SOBANIIRUYO

chapter 14

"Goddamn." She whispered to herself, "I was not prepared..."

Her back hugged the college's white wall for a minute straight. The sudden spike in anxiety was clearly unexpected by her. She thought that it wouldn't be much of a big deal— that it'd go as smoothly as it went with Cyno.

It's just Al-haitham, she reminded herself, it's okay, just wave at him.

Untangling the bundle of her nerves, she wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans and slapped both of her cheeks lightly as a wake-up call.

As she entered again, her E/C hues wandered around to absorb the atmosphere embracing her. Nilou was instructing a bunch of students as to what props they were supposed to make, and Albedo was busy drawing a sketch of something Y/N had no idea about.

In a corner, Al-haitham's frame was outlined by the sunshine that streamed in through the windows.

He was unbelievably beautiful.

She didn't know what else to say, how else to describe him— he was simply every synonym of pretty.

To think that she'd been talking to someone like this for weeks... she almost regretted most of the things she'd said to him.

Gathering her courage, she slowly walked towards him, sitting down in the empty space that he'd left for no one in particular. Several pages lay across the floor in front of him, while the rest were in his hands as he scribbled on them.

It took him a while to notice Y/N's presence beside him, but once he did, he inhaled sharply, startled at the unannounced company.

"Hey." She beamed, "Al-haitham, right? Please say yes, 'cause it'd be very embarrassing if you turn out to be someone else."

Al-haitham tried to search for words. He failed. All he could do was stare dubiously at the girl, with thousands of butterflies unfurling in his stomach— from turmoil, definitely.

There was no doubt that it was Y/N. His suspicions from before were now completely confirmed.

He cleared his throat. "Yes. That will be me."

"So, sextie, how does it feel to finally meet your destined soulmate?"

Al-haitham broke into a splutter of coughs, a rich shade of roseate dusting the tips of his ears.

"Please don't refer to me as... that." He fiddled with the button of his shirt, his stare averted to his left. "And you're not my destined soulmate, so I wouldn't know what to feel. Hatred, perhaps?"

"You wound me... now, can I see what you've written so far?"

Without warning, she leaned over his shoulders to take a peek at the script, plaguing the boy's senses with a saccharine scent. He blinked once, then twice, recollecting himself with difficulty.

Another wave of butterflies swirled in circles within him, and he was rendered speechless, again.

"Ooh, that's some big words you've used." She grabbed the half-written sheet from his hands, "It's not one of your personal drafts that you've promised to show me, but I guess it works."