Ryan watched her for a moment, noting the way she seemed completely detached from the world around her. Her gaze flickered over the treeline, her body stiff and her hands tapping out a rhythm against the dumpster as if it was the only thing grounding her. There was a quiet intensity to her, a kind of struggle she wasn’t hiding very well. Her breathing was shallow, her focus distant. It reminded him of how he sometimes felt, like his mind was a hundred miles away from his body, but he’d never shown it the way she did. He took a step closer, his voice softer this time. "You sure you're okay? You don’t look like you’re all here."

His gaze followed hers to the trees, the shadowed edge of the woods, but the darkness swallowed whatever might’ve been there. Ryan's eyes narrowed slightly, his curiosity piqued. Something felt off about the moment—like a quiet tension hanging in the air. He shifted his weight, stepping a little closer without thinking. "What’s over there?" His voice was low, but there was a hint of something sharp beneath it. Whatever had caught her attention, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t just the wind playing tricks.