Academic lovers

28 | Dumbfounded

Aiden let out a snort as I offered an awkward smile and greeted the newcomer. "Um, hi?" I said.

"Oh, my bad for not introducing myself. I'm Xavier, a junior, and I happen to be that guy's friend," he said, pointing at Aiden. His last words caused my eyes to widen in amusement.

"What are you doing here, Xav? This isn't really your scene," Aiden remarked, looking visibly annoyed.

"Very funny," Xavier replied with a grin as he took a seat beside Aiden, his eyes fixated on mine. "I can't believe after all this time I'm finally meeting Zhera Thompson."

I scrunched my nose, wondering why he was making it seem like I was some rare being.

"Not the talkative type?"

"I mean, how am I supposed to respond to that?"

"True, true," he acknowledged with a chuckle. His gaze then wandered around the room before he redirected his attention back to us. "Anyways, what have you two been working on? Aiden, you've barely been at practice."

He skipped practice for this? I had no idea. "You have practice around this time?" I questioned, genuinely surprised.

Aiden scratched his head with a nod. "Sometimes I have practice around this time; nothing too serious."

Nothing too serious? He's skipping his practice for this. But his words were a reminder that he was, in fact, the type of person who prioritized his education over everything else, including sports.

I felt a pang of concern, knowing how important his sport was to him. "Maybe we can start ending it earlier, so you can make it to practice?" I suggested

He shook his head. "No, it's fine. I like working here instead."

Unwillingly, I nodded. Why was I worrying so much? Normally, I wouldn't give a damn about him missing practice because of this, but what the hell is going on with me—has he cast a spell on me?

I then heard someone shift on their chair and say, "This place feels suffocating." Xavier stated as he untied his necktie.

"Don't you have better things to be doing?" Aiden mumbled under his breath.

Xavier rolled his eyes, then stood up. "Well, it seems like I'm not welcomed over here; I'll be making my way out."

"finally."

I lightly chuckled. To someone else, these two seem to not like each other at all, but it's obvious they care for each other. After all, Xavier had made the effort to come all the way here just to check up on his friend.

Just as Xavier was about to walk past our table, he suddenly stopped next to me, leaning in and whispering in my ear, "This guy never shuts up about you." With a mischievous laugh, he made his exit, but not before the librarian told him to shut up.

My eyes widened, and a smile slowly spread across my face. Aiden, always observant, noticed my reaction. "What did he say?"

I couldn't help but smile sheepishly and wave my hand dismissively. "Oh, nothing too important."

But Aiden wasn't one to let things go. He leaned back in his chair with a heavy sigh and pleaded, "Come on, if its nothing too important, then tell me."

"I rather not."

"You're really not going to tell me, Thompson?"

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Not a chance." Now I'm left wondering what Aiden has been saying about me.

Three days later

"Are you sure you want to do this, Zhera?"

The question echoed in my mind as I reached for the doorknob. I hesitated for a moment, feeling the gravity of the situation. "No."

I heard some shuffle on the other side of the phone. "You told Ciara, right?"

"Yup, it went surprisingly well, but Ciara is pretty mature, so what did I expect?"

"True, she doesn't get worked up on these types of things; oh yeah, did you notice that these days she's been a bit like herself again?"

"Mhm, it seems like it; I think she's getting over that whole situation."

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to me, and I turned to see Michael waving me over.

Ending the call with a quick goodbye, I let out a shaky sigh as I approached him, my grip on my bag tightening.

"Hello," I managed to say, trying to steady my nerves.

"Hi Zhera."

I took out the papers from my bag, and after I took a seat, the one further away from me said, "So what do you need help with?"

"Well, since I came a bit later into the semester, I'm having some difficulties catching up. So I basically need help with everything." He admitted it sheepishly.

"Alright, take out your papers, and we can start with the basics," I suggested, trying to keep my tone neutral.

He scratched his head with a nervous chuckle. "So this is where I messed up; I forgot to bring my papers."

Of course he did.

"You forgot to bring your papers to a tutoring session?" I scoffed, struggling to hold back my eye roll.

He responded with a chuckle, "Yeah, I was busy with something—well, someone, to be more specific."

I let out an exasperated groan. I really didn't need to know the details. Then he dropped the bombshell:In fact, the person was someone you know very well."

My heart sank for a moment as I blurted out, "Ciara? You've got to be kidding me."

"Yup! We were, uh, busy, and I lost track of time."

Why would she be with this guy after how he humiliated her at the dance? Not to forget, it wasn't the first time he did something like that.

And I even told her about the things he was saying in class with those girls. Oh my

"Can you tell her to meet me up after this session? My phone died."

Alright, nope, this is where I draw the line. I don't know why he feels so comfortable telling me this or why he has that smile plastered on his face, as if all of this is amusing to him. But that doesn't work for me.

"It looks like there's no point in having a tutoring session today if you're not even prepared, and I don't appreciate you talking about my friend after everything you've done, so if you'll excuse me, I have better things to be doing," I said firmly as I gathered my belongings and left a dumbfounded Michael behind.

As I turned to leave, a whirlwind of emotions swept over me. Was this all a joke to him? Who would have thought that the seemingly kind-hearted guy could be so.. ew?

I quickly dialled Ciara's number, it's time to talk

—

Wordcount: 1116