Elena sat alone in the campus library, her notes untouched in front of her.
She had been staring at the same paragraph for ten minutes.
The words on the page didn't sink in. Her eyes kept darting to the windows, the hallways, the doors—anywhere Luca might appear from.
But he didn't.
He never did anymore.
And that dull ache in her chest had begun to feel permanent.
She told herself she was being ridiculous.
He was a stranger. A man she barely knew.
Still, a part of her missed his shadow more than she could admit out loud.
---
"Hey," Liam's voice pulled her back.
She blinked, surprised. "Oh—hey."
"You okay?" he asked gently, taking the seat across from her. "You've been in the same spot for hours."
"Studying," she lied.
He raised an eyebrow.
"You're holding the book upside down."
She glanced down. "Oh."
Liam didn't tease her. He just pulled out his laptop and sat quietly beside her, not pressing further.
She was grateful for that.
They didn't talk much that afternoon. But somehow, she didn't feel as alone.
---
Over the next few days, Liam kept showing up.
Not in a pushy way.
Just... there.
He'd sit with her during breaks. Walk her halfway home. Drop off snacks she never asked for.
Elena didn't know what to make of it.
She didn't feel anything deep for him. Not in the way people write poems about.
But maybe it was nice to have someone who stayed.
Someone who didn't disappear.
Even if she kept glancing over her shoulder on quiet streets, hoping for a shadow that never came.
Even if every time her phone buzzed, her heart leapt before crashing back down.
Still not him.
Still no Luca.
---
On a Wednesday afternoon, it rained.
Liam found her standing under a bus stop, her bag soaked, her hoodie clinging to her shoulders.
He didn't say a word—just handed her his umbrella and stood beside her, letting himself get drenched.
She looked up at him slowly.
"You'll get sick."
He shrugged. "I don't mind."
For a moment, she saw the outline of Luca's coat in the foggy reflection of the glass behind them.
But it vanished just as fast.
---
That night, Elena sat on her bed, fingers tracing the outline of her phone.
She wanted to search for Luca again. She wanted to find a number, a trace, something.
But there was nothing.
No name. No clue. No explanation.
He had vanished.
And all she was left with... was Liam's quiet presence and a hollow kind of waiting.