The Guard

Ever since that night in the library, Lyle had been accompanying Ginny home.

She hadn't asked him to. In fact, the first time he insisted, she had protested, her voice small but firm as she told him it wasn't necessary.

"You've got meetings," she had said, "And classes, and probably a dozen other things to deal with. I'll be fine, Lyle."

But Lyle had only shaken his head, his expression calm but unyielding in that way he had.

"It's not up for discussion, Ginny."

And that was that.

Now, it had become a routine. Lyle would meet her after her last class or at the library if she was studying late, his presence a steady, grounding force as they walked across campus together. Cass, still stuck in the clinic for a few more days, was conspicuously absent. It left just the two of them, their footsteps echoing softly in the quiet of the evening as they made their way back to her dorm.