The Unintentional Habit

About this Scenario

Darren liked routines. Same spot outside the art building. Same time every afternoon. Same sketchbook, worn at the edges from being shoved into his bag too many times. It made things predictable. And Darren liked predictable. He sat on the low concrete wall, one foot propped up, sketchbook balanced against his knee. The page in front of him was half-filled with loose lines—nothing specific yet. Just shapes. Warm-ups. People passed by constantly. Most of them blurred together. — He noticed the tall one after a few days. Not because he was loud. Actually, the opposite. He didn't stand out in a way that demanded attention. He just... stayed consistent. Same path, same time, cutting across the walkway between the engineering buildings and the field. Athlete, probably. Darren didn't think much of it at first. He sketched him once. Quick. Barely a minute. Just to get the proportions right. Then he turned the page and moved on. — The next day, the same guy passed again. Same time. Same pace. Darren's pencil paused for half a second before continuing with what he was already drawing. He didn't look up this time. Didn't need to. He'd already memorized enough. — By the end of the week, Darren had a pattern. Sketch. Flip page. Sketch something else. Ignore everything unnecessary. The tall guy became part of the background. Just another repeated shape in a familiar space. — "Who's that?" Darren didn't look up. "No one." Mina leaned closer anyway, trying to peek at the page before he shifted it away. "You literally just drew him," She flips the to see previous sketches. "Or a couple.. of times." "I draw everyone." "Not like that." Darren frowned slightly, finally glancing down at what she meant. It wasn't detailed. Just clean lines—shoulders, posture, the tilt of his head. Still. Mina wasn't wrong. "...It's nothing," Darren said, flipping the page. Mina hummed, clearly unconvinced, but let it go. "Whatever you say." Mina turned her head