CHAPTER FOUR
"party?" y/n asked.
"yeah! it'll be pretty great!" yoimiya exclaimed. "we'll have fireworks and cakes!"
"huh? i thought it was just inside ayaka's dorm?" y/n asked.
"yeah! but her dorm is the biggest dorm out of all, that's why we'll party there!" yoimiya said. "there's me and you, collei and candace, tighnari, cyno— layla, you're coming too!"
"no thank you..." layla mumbled as she dozed off.
"don't fall asleep, you're still halfway done with your homework." y/n reminded after giving layla's forehead a flick.
"ow..."
"let's see— oh oh! i might invite childe too! he's a very fun party person!" yoimiya continued. "then your twin cousins— they might bring alastair too, who else? ooohh! miko might also come since ayaka's brother will be there! then ei might also come!"
"that's like... 15 people. will we fit inside ayaka's dorm?"
"have you ever been to ayaka's dorm?!"
"this will be ayaka's first dorm party. i was hoping it would be just an all-girls' night. just chill, you know?" y/n reasoned. "oh well, if cyno's coming."
"you like round-ass men right?"
"yes?"
"have you seen ayaka's brother?"
"uhm no..?"
"he has a round ass, y/n!"
"really?!" y/n exclaimed. "i-i mean hey! i have a freaking boyfriend, yoimiya!"
yoimiya laughed. "who knows, he might come too!"
y/n looked away before burying her face on the pillow.
"we had an argument." y/n mumbled. "if he learns that i'm going, of course, he won't go."
ah yes.
it's been almost a month since the two have been in a relationship. or a false relationship. or is it? everything really just seems so real now.
this fake relationship has successfully gaslit y/n into thinking that alhaitham really is her real boyfriend.
and she's afraid she has feelings for him too.
"you guys did?!" yoimiya exclaimed.
"you guys did..?" layla also asked.
long story short, y/n was having a bad day and so was alhaitham.
the two of them met each other at the statue after they agreed to go together to a coffee shop.
"how are you?" y/n asked.
"good." alhaitham answered shortly, his eyes on his book. "and you?"
"good." y/n also answered.
"lies."
"i could say the same thing."
"what's bothering you?" alhaitham asked.
"aside from you're talking to me while reading, nothing much." y/n said. "we've talked about this, alhaitham... no reading while talking to me."
"alhaitham? you're supposed to call me ali." alhaitham said and closed the book. "there. happy?"
"what's with the tone, you jerk?"
alhaitham scoffed. "i had a not-so-good day, y/n, so please. i wanted to read my book for peace of mind but here i am stopping for you. could you please be a bit more considerate?"
y/n scoffed again. "well i'm sorry, ali. seems like your book would give you a more peace of mind than talking to me about what your problems might be!"
"how can i possibly tell you if i know you wouldn't even understand any of it? please stop acting like you could help, alright?" alhaitham was so close to raising his voice. "yes, i lied. the day was bad."
"i will try understanding—! do you have a problem with me?! do you think i'm that stupid and so naive that i wouldn't understand my boyfriend, not even if i try?" y/n asked. "well, i'm sorry if i'm so dumb for you!"
"i didn't say that! what's wrong with you?!"
"you were making me feel that way!" y/n paused from walking. "i'm really trying my best to understand you, can't you see that?"
"why are you putting words in my mouth—?!"
"i'm just telling the truth! it's time you stop sugarcoating it!"
"no! listen, it's not like that, okay? calm down." alhaitham said. "i can't tell you what's wrong right now, but this isn't a big deal. shouldn't you be the one telling me your problems instead?"
"why the hell should i share you my problems if you don't even share yours?"
"huh. fine. you have cyno to share them with anyway."
"what's that supposed to mean?!"
"you don't tell me any of your problems because cyno's there for you to dump onto instead of me! isn't that the truth?!"
"what's cyno have to do with this now?! do you really have to bring him up?!"
"you've been hanging out with him too much for the past few days! and not telling me what's wrong is making me misunderstand things! you're not that open to me as much as you're open to cyno, it's unfair!"
"but you're too busy to even listen to me! and look, you have a problem of your own so how the hell would you listen to mine?!"
in the end, y/n walked out on alhaitham.
y/n groaned. it's all my fault. if only i was patient with him. if only i wasn't dumb. if only i considered his feelings.
i thought everything was working out. i guess it doesn't work out all the time.
"well... if you guys fought... you should attend ayaka's party!" yoimiya said. "to loosen up, y/n!"
and the fact that he was actually reading my book when i fought with him! gahhh!!
y/n sighed. "i'm coming only if layla's coming."
"i'm no—"
"yup, you're a nut! 'cuz you're coming with us! yay!" yoimiya immediately said and hugged layla. "okay! i'll tell ayaka that we're attending tomorrow! yipeeeee!"
layla just sighed while y/n kept sulking in her bed.
"do you have classes tomorrow, y/n?" layla asked with her soothing and soft voice.
"no... i don't. why?"
"will you be resting..?"
"resting will only make me overthink. why?" y/n sat down. "do you need me to do anything for you?"
layla nodded. "i need a study buddy, it's for a socialite project. the professor wants us to share what we know with normies." layla listlessly said. "you're the only normie i'm comfy with... yoimiya would be good, but she's a bit noisy and i wouldn't be able to focus..."
"meanie." yoimiya said with a pout before laughing.
"i understand." y/n said while sweatdropping at yoimiya. "where do we study?"
"at the library. we can take pictures and make a picture board so i can show it to the professor. would it also be okay if i record the two of us talking tomorrow?"
"yeah, i'm good, as long as i'm helping you." y/n said with a pretty smile.
"thank you! you're a godsend!"
"ayaka said alright! wohoo! we're partying tomorrow, ladies!" yoimiya chirped. "make sure you guys return early so we can buy clooothesss!! AND FIREWORKS!!"
layla and y/n just shrugged at each other.
"alhaitham..." zhongli mumbled and sighed. "can you... stop now?"
"no. i need more."
zhongli sighed. "this is your 5th glass. i don't want to rush you to the clinic due to palpitations."
"this tea has only a little caffeine. i won't palpitate."
"please don't waste my tea."
"you could've just said that." alhaitham said and chuckled. "i'm sorry. i promise to buy you a new one."
zhongli sighed once again as he made another batch of tea... once again.
"you don't usually bury yourself in too much workload. did something happen between you and miss callahan? or does this have something to do with the admins?"
"former." alhaitham said and sipped his tea. "i messed up. bad."
"tell me. i might help."
hesitating, alhaitham still told zhongli every detail of the argument he could remember. the more he talked about it, the heavier his chest felt.
"and... then she walked out."
"oh, alhaitham..." zhongli just said and took alhaitham's cup.
"you two need to talk this out. you two need some... alone time. to address things." he said as he poured alhaitham tea.
"i know. but i don't think she wants to talk right now." alhaitham said and thanked him. "what's worse, i couldn't find the right timing to get her all alone. it's been two days."
"what?" zhongli asked. "and it has also been two days since you stopped sleeping."
"alhaitham, are you not sleeping because of this lover's quarrel?" zhongli strictly asked but with a gentle tone.
alhaitham guiltily looked away.
"oh, alhaitham... that's bad for your health. you're not the type of guy to stay up late, not even because of academic matters." zhongli said. "you have to talk it out with miss callahan soon."
alhaitham sipped his tea. "i can't."
"bad dreams, huh?"
"yeah..."
"want to cuddle?"
alhaitham chuckled. "that would be weird."
zhongli also chuckled. "as... childe and itto would say, it's for the homies."
alhaitham laughed a little. "don't try fitting in, it doesn't suit you."
"how mean, mister yusuf."
"never change, li. never change." alhaitham said with a smile.
"and you should, al. get rid of the bad habits." zhongli replied with a smile as well. "i have a big feeling that miss callahan would be a big help to you too."
"ah. i almost forgot." zhongli said. "ayato's little sister will be having a party in her dorm tomorrow and ayato has invited me and childe. he asked me to bring you as well."
"hard pass. i can't party. me and y/n just fought and you want me to have fun?"
"i heard miss callahan will be attending as well." zhongli said, causing alhaitham's eyes to light up. "it's time for you to introduce me to her, al."
alhaitham sighed. "fine... fine. i'm going."
"you should find a way to get her alone tomorrow night, alhaitham. talk this out with her. it's for your own sake, please."
"yes, i will. thank you, li." alhaitham said and started fixing his things.
"you're most welcome." zhongli replied. "more tea?"
"yes please."
while zhongli was pouring another batch of tea for alhaitham, he noticed one of his friend's books on the coffee table.
"you read calantha's works too." zhongli mumbled. "do you mind if i take a look?"
"sure."
zhongli picked up the book after placing the teapot down.
"do rainbows hide at home when they're sad?" zhongli read the title. "a very long and childish title. yet..."
"an amazing book, isn't it? that's calantha's second book." alhaitham said. "the answer isn't at the start nor the end. it's within the book."
"it's not a book. it's a puzzle." zhongli commented while peeking through the pages. "have you solved it?"
alhaitham hummed yes. "every 8th line. pages 1, 3, 9, 12, 20, 21, 80, and 101."
"in every 8th line is a letter from her pen name, calantha, and there are eight letters in her pen name." alhaitham explained. zhongli sat down and took a paper. alhaitham crawled to the floor and sat beside him.
"page 3 for c, page 1 for a, page 12 for l, page 21 for a, page 9 for n, page 20 for t, page 80 for h, and page 101 for a."
zhongli arranged the pages in ascending order before searching for the right words in every 8th line of the pages.
"all i know is they appear whenever someone needs to be cheered up." zhongli mumbled. "wow."
"aside from her puzzles, her books are amazing. i don't even read fiction." alhaitham said. "but i can't look at that book right now. that was one of the reasons why i had a disagreement with y/n."
"don't blame the poor book." zhongli said and handed it to him.
alhaitham took it and hid it in his bag.
"what would you feel if your special someone reads a book while you're talking to them?"
"disrespected."
"but they're listening and replying."
"still disrespected."
alhaitham sighed. "i really messed up pretty bad."
♢·♢·♢·♢·♢
"oh. your study buddy is y/n? how lucky~" a friend of layla said when she caught y/n and layla at the library.
layla just ignored her while y/n chuckled.
the two did nothing but study. layla was reading y/n some books that y/n barely understood but—
but she's trying.
layla also recorded everything on her phone, taking a video of them from the side. y/n was comfortable enough to keep the little lecture fun and enthusiastic.
y/n helped layla take some aesthetic pictures and they even took pictures of each other to post on instaglam.
"wait, zodiac signs are actually constellations?"
"puhaha! of course they are! look, this one's yours!"
"oohh i see... they'd make pretty necklaces, wouldn't they?"
"will this be all?" the librarian asked. "another book of calantha. you must've taken a liking to her puzzles."
"it gives my brain the best massage." alhaitham said. "and... also this."
"relationship for dummies?"
the librarian then roared laughter, catching some attention.
"oh my god—! did something happen between you and miss callahan?" the librarian asked.
"i had enough unsolicited advice from zhongli and my professors." alhaitham immediately said.
"of course. the professors are really in love with your trope. too bad they still feel a bit reluctant to let their university's scribe be in a relationship with a campus sweetheart." the librarian said as a matter of fact before logging the borrowed books into her computer.
"done! be sure to return them soon, okay?"
"yes. thank you."
alhaitham started writing his name on the logbook when he noticed a name a few lines away from his.
"she's here?" alhaitham mumbled and looked around.
"yup. hasn't been so long though. she's with that astronomy major."
"layla." alhaitham said. "she's her roommate."
"don't you want to talk to her?"
"no. i don't want to disturb her." alhaitham took the books. "thanks for these. i'll bring them back as soon as i finish everything."
y/n and alhaitham never saw each other's faces for the whole day. and y/n would be lying if she said she didn't miss him.
thanks to her cooperation, layla's socialite project came to an end. they met yoimiya at the school gates before they all went shopping for clothes.
yoimiya got herself a new khaki skirt and a new oversized orange jacket. layla wasn't supposed to buy anything but she ended up purchasing a white tube dress.
y/n didn't buy anything but a pair of high-blocked heels. she argued that she already had an outfit ready.
when the three came back to their dorm, yoimiya took her time to prep up the three of them.
layla was too sleepy, but yoimiya dressed her up like a barbie doll. the white tube dress under her pastel blue cardigan and a pair of sky-blue doll shoes.
yoimiya wore a knitted beige spaghetti strapped top and the things she bought earlier as well. she paired it up with a cute choker and knee-high boots.
y/n wanted to match with her friends somehow (and she was lying about having an outfit prepared) so she wore a blue silk cowl neck top and white high-waist trousers. as well as the heels she bought.
"ready to go ladies?!" yoimiya asked. "your bags?"
"here." y/n and yoimiya said in unison.
"phones?"
"in here." "...not gonna bring."
"pepper spray?!"
"d-do we have to? are we joined by people we don't know?" layla asked.
"better cautious than sorry." yoimiya factually said. layla sulked and went back to the dorm to get her pepper spray.
"it's here now..."
"good! let's go!!"
y/n gulped. she doesn't feel good about this.
i wish cyno's there.
we all know who she actually wishes was there and it's not cyno.
the girls took the elevator until they reached ayaka's floor. they went to her unit and they could already hear the music blasting from the inside.
"wow. i can't believe our timid ayaka is having a party for the first time." y/n said, wiping her nonexistent tears. "i'm so proud."
"yoimiya, layla, y/n, you guys came!" ayaka welcomed them after they rang the doorbell. "come in!" she said and pulled y/n in.
"don't mind if we do~" yoimiya chirped.
the dorm was like a suite filled with party lights and music. the dorm suddenly turned into a club. but the difference is, y/n actually knows everyone.
"the drinks are in the kitchen. i didn't invite any strangers so you guys can rest assured." ayaka said. "however! do tell me if someone does you guys wrong, okay? i'll take care of it!"
"thank you." the three said.
"where's the bathroom?" layla asked.
"oh... i'll lead you there, layla."
"i'll go get some drinks first!" yoimiya said and dashed to the kitchen.
y/n was left standing alone, so she started roaming her eyes around the dorm once again.
"childe!" y/n called while approaching the said ginger.
"oh, it's y/n! hey!" childe greeted. "how have you been?"
"good, good. it's been a while since we've talked huh? you haven't logged in on valorunt that much."
"eeeh... i'm too busy with academic work that i can't find time to play. but i promise, we'll duo once again! i'll make some free time for you."
"awesome! you're the best!"
"what do you think about trying apyx this time?"
"oh! is that another shooting game?"
"yeah!"
"here's your drink, childe." a certain deep-voiced man said that caught the attention of the two back.
"thanks, zhongli." childe said and took the red cup from him. "oh, right. y/n, this is my friend, zhongli. zhongli, this is also my friend, the one i've been talking about that i play valorunt with, y/n."
y/n gulped. isn't he alhaitham's other roommate? if he's here, then...
"it's a pleasure to meet you, y/n." zhongli said with his hand ready for a shake.
"the privilege is mine." y/n replied and took his hand.
"i can't believe it would be childe to introduce you to me rather than a certain man that i have been expecting to." zhongli said after the handshake.
"uhh... uh-huh. anyways—!"
"will you try speaking to him, y/n?" zhongli softly said despite the loud music. "i'm not guilt-tripping nor forcing you into making amends with alhaitham but... he hasn't slept in three days now. you two really need to talk."
"woah, girly pop." childe side-commented.
y/n laughed awkwardly. "haha... isn't that normal for a dean's lister?"
"alhaitham doesn't practice staying up late. you know that, don't you?" zhongli asked.
no! how the hell would i know?! it's the first time i'm hearing about a college student who doesn't stay up late and regularly gets 8 hours of sleep every night!
"i-i don't know, zhongli, i..." y/n hesitated. "i don't know how to approach him."
"y/n!" two voices called her.
"ah! aether, lumine!"
the twins approached her and immediately pulled her away from childe.
"hello zhongli." they greeted the other guy, avoiding to acknowledge childe which made the guy cry.
"are you guys with alastair?" y/n asked.
a/n: scara = alastair
"yeah! but he's talking with alhaitham at the moment. i think it has something to do with the project they're working on together." lumine answered.
"they're working on a project together?" y/n asked.
"yeah. about this irminsul plant thing that was apparently growing around the campus. the admins immediately tasked alhaitham the moment they found out that it was actually poisonous in some ways." aether explained. "don't tell alhaitham i said this to you. it's supposed to be a top-secret case from the admins but alastair slipped and told us."
y/n's eyes slowly widened. so that's why he was busy!
"oh no... no no... i messed up so bad..."
"you two stay here! if yoimiya and layla look for me, tell them not to worry!" y/n said. "where did you last see alhaitham?"
"kitchen."
"thanks!"
but before y/n could even run to the kitchen, she bumped her stupid self onto somebody's chest.
"oh god i am so sorry! i'm in a hurry—!"
"y/n, can we talk?"
y/n raised her head. oh god. it's him.
"alhaitham..."
"you're not trying to run away, are you?"
y/n's soft expression turned grim, making alhaitham flinch, then she took his hand and pulled him out of the unit.