The tall guy's POV
Raizada had gone for that football tournament, and the library suddenly felt way too quiet for my taste. No random humming, no nonsense debates about whether coffee counts as a meal—just silence and dust.
I was flipping through a book I had no plans of reading when I saw her again—the new girl from my class whom I helped search her classroom, although I didn't see her in the classroom, maybe because it was very big.
I swear she was halfway to a spinal injury when my brain decided to blurt out, "You'll fall. Come down."
Smooth, right? Out of all the possible words in English, that's what came out.
She turned around, startled, cheeks pink. Said something like "Yes… I should." Then she smiled that awkward 'I-don't-know-who-you-are-but-thanks-I-guess' smile and climbed down.
I handed her the book. She muttered a quick thanks, and for some reason, that tiny moment felt longer than it needed to. Like, my brain just paused mid-sentence.
Then she walked off, heading to a table far away—of course. Either she had friends there, or she decided I was some sort of campus creep. Both fair guesses, honestly.
I went back to my seat, pretending to read, but my eyes kept darting in her direction. She moved like she didn't want to be seen, ducking behind shelves, clutching her book too tightly. And then—boom—she looked back. Straight at me.
Her eyes widened a little. Like she was checking if I was still watching.
And yeah, I was. Not in a weird way. Just... curious.
I quickly looked away and sighed. "Raizada, you idiot," I muttered, "you leave for two days, and your best friend ends up in a staring contest with a new student."
Maybe it was just boredom. Or maybe she was interesting in that quiet, serious way.
Either way, I made a mental note to tell Raizada that his friend just unintentionally terrified a freshman today. He'd find it hilarious.