My Words Are Law

A part of the Jigsaw Puzzle (1)

"So? We'll meet every Thursday, then?" Chryses' question pulled her out of the memories she was reminiscing. Amaryllis had somehow managed to give him a summary of her schedule despite being deeply absorbed in thought. She blinked at his smile and nodded absent-mindedly.

"Yes... I'm more convenient on Thursdays since I'll start tutoring this weekend." She mumbled, thinking of the one-on-one tutoring class at the cram school owned by Mia's relative. She has yet to prepare for the lessons. "My schedule is packed this month."

"You sure are diligent," Chryses remarked, looking impressed. "Don't you have work on weekdays, as well?"

"Huh..?" She raised her brows at his seemingly genuine curiosity. "I mean, yes... I do have one..." She then coughed, before resuming. "Anyway, any ideas on how we will start with the project..?" She doesn't want to talk about her personal affairs. Besides, they'll be reprimanded if Mr. Rowland catches them talking about something other than school matters, considering how overzealous he is with this kind of stuff.

"Well... Why don't we start by listing down the information that we will be needing?" Chryses began blabbering, and before she knew it, he had already made a schedule of their activities until the end of the semester.

"Okay. I'll follow your lead. I know you can do this easily on your own, so thank you for trying to accommodate my meager abilities..." Amaryllis sincerely muttered her gratitude with a small smile. "I'm sure I'm going to learn a lot."

"...Me, too." His reply surprised her. "Or rather... I want to learn as much as I can through this activity." He smiled at her, his words slightly prodding at Amaryllis' sleeping anxiousness. It sounded ominous, for some reason. She might need to be extra careful while working with him.

The sudden ringing of the bell caused Amaryllis to jolt in her seat. This reaction was caught by Chryses who tilted his head at her face that was beginning to grow increasingly hot with embarrassment. She blamed the caffeine as she hurriedly packed her things, wanting to get away from her partner immediately when Mr. Rowland announced the class' dismissal.

"Th-then, see you next time..." Amaryllis stood up and was surprised when Chryses did the same.

"Un. Let's go together. My next class is just across yours, anyway."

"What?" Her eyes widened at the information he dumped on her. How could that be..? She never noticed him go there before, at all... She pondered over this as she adjusted the straps of her bag on her shoulder. Was it because she'd always hurried to her next class that she didn't notice him attending the room across hers?

That's more than likely...

"Well? Let's go. I'll hold this for you." Chryses suddenly held her books and headed out first. What? Amaryllis rushed after him in panic, pushing her chair out of the way to catch up.

"I-I can hold that on my own. Please give it back," she quickly muttered, awkwardly trying to reach for her books that were kept firmly under his arms. They were thick, but he had no problem holding them in one hand as he sauntered towards the direction of her next class.

"It's okay. You must be tired of holding them all day. Did you borrow these from the library?" he asked as he looked down at her, slowing his pace, which Amaryllis was grateful for. It was hard to keep up with his long legs.

"Yes... For homework." She gave up trying to get it from him, but not before glancing at the books impatiently. She could only hope Samantha didn't see this. And if she did, Amaryllis hoped she wasn't the type to get riled up by Chryses' meaningless actions.

"I see. You choose excellent books," he complimented.

"Well... I think everyone does when it comes to homework." She decided to gloss it over. Fortunately, the conversation ended with that as they reached their classrooms. She faced him and reached out for her books. "Thank you for carrying it for me."

Chryses nodded as he faced her fully, as well. "It's not much," he drawled, smiling at the end.

She felt her stomach churn as she quickly snatched it from him, muttering another thanks, but it was much quicker now. After this, she scrammed to go inside the classroom. She can't hold out that long in his presence as expected.

"You seem friendly with each other," Mia said, looking surprised at Amaryllis who sat beside her with a sigh of relief. "Oh." On a closer look, Amaryllis' face looked very troubled. Mia was sure her friend was merely acting tough in front of Chryses. Poor guy.

"Water?" She offered her newly bought ice-cold water, and Amaryllis nodded gratefully as she accepted it.

"Did something happen?" Mia asked when the bottle was returned to her half-empty. Her friend was about to respond when their professor arrived and interrupted their conversation. Mia grumbled internally, knowing her question will be long forgotten at the end of the period. No matter... She'll have many opportunities to ask in the future.

For now, she'll patiently sit and listen to the lecture like a good student.

***

A/N: I will be focusing on the main protagonists' interaction in the coming chapters. Thanks for voting! :))