Lucian's POV-
We entered Mr. Dalton's cabin .Old files, two coffee mugs, and the tired expression of a teacher who had corrected too many papers in one lifetime.
"Lucian, Elsa will guide you," he said, adjusting his glasses.
He pointed towards the table.
4 seats were properly aligned near a table.
Nikos leaned toward me and whispered loudly:
"Bro… she looks like the type who knows the entire syllabus including the chapters that haven't been written yet."
I elbowed him.
Elsa giggled softly.
We sat on the chairs, and she began explaining with full concentration.Her voice was calm, patient, and… honestly too sweet for my chaotic life.
Every few minutes she looked at me to check if I understood.
And every time, Nikos would whisper:
"I think she's falling for you."
I ignored him.
Then—
Someone knocked on the cabin door.
Elsa turned. I froze.
Aria stepped in.
Her eyes widened the moment she spotted me—and then her gaze fell on Elsa… sitting beside me… taking notes for me.
"Oh! I thought you left already?", Elsa spoke up boldly.
"Yeah, but Mr. Dalton insisted on me to stay...", she replied sarcastically.
Aria nodded stiffly, but her eyes weren't on Elsa.
They were on me.
And I… for some reason… looked away.
"Lucian also needs help," Elsa continued cheerfully. "He missed a lot of classes. So I'm helping him catch up."
Nikos grinned like a madman.
"Oh yes, YES she is helping him. Very close tutoring. Very… personal."
I stepped on his foot under the table.
He screamed silently.
Aria sat down beside us. Her expression cool… but her fingers clenched the pen with jealousy she didn't even understand.
Elsa didn't notice. She just kept explaining, even leaning forward to correct something in my notebook.
Aria's eyes darkened.
Nikos whispered to me:
"Bro, Aria is about to flip a bench again—Part 2 coming soon."
I glared at him.
Elsa turned pages, and suddenly paused.
"Lucian," she said softly, "you're very sharp. I think you can easily top after some revision."
Aria looked at her sharply.
Elsa smiled again, unaware of the explosion she just triggered.
"And… I admire boys who stay strong even when life breaks them."
My hand froze on the desk.
Aria inhaled sharply.
She looked at Elsa with a calm but loaded tone:
"People usually admire strength they've never had to survive."
Elsa blinked, confused.
Nikos mouthed: OOOOH WARRRRRRR 💥💥💥
The room went silent.
Then Aria leaned forward, voice low:
"And sometimes… the strongest person isn't the one healing loudly… but the one bleeding quietly."
Elsa couldn't respond.
And for a second… I, too, forgot to breathe.
Because she wasn't wrong.
Elsa tried to speak again, but Nikos clapped his hands happily:
"WOWWW! Two heroines—one hero—final exam—tension—masala—full paisa vasool!" [meaning-tension-drama and the money spent will be worth it!]
I hit him again.
Elsa took a small breath and regained composure.
"Well… at least Lucian has people who care. That's rare."
Aria looked directly at me.
"I don't care."
Her voice said no.
Her eyes said yes.
Nikos whispered :
"Bro… she said 'I don't care' in the tone that only girls who care use."
"I swear I am going to murder you Nikos!" , I whispered as I tried hard to control my anger.
THIS GUY!!!!!!!
"Let's continue", Elsa smiled.
I tried to focus on Elsa's explanation.
But then—
Elsa placed her hand gently on my notebook to guide a line.
Aria's pen snapped in half.
Ink splattered on the page.
Everyone stared.
Aria froze.
Elsa blinked.
Nikos whispered,
"This. Is. Beautiful."
Mr. Dalton cleared his throat loudly.
"Everyone… study quietly."
Right.
As if that was possible now.
My head was hurting more than any exam ever could.
Two girls.
One fool, and one poor me.
One house.
A jealous battlefield forming from complete silence.
Nikos sitting beside me like he bought front-row tickets.
He leaned back and whispered,
"I hope popcorn comes with this education."
I sighed.
This night was going to be longer than any exam.
Books lay open on the table, notes scattered everywhere.And Elsa…
Mr. Dalton's daughter… had somehow shifted her chair closer to mine for the third time.
"Lucian, do you understand this equation?" she asked, twirling her hair, pretending pure innocence.
I took a deep breath."I understood it before you moved your chair the first time."
Nikos choked on air trying not to laugh.
"Elsa," he whispered, "you're two inches away from inhaling his soul."
Elsa glared at him.
"Some people are allergic to intelligence.", Elsa spoke again.
Aria stared at the notebook and flipped the pages dramatically.
"Don't worry, I'm allergic to affection. Specially this much.", Aria replied.
I looked away before I burst out laughing.
Mr. Dalton insisted we stay for dinner, and I had no strength to argue.
The dining hall looked like something from an old European mansion — crystal hanging lights, silver cutlery, smiling family portraits.
We sat down.
Elsa took the seat right beside me again.
Aria sat across.Nikos sat next to her, already filling his plate like a hungry lion.
"Lucian," Elsa leaned closer, her voice soft,"You can ask me anything you want. I'm good at… tutoring."
Before I could answer, Aria dropped her spoon.
The sound echoed.Her fingers trembled a little, but she kept eating like nothing happened.
Elsa grinned.
Nikos whispered,"Bro… this table is more tense than a mafia negotiation."
I nearly kicked him again.
Mrs. Dalton smiled warmly."So Lucian, how is school treating you?"
I forced a smile."Complicated."
Elsa placed her hand over mine.
"I can make it easier."
The room froze.
Even Nikos stopped chewing.
I slowly pulled my hand back.
"Elsa… I'm fine."
She blinked, surprised that I didn't melt instantly.
Nikos leaned back and whispered,"Rejected. Brutal. Would not survive this without popcorn."
I shot him a death glare.
Aria silently wiped her mouth with a napkin and stood up.
"Thank you for dinner, Mrs. Dalton. I should go."
She looked at me once.Just once.
A small, invisible question in her eyes—
Why does it feel like you don't care?
Then she left.
Elsa's smile widened like she'd just won the first round of a war.
Mr. Dalton stood."Lucian, I'll walk you to the car."
Nikos followed us, quietly for once.
When we stepped outside, the cool night air hit me like a slap.
I wanted to stop Aria. Say something. Anything.
But I didn't, because I knew deep down. She is still my enemy.
[Author: Seriously!!! This guy, he literally is manifesting right now brooo come on!!!]
Because the more people I cared about…the easier it was for them to use me.
And I couldn't risk that.
Nikos looked at me.
"Bro… you can pretend emotion is weakness… but your face is louder than your voice."
I clenched my jaw.
"Let's go home."
He nodded.
The car drove away.
But my mind stayed behind.
With the broken bench in the classroom…with Aria walking out quietly…and Elsa smiling like she owns the battlefield.
Tomorrow's exam was the least of my battles now.