Author's Preface
[Cont.]
[Annie]
I don't know how I always end up in uncomfortable situations.
I had already given Henry an earful for throwing me into this weird circumstance without my consent, but all he did was apologize over and over again.
"Please, for my sake," he is practically whining over the phone, his fake sobs painfully obvious. "If I didn't have this project deadline, I wouldn't have asked you. You're the only reliable help I have. I swear I'll make it up to you."
Henry has always been annoyingly persistent.
He has a way with words that could charm even the professors, negotiate extensions, and apparently, wear me down too.
I rub my forehead, already exhausted.
"He just needs some guidance," Henry continues quickly, sensing my hesitation. "Like a supervisor. He's actually very bright. You only need to sit with him while he studies and help when he asks. He'll even pay."
I pause.
"Pay? Like a tutor?" I frown, "Are you asking me to tutor him?"
"Yes," Henry admits, a faint snicker slipping through. "The guy's loaded."
I could always use the extra money.
But my ego refuses to let me take it, let alone from a junior, and especially not from him.
"I'm not that desperate, Henry," I scoff at the idea. "Consider this a charity. I'll help, but on my terms. I won't adjust my schedule for him. He meets me when I'm free, where I choose. And tell your junior to maintain boundaries. I won't tolerate any disrespect."
"Of course, of course," Henry says quickly. "I'll make him kneel if he ever disrespects you. This is temporary, I promise. Thank you, Annie. I owe you."
"I'm only doing this because your twin is my friend. Don't forget that", I tell him.
"Yes, yes," he chuckles,"Grateful for my sister, as always. I'll let Kai know about your terms."
The line then goes dead, leaving behind a lingering tension.
Why did I agree to this?
Why should I help someone who couldn't even shake my hand?
[ *** ]
I've always loved silence.
There's something about it.
About how it settles around you, how it clears your mind.
No noise, no chaos, just stillness.
It's peaceful.
But today, I realize not all silence feels the same.
Some silence presses while some silence watches.
And right now, sitting across from Kai in the campus park, this silence feels…suffocating.
When I texted him after my classes to meet me here, I was expecting at least a follow-up response, maybe a "where exactly?" or "I'm nearby."
Something normal.
But all he replied with was, "Okay."
And five minutes later, he is already standing in front of me.
"I didn't keep you waiting for long, did I?" he asks as he places his bag down across from me.
He smells clean, like fresh laundry.
He runs a hand through his hair as it falls over his eyes, and for a ridiculous second, the only thing I can think of is a shampoo commercial.
I blink, grounding myself.
Between us sits a round stone slab serving as a table.
Kai quietly sits down across from me and pulls out his books, flipping through the pages with an ease that suggests familiarity.
His fingers are slender and neat, perhaps even too well kept for someone who looks so detached from everything else.
Its like he has never worked a day in his life, not even minor chores.
He looks up and our eyes meet.
There's something in his look, a quick and clinical flicker, before he drops his gaze back to his book.
"How did you find me so fast without asking?" I ask, breaking the silence.
He pauses for a second before answering, "This is your usual spot."
I frown slightly.
"Henry told me you always come here after classes," he adds.
Of course he did. I wonder what more he has spilled.
"Still," I say, watching him absentmindedly spin a pen between his fingers, "you should always confirm beforehand. What if I wasn't here? I can always change my mind without telling you, you know".
For a moment, he looks caught off guard.
But it vanishes almost straight away.
"I'll come wherever you ask me to then."
The words are simple and neutral, yet, something about the way he says them makes my chest clench.
I look away first, "Good. Let's focus on your studies."
[ *** ]
Twenty minutes passes.
Then thirty.
Kai hasn't asked a single question.
I wonder why he even bothered to ask me for help, especially if he actually has money like Henry said.
The sun is already dipping below the horizon, and the park is almost empty.
Streetlights have started flickering on, casting long shadows across the stone paths.
A few distant voices echo, but around us, its cricket silence.
Too quiet for my liking.
I shift slightly in my spot, unable to ignore it any longer.
"I know you'll only speak when you have a question," I say finally, "but it doesn't have to be this… silent. You can talk to me outside of your syllabus as well. I'm starting to feel a bit sleepy."
Kai looks up.
His eyes narrows a bit and then without warning, "Are you interested in someone?"
The question hits me like a slap.
I am totally alert now, if I wasn't before.
"What?"
"Is this the kind of conversation you expect from me?" he continues with a steady gaze.
Heat rushes to my face,"Of course not," I mutter quickly. "That's not what I meant."
For the first time, kai smiles.
Not openly, not warmly but a rather small, knowing smirk.
Something in me bristles.
"Just focus on your studies," I snap. "I can see why you're better off not talking."
For a fleeting second, something shifts in his expression.
Maybe hurt.
But it's gone just as quickly.
"Sorry," he mutters quietly.
[ *** ]
That night, sleep refuses to come.
The interaction keeps replaying in fragments inside my head, his voice, his eyes, that brief look I couldn't quite understand.
We had parted awkwardly.
I feel guilty… but he had been the one to cross a line first.
Hadn't he?
I toss & turn in my bed, restless, caught somewhere between irritation and something far less comfortable.
My phone buzzes on the desk.
A message.
"I'm sorry for being rude today. Can I make it up to you with coffee tomorrow?"
I stare at the screen.
And for reasons unknown, I feel a certain unease.