** JACOB POV **
A notification buzzes in my pocket, giving me a great excuse to pull out my phone. The lecture is recorded anyways.
Hey, kid, you really need to get a job. It's important. You're incredibly fortunate for your mother and I to be able to pay your tuition fees. You need experience without me handing it to you.
I look up for a moment, close my eyes, and let out a sigh. Looking back down at the small screen below my desk, I quickly respond.
k
Slipping my phone into my pocket, I looked back at the lecture with dazed eyes, the projector screen blurred, my vision fuzzy. Sooner or later, I'm back on my phone again; back to scrolling and window shopping online.
** ARYA POV **
We reached the library and I was forced to switch from voicing my thoughts to mentally filing complaints about Rehya's comments on Jacob; he is hardworking, and he is most definitively not annoying.
Rehya keeps pulling me around and around, up the stairs, turn, up the next flight of stairs, turn, through the bookshelf, turn, through the next bookshelf, etcetera. We got up three flights of stairs before a Rehya abruptly halted, causing me to trip over my own feet, catch myself, and be unable to catch my breath before she said:
"Hey Diego, how are you?"
"Wonderful, thank you for asking." he dryly responded, only his head turned to face us as he slowly continued to edge away.
"That's great! This is Arya, she's an open major so far," she began, too cheerfully as she half-jogged after him, dragging me along.
"Thanks for the intro." I added.
"Welcome. Anyways, can we talk for a couple minutes? I know you're working - carrying those fiction books from the ground floor to the bio section up three flights of stairs is important - I get it, but c'mon."
"Hey, he's going to all the trouble, let's help out by leaving. Let's get some lunch." I respond.
He slightly nods: "Yeah, your friend looks absolutely famished Rehya, you'd be heartless to ignore her plights."
"Introduce yourself at least."
"Fine. I'm Diego, and I'm 20 years old," a few seconds passed of Rehya staring him down before he continued, "I'm doing a masters."
Rehya maintained her glare, "You act like uttering more than five words will kill you."
"You never know." his voice deadpan.
She rolled her eyes, "Seriously, just say something that isn't on your resume."
"Hey, Rehya, we can do this later." I jut in.
"We just climbed three flights of stairs."
"First off, you dragged me up three flights of stairs, so lunch is on you. Secondly, he also just ran up three flights of stairs, "Diego quickly takes his opportunity to retreat to the narrow space between bookshelves, "Let's go."
"Alright, let's go." Rehya concedes.