Negotiate a Peace, Or Negotiate a....Romance? {Charles Lee x Female!Reader}

Chapter 6: First Day

"Can I sit here?" a voice asked. I looked up to see a grinning Lee, gesturing at an open seat next to me. The question was posed to all of us, but he was only really looking at me. Before one of the guys could say anything, I answered.

"Of course," I said, shooting a look at the boys that said be nice and returning Lee's smile. He dropped his backpack off his shoulder and slid into the seat. Alex tugged on John's arm and whispered to him, the latter snickering while stealing a glance in my direction. Once again, Herc was the first one to swallow his pride.

"So, what are you majoring in?" he asked Lee, leaning so that he could look at him over Laf and I. A surprised expression crossed Lee's face, but it quickly changed into a smile.

"Oh, I'm majoring in animal biology! I have six dogs at home, so I really like animals and I've always wanted to be a veterinarian," Lee responded. He looked so happy to be talking about it that his happiness seemed contagious. I snuck a glance at the others, and I saw that John had paled significantly. I'm guessing he had inferred the same thing I had: if he and Lee were doing the same major, chances are they'd have more classes together (realistically, they probably wouldn't, but let's pretend that it's a very small college). To say that John wasn't eager about that possibility was an understatement. It was quiet for a while.

"You and John are majoring in the same field," Lafayette coughed. "Maybe you'll see each other in class." Leave it to Laf to make things more awkward. For a second, Lee wasn't sure how to respond.

"Oh. Uh, well—" Fortunately for Lee, at that moment the professor walked in and a hush fell across the room. Talk about saved by the bell.

~

The class wasn't exactly my favorite. Alexander loved it, mainly because the guy didn't know how to shut up. Give him a bullhorn and a random topic, and Alex could have the whole street stopped to listen to him talk about it for hours. He was relentless and screamed to be heard — me, not so much. Public speaking didn't terrify me like it did some people, but I took opportunities to avoid it when I could.

Thankfully, since it was the first day of class, we mostly spent the entirety just going over the syllabus. It was kind of hard to listen to the professor drone on in his monotone voice, so Lee kept leaning over to whisper things to me. He nitpicked anything and everything about the professor's sometimes insane rules, and I could barely stifle my laughter.

To my dismay, at the end of class the professor told us that we'd have a summative quiz on the syllabus content next week. As soon as class was over and people started shuffling around to get their stuff, I shot a playful glare at Lee. He saw me and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"We have a quiz next week, and thanks to you I haven't read a single word of the syllabus," I tried to make my voice sound as angry as possible, but laughter kept leaking through every word. Lee looked at me with a smug face after picking up his bag, and he leaned on his desk towards me.

"If it'll make you feel any better, I could help you 'study' for it so you're prepared," Lee responded, a smirk tugging at his lips. I wanted so desperately to get rid of the cocky glint in his eyes. Unfortunately, somebody else did it for me.

"Lee, if you're going to ask (Y/n) out on another date, be a gentleman and ask her best friends for permission first," Herc cut in, slinging an arm over my shoulder in mock protectiveness. A light blush crept onto Lee's face as he straightened, one hand rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Um, well I uh, it—" Lee looked so flustered, so I decided to put him out of his misery.

"Hercules is just pulling your leg, don't worry," I assured him, ducking out from under Herc's arm. I was a bit annoyed — it was one thing to joke that Lee and I were dating when I was alone with the guys, but it was another thing to do it to Lee's face. Herc feigned an offended look, but Lafayette swooped in before he could say anything.