The Algorithm of Obsession

7.

A/N:
surprise chapter cuz i wrote too much yesterday and couldn't fit it all in one chapter lol
anyways enjoy the chaos

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Health Hazard wasn't a crowd-favorite. The class was half-empty when Nov walked in, coffee in hand, pulse steady, mind racing.

She greeted a few friends. Tossed a joke. Fist-bumped one of the robotics kids.

Her eyes flicked up.

There he was. Already in their spot. Head bent. Scribbling like it meant something.

She didn't hesitate.

The scrape of the chair startled him. He looked up, blinked.

"Morning," Nov said, dropping her bag. "...You always look this good at 8 a.m. or is this just a personal attack?"

Kian chuckled. 

 "someone woke up on the happy side of the bed today"

She chuckled. "Oh no, just happy to see you"

He placed a hand over his chest. "Wounded. By your charm."

"You'll live."

"Tragically."

She smiled. Teasing. Easy.

But beneath it all—she was watching. Calculating.

Even her flirtation was a test.

And he either didn't care... or he was already five moves ahead.

The lecture started slow—Mr. Bregman mumbling something about cognitive-emotive loops, half the class pretending to take notes. Nov leaned back in her seat, letting her pen twirl between her fingers.

Kian whispered, "You always spin your pen when you're bored or plotting something."

She didn't look at him. "You always whisper when you're not supposed to be listening."

"That's not a denial."

She glanced sideways. "And that's not an answer."

His mouth curved, slow and smug. "You're different when you flirt."

Nov raised a brow. "How do you know I'm flirting?"

He leaned in, not enough to breach comfort, but enough to make her inhale sharply. "Because you haven't shut me down yet."

Strike three? Or was that a bonus point?

Nov smiled sweetly. "I'm collecting data. Think of it as a long-term behavioral study."

He murmured, "Glad to be your favorite subject."

She turned back to her notebook, but not before she caught the way his gaze lingered. Intense. Curious. Familiar.

Too familiar.

She jotted down a note, but it wasn't about the lecture.

OBSERVATION: Subject responds predictably to ego-stroking. Increased proximity triggers bolder lines.
HYPOTHESIS: Confident when watched. Slips when ignored.
NEXT MOVE: Flirt harder. Then freeze him out.

Let the game continue.

It had been six hours since she last saw Kian.
Four lectures since they spoke.

She wondered how they never had any classes together except Health Hazard. It was strange—almost orchestrated. As if he existed on the edges of her timetable, slipping between minutes and modules. Like a ghost only she could see, a blessing only she was blessed with—or a crime only she could witness.