Chapter 6 Familiar

The next morning came too quickly.

Ari hadn't slept.

Every time she closed her eyes, she heard it again-

"...Emy."

The silence that had followed.

The way the entire room had stopped.

The way he had looked at her afterward.

Not confused.

Focused.

Like something inside him had shifted.

Ari tightened her grip slightly around the folded linens in her arms as she moved through the lower residence halls.

Careful.

Quiet.

Invisible.

That was what she needed to be now.

No more mistakes.

No more slips.

No more giving him reasons to notice her.

"...Claire."

Ari looked up immediately.

One of the residence attendants approached her carrying a stack of documents.

"These need to go to the academy archive room."

Ari nodded once. "Understood."

"Be quick about it."

"Yes."

The academy grounds were calmer in the mornings.

Students crossed stone pathways in small groups while instructors prepared classrooms for the day. Cool air drifted through the open corridors connecting the residence buildings to the main academic halls.

Ari kept her gaze lowered as she walked.

Don't think.

Just work.

It should have been simple.

Then-

"You're avoiding me."

Ari stopped immediately.

Of course.

Slowly, she turned.

Emy stood several steps away, academy uniform slightly unbuttoned at the collar like he had dressed in a hurry. One hand rested loosely in his pocket while the other held several loose papers he clearly wasn't paying attention to.

His eyes stayed fixed on her.

Ari lowered her gaze slightly.

"I'm working."

"That's not an answer."

"It should be enough of one."

He stepped closer.

Not aggressively.

Deliberately.

"You disappeared after yesterday."

Ari adjusted the documents in her arms carefully.

"I had responsibilities."

"You always do that."

She frowned faintly. "Do what?"

"Leave."

The word landed softly between them.

Ari looked away first.

"Maybe I just know when conversations are over."

"That's not why you leave."

Her chest tightened slightly.

Dangerous.

This conversation already felt dangerous.

"And why do you think I leave?" she asked quietly.

Emy studied her carefully before answering.

"Because you panic every time I get too close to something."

Ari's fingers tightened against the papers immediately.

"...You're imagining things again."

"No," he replied calmly.

"I don't think I am."

Silence stretched briefly between them.

Students passed nearby without paying attention.

The academy continued moving normally around them while Ari felt like the ground beneath her had become unstable.

Emy glanced toward the papers in her arms.

"You're going to the archives?"

"Yes."

"I'll come with you."

Ari looked up sharply. "Why?"

"Because I need something from there."

The answer came too quickly.

Too smoothly.

A weak excuse.

Ari knew it.

And apparently-

he knew she knew it.

"You don't need to escort me," she said carefully.

"I wasn't asking."

Before she could object further, he had already started walking beside her.

Ari exhaled softly.

This was a bad idea.

The archive hall sat near the oldest section of Elarion Academy.

Tall stone walls.

Dust-covered windows.

Quiet corridors filled with records older than most noble families.

Ari had loved this place once.

Long before this life.

Long before losing everything.

"You know this building well."

The sudden comment startled her slightly.

Ari glanced sideways.

Emy was watching her again.

Carefully.

"No," she answered immediately.

"You didn't hesitate once."

Her steps slowed faintly.

"What?"

"The turns," he said. "Most people get lost here the first few times."

Ari's chest tightened.

She hadn't even realized.

Her body had moved automatically again.

Instinct.

Memory.

Dangerous.

"I've been here before," she replied quietly.

Emy hummed softly.

Not convinced.

They reached the archive room moments later.

Rows of shelves stretched endlessly beneath dim hanging lights, filled with records, journals, and old academy documents.

The scent of paper and dust settled heavily in the air.

Ari moved toward the return desk quickly.

Finish the task.

Leave immediately.

That was the plan.

Until-

"You always touch the shelves when you walk past them."

Ari froze.

Slowly, she looked down.

Her fingertips rested lightly against the edge of a wooden bookshelf.

Automatic.

Unthinking.

Her stomach tightened.

Because he was right.

She used to do that.

Always.

A habit from years spent wandering libraries with him.

"You said old books deserved respect," Older Emy had murmured once while watching her trail her fingers along a shelf.

"And?"

"And apparently that means greeting every bookshelf personally."

"You're jealous because the books get more attention than you."

"I'm offended because that might be true."

The memory struck so suddenly Ari nearly lost her breath.

She pulled her hand away immediately.

"...Sorry," she said quietly.

Emy didn't answer at first.

He was staring at her again.

That look.

That searching look.

"You did it again."

Ari forced herself to stay calm.

"Did what?"

"That expression."

Her pulse quickened painfully.

"I don't know what you mean."

"You look at things like you miss them."

Silence.

The words hit harder than they should have.

Because she did.

This entire place felt like grief wrapped in familiarity.

Ari lowered her gaze.

"You're overthinking ordinary things."

"Am I?"

"Yes."

"But every time I talk to you," he said quietly, "it feels like you're about to say something important."

Her fingers curled slightly.

Stop.

This needed to stop.

Ari stepped back once.

Creating distance.

"There's nothing important to say."

"That's not what it feels like."

The certainty in his voice made something ache unexpectedly in her chest.

Because once-

he used to know her better than anyone.

And somehow-

part of him still did.

Even now.

Even like this.

Ari forced herself to look away.

"I should return to work."

Emy didn't move.

"...Claire."

The way he said her current name sounded unfamiliar.

Wrong.

Ari paused reluctantly.

"What?"

A brief silence followed.

Then-

"...Have we met before this?"

The question came softer this time.

Not demanding.

Honest.

Ari closed her eyes briefly.

No.

Yes.

Not like this.

Not in a way he would understand.

She opened her eyes again slowly.

"...No."

The lie felt heavier than usual.

Emy studied her for several long seconds.

Then quietly-

"You're really bad at lying."

Ari's breath caught.

For one terrifying moment-

she thought he remembered.

Really remembered.

But then he continued,

"Your face changes every time you answer that question."

The tension loosened slightly.

Not safe.

Just safer.

Ari steadied herself carefully.

"You ask strange questions."

"And you avoid answering them."

"That should tell you enough."

Instead of replying immediately, Emy stepped closer again.

Close enough that her heartbeat became difficult to ignore.

"You know what the problem is?" he asked quietly.

Ari held herself perfectly still.

"What?"

"It feels like I already know you."

The words shattered something inside her chest.

Because once-

he had.

Completely.

Ari looked away immediately.

"...You don't."

The answer came quieter than intended.

Almost painful.

Emy noticed.

Of course he noticed.

But before he could speak again-

footsteps echoed from outside the archive room.

Ari stepped back immediately.

Distance.

Control.

Composure.

A moment later, Meredith appeared in the doorway.

Perfect posture.

Perfect expression.

Perfect timing.

Her gaze moved between them once.

Only once.

But Ari saw it.

The calculation.

The tension.

The fear beneath the calm.

"...There you are," Meredith said softly to Emy.

Like nothing was wrong.

Like she hadn't immediately noticed the atmosphere between them.

Emy straightened slightly.

"We were just returning documents."

"We?"

The word came lightly.

Politely.

But something underneath it sharpened instantly.

Ari lowered her gaze at once.

"I was leaving."

Meredith smiled gently.

"Of course."

Ari moved toward the doorway without another word.

But as she passed Meredith-

she felt it.

That brief shift in the air.

Not recognition.

Not certainty.

Something worse.

Suspicion.

And behind her-

Emy was still watching.

Like he couldn't stop.