Uncharacteristic

I left after a while with Drey and his friends, cutting the conversation short once it stopped being necessary. Raihan and his usual arrogance faded into the background the moment I chose not to pay attention anymore.

Before I went, they mentioned some birthday party and tossed an invitation my way like it meant something. I gave a noncommittal response and told them I’d think about it.

I got home, prepared a simple dinner for myself—grilled chicken with garlic butter sauce, mashed potatoes, and a glass of chilled juice—then ate in silence without much thought.

Afterward, I cleaned up quickly, washed up, and went to bed, letting the exhaustion of the day finally settle over me as I drifted into sleep.

At precisely 2:17 a.m., a deafening alarm shattered the silence of the dormitory.

I bolted upright in bed, disorienting.

The shrill sound reversed through the room, dragging me somewhere I never wanted to revisit.

My heart slammed violently against my ribs.

Students poured into the hallways, shouting and rushing toward the exits.

Because in my head, it wasn’t a fire alarm.

It was the accident.

The crash.

The night I lost everything.

“Lucas.”

A voice cut through the noise.

I lifted my gaze.

Raihan stood beside my bed.

And for once, the habitual arrogance that defined him was absent.

"When did he get home", and why his he concerned about me.

"Get up,” he said firmly.

My hands trembled before I could suppress the reaction.

He noticed immediately.

Something subtle shifted across his expression controlled, unreadable, yet distinctly altered.

For the first time since I had known him, he did not provoke, mock, or dismiss.

He simply reached forward, grasped my wrist, and pulled me up with decisive urgency.

Outside, students voiced complaints and irritation while campus security attempted to restore order and investigate the false alarm.

None of it registered with clarity.

My chest remained constricted, as though an invisible pressure had settled within my ribcage.

My thoughts were still trapped elsewhere submerged beneath fragments of memory I could not fully escape.

The hallway outside was already packed with students in a chaotic half-awake rush, voices bouncing off the walls in irritated confusion as campus security moved through the building trying to control the situation.

“False alarm,” someone groaned. “Are you serious right now?”

“I was literally asleep,” another snapped.

I barely heard them.

My steps felt detached from my body as I followed the crowd, still trying to steady my breathing.

Raihan stayed beside me.

We reached the exit where cold night air hit like a shock against my skin. Students spilled outside, complaining, laughing, already turning the entire thing into a story.

I stopped for a second without realizing it.

My hands were still slightly unsteady and Raihan noticed.

“You’re shaking,” he said flatly.

“I’m fine,” I replied too quickly.

“Stay here,” he muttered.

I frowned. “What?”

He didn’t answer immediately.

Then, without explanation, he stepped slightly closer not invading, not touching, just enough to block the crowd’s movement around me.

Like he was… shielding space.

"What's he doing?"I muttered.

Everyone became calm again.

We eventually returned to our rooms, but Raihan kept looking at me like he wanted to apologize for something he couldn’t quite say.

I collapsed onto my bed, the recollection of Raihan’s actions outside lingering in my mind, faintly amusing me despite everything.

Drey’s call pulled me out of sleep, the memory of the party immediately resurfacing and lingering at the back of my consciousness like an unresolved thought I couldn’t fully dismiss.

After a moment of hesitation, I decided to give it a try partly to clear my mind, and partly to test whether I could actually integrate myself into the social environment without feeling completely out of place.

I woke up, took my bath, and prepared breakfast when Raihan called me.

“Lucas, how are you this morning? Are you feeling better?”

“I’m fine, thank you,” I replied quickly, still wondering about the sudden change in his tone.

“I’d love to have some of your breakfast,” he said.

What did I just hear?

He wanted a portion of my breakfast?

I paused, unsettled by the thought, a faint suspicion creeping into my mind that something about this sudden shift in his behaviour felt… off.

Why did he suddenly appear so affable?

It didn’t align with the version of Raihan I had grown accustomed to.

Still, after a brief hesitation, I told him he could have some.

I was already on my way out when Raihan called after me again.

“Where are you headed?”

I stopped for a fraction of a second, but I didn’t turn back.

I didn’t respond.

I simply continued walking, letting the question dissolve behind me.

The address Drey sent led me to one of the off-campus buildings where noise spilled out before I even reached the door.

I never expected anything like this when Drey texted me about hanging out. I showed up at the house thinking it was just drinks with buddies, but the moment I stepped inside, the thumping music and sight of men pressed together hit me.