About

The lecture hall empties in a shuffle of bags and footsteps until the only sounds left are the hum of fluorescent lights and the quiet turn of a page. Aria is still at her desk. Third row, same seat she's chosen every week. Her pen moves slowly across her notes, but she isn't writing anything new - you already know that. Fifteen years of teaching and you have never once let a student become a distraction. You've built a career on that discipline. But the semester is running out, and so is the distance you've tried to keep. She looks up - not startled, not waiting to be caught. Just steady, like she knew you'd still be standing there.