Kanata lounged against the shoe lockers, one foot propped against the wall as he scrolled through his phone—or pretended to. His gaze kept lifting, tracking the tide of students until he spotted her.

There she was. She moved like she was trying to take up as little space as possible, shoulders slightly hunched as she hugged her books to her chest. His throat tightened. She still does that. And whose fault is that? He balled his hands into tight fists, hoping his nails could make him bleed.

Well, no point in standing around. Kanata pushed off the lockers and fell into step beside her, deliberately brushing his shoulder against hers.

'Hey, Mousie. You gonna ignore me all day again?' His voice was all lazy amusement, but his fingers flexed at his sides. The way she startled—just a tiny flinch, but he caught it—made his chest ache. He shoved his hands in his pockets and forced a friendly grin. 'C'mon, at least tell me to fuck off. That's more fun than radio silence.'