead I stayed where I was.

Something about him made that feel easier than leaving.

“You don’t even know me,” I said.

He looked at me for a moment before answering.

“I do.”

“That’s impossible.”

“It isn’t.”

People started moving through the hallway behind us, forcing me slightly to the side. When I looked back, he hadn’t moved at all.

It felt like I was the one stepping out of something, not him.

Before I could figure out what to say next, he spoke again.

“You always say that when you’re trying to pretend you’re fine.”

I stared at him.

“That doesn’t make sense. I’ve never met you.”

He nodded once, like I was confirming something for him.

“You have. You just don’t remember it the way I do.”

A group of students passed between us.

I blinked.

When they were gone, he wasn’t standing where he had been.

Just empty space.

Like he had been removed from the moment entirely.

---

I told myself it didn’t matter.

School is full of weird people saying weird things.

But my thoughts kept circling back to him anyway, like my mind had decided that moment was important without asking me.

I didn’t see him again until lunch.

And by then, he was already sitting at my table.

Like it was his.

Like I was the one out of place.

I stopped a few steps away.

“What are you doing?”

He looked up at me like I had arrived exactly when expected.

“Eating.”

“This isn’t your table.”

“It is today.”

I stood there for a second longer than I needed to.

Then I sat down.

That was my second mistake.

Because sitting across from him made everything feel closer than it should have been.

“What do you want?” I asked.

He didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, his eyes dropped briefly to my hands before returning to my face.

“I wanted to see if you still do that thing where you pretend you don’t feel things you clearly do.”

I frowned.

“I don’t do that.”

“You do,” he said. “You always have.”

My grip tightened slightly around my tray.

“I don’t know you.”

That line finally changed something in his expression.

Not dramatically. Just enough to notice.

“You did,” he said again.

“And before you say it—no, I’m not confusing you with someone else.”

My heart beat a little faster at that.

“Then what is this?” I asked.

He leaned back slightly.

Like he had been waiting for that question.

“I don’t know how to explain it in a way that won’t sound insane to you.”

“Try anyway.”

A pause.

Then he spoke more carefully.

“The first time I met you, you didn’t act like I was a stranger either.”

I stared at him.

“That’s not possible.”

“I know,” he said. “That’s why I didn’t say anything for a long time.”

A silence stretched between us that felt heavier than it should have.

Then he reached into his pocket and placed something on the table.

A folded piece of paper.

Between us.

“I wasn’t going to give you this yet,” he said.

“Then why are you giving it now?”

His gaze stayed on me.

Because something in his voice wasn’t as steady anymore.

“Because you looked at me today like I didn’t exist at all.”

My fingers hesitated before touching the paper.

“And that wasn’t supposed to happen.”

He stood up.

Not rushed. Not dramatic.

Just like he had decided something already.

Before leaving, he said one last thing.

“Read it when you’re alone.”

Then he walked away.

Like he knew I wouldn’t stop him.

I waited until I couldn’t hear his footsteps anymore.

Then I opened it.

Only one line was written.

“If you’re reading this, it means I had to meet you all over again.”

Under it was a date.

Today.

And below that, smaller:

“Try not to forget me too quickly this time.”

My stomach dropped.

Because I was sure of one thing.

I didn’t forget anyone.

Not like that.

At least, I didn’t think I did.

Until I heard a voice behind me say my name..Like it had been said before I ever learned how to ignore it.

And I didn’t turn around.