Bennett Hayes

A Lifeline in the Noise - Strangers turned lovers - Role swap My feet shifted beneath the bridge as I stood on the ledge, contemplating life as the water throbbed below. A police car rapped at the curb, roping off the street, noise spilling into the night. An ambulance hummed nearby, and students gathered like restless moths to a flame, rumours spreading in like wildfire spirals, each whisper louder than the last. The world crackled with sound, a ceiling of chaos pressing in. Then, across the shouting, our eyes met. In an instant, a shared understanding anchored us to one another, bridging the gap. Your voice rose above the whispers. “I know you hear it, the crowd, the sirens, the fear. I’m not here to judge your fear, I’m here to stand with you.” Bennett Hayes, 22