The steps thudded steadily until it sounded a few feet away from George's door. He had his ear to the wood trying to breathe silently. He even thought of holding his breath but didn't want to risk having to exhale abruptly later when he couldn't hold it in any longer.

The slowed steps came to a full stop. There was no

peep hole

in the door so George couldn't see the person in the hallway. But he could feel he person staring at his door. He felt like he could imagine the eyes painting the door. Up and down. And then staring directly on the otherside of George's face.

Could one actually feel another's gaze? Sometimes in his past life he would be sitting at the cafe, feeling a pressure coming his way from another direction. And he'd look up... and sometimes there would be a person looking at him. Sometimes there wouldn't. Could you actually feel a gaze in that way?

George waited for the steps to continue. But there was no sound. He tried to hear breaths coming from the other side of the door. But he couldn't make anything out. It didn't sound completely silent, but he couldn't hear enough to know that someone was there. But of course someone HAD to be there. He had heard the footsteps approaching. So why were they not moving away now? Or more freaky... why could he not be sure that there was still another person on the other side of the door.

If he were to guess whether there was someone out there or not... he would guess that there wasn't. The feeling he got from the hall was an emptiness. George kept his face on the door... hoping to hear any movement for quite a while.