The Algorithm of Obsession

6.

A/N:
this is in third person POV 
this is gonna be a cute fluff induced ride- (atleast as fully a thriller obsessed robotic novel goes?) lol

also according to suggestions- when reading on phone the dialogues and scene setting kinda overlaps which leads to confusion, so ive italicized the dialogues, and tried spacing them well- hope that helps

if yall got more suggestion please feel free to voice them out- criticism in all kind is welcomed lol
its my first time writing and im no Einstein 
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~the next day

The street was quiet when Nov stepped out of the school gates, the kind of soft stillness that came right before the evening began to hum. She tucked her hands into her hoodie, headphones in, brain still fried from Kian's maddening presence all day.

She didn't expect company.

But she should've.

Footsteps synced beside hers like an echo in flesh. No rustle, no warning—just presence.

She pulled out one earbud, not bothering to hide the suspicion in her glance.
"You stalking me now?"

Kian didn't flinch. Didn't slow.
"Guiding," he said, sliding his hands into his pockets. "What kind of man would I be if I let a girl walk home alone so late at night?"

She blinked. "It's 7:30."

He tilted his head with an easy smile, one that didn't quite reach those eyes of his. "Just pretend it's midnight. Let me have my chivalrous moment, sweetheart."

She snorted, shaking her head, but didn't stop walking. Didn't stop him either.

They moved in step, silence stretching between them like silk—light, delicate, and strangely comforting. The air was cool, and for once, Kian wasn't talking.

That made her more nervous than when he was.

"So what, you lurking behind lockers now? Waiting for your next grand entrance?"

"Lurking is a strong word." He looked up at the fading sky. "I just... knew you'd leave late. You always do on Tuesdays."

Her chest pulled tight. "That's not creepy at all."

"Noted," 

he said, mock-offended, before stealing a glance at her. "But I'd argue that noticing patterns is just... good programming."

She stopped.

He did too.

Nov turned to face him, eyes narrowing. "You keep doing that."

He blinked. "Doing what?"

"Saying things you shouldn't know. Acting like this—" She gestured between them. "—is normal. Like you've done this before. Walked me home. Talked to me. Like we're..."

Old friends.
She didn't say it. She didn't have to. The words hung there, raw and stupid and aching.

Kian's expression didn't shift. But the silence did.

"I don't know why it feels that way," he said softly. "But I don't hate it."

Nov looked at him then—really looked. The fading sun cast half his face in shadow, but his gaze was steady, like he wasn't afraid of her questions.

Maybe just his own.

"Stars," he said suddenly,

"don't explode loudly, you know? Most of them die quietly. Just... fade. And if no one's watching, no one even knows they're gone."