Academic lovers

17 | Library

Aiden seemed uncomfortable as he gently pushed Leigha away by her shoulder. I couldn't bear to watch, so I turned my head, not wanting to witness the rejection.

"When I get home, I'm dead." I groan, remembering my mom and my last call.

Ciara glanced up from her phone. "Why?"

"She didn't want me to come, but I remember asking her for permission and her saying yes."

She shook her head. "Parents"

Suddenly, Ciara's attention shifted, and she smiled. "I gotta go; be right back" she said hurriedly before leaving.

What was that?

Suddenly, I heard a name that hadn't crossed my ears in a while—"Thompson."

Slowly turning around, I found myself face-to-face with Aiden.

"Miller." A smile graced his lips, his features illuminated by the dim light of place. His hazel eyes gleamed with warmth. His dark hair was disheveled, with strands sticking to his damp forehead.

"You weren't half bad on the field" I remarked, crossing my arms.

"Darling, just admit that I was extraordinary" he retorted with a smirk. His confidence is still very high.

I rolled my eyes. While tightening my sweater, it's further into the evening now, so the weather has gone down. I should've brought a jacket.

"Come here." He whispered, beckoning me with a gentle gesture.

"What is it?" I inquired, my breath catching slightly as he gently placed something around my shoulders. It was his jersey.

"You're shaking like crazy; I can't have you fall sick again."

I shook my head. "Thanks, but I'm about to go, so it's okay." Reluctantly, I loosened my grip on his jersey, preparing to hand it back to him.

But he shook his head. "Keep it" Aiden said firmly. "I don't mind."

"Alright then, see you tomorrow?"

Aiden nodded, tilting his head slightly. "Bye, sweetheart."

The next day

I pushed the huge door of the library, my eyes widening in amazement. The shelves towered above me, filled with books of all shapes and sizes. The sunlight filters through the stained glass windows, creating a beautiful display of colors.

The scent of old books fills the air, and I can't help but feel a sense of curiosity. So this was what they were doing when they were closed.

Wow, the time paid off.

"You're here early" I said, sitting down, facing Aiden. He was comfortably sitting on his chair. I noticed his glasses perched on his face, which meant he's serious. Looks like someone is prepared.

Aiden sighed, "Yeah, we lost a lot of days on this project, so let's catch them up."

I noded. Taking out my things.

"So last time, we couldn't find a template, so let's skip that and start with the project." He instructed

"ok"

—

"No, that's the wrong pattern; we should start by doing this." I groaned, pointing at the screen.

"No, Thompson, that will slow us down." He resorted

"And how are you so sure, huh? We haven't even tried it."

"Because I know"

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You know what? I'm going to be the bigger person. Let's start with your way then."

Aiden grinned. "Let's do it."

A few minutes passed, and to my surprise, his approach seemed to be paying off. Which I hate to admit.

I looked up, catching his gaze. "What?"

He leaned forward, a smile on his face. "You know what, sweetheart."

I rolled my eyes, not wanting to give him satisfaction. "No, I don't"

Please, I was not about to admit to him that he was right. What do I look like? Admitting this to Aiden is like a ticket to constant teasing and never-ending embarrassment. So no.

He chuckled "Well, if you're not going to admit it, I'll just have to rub it in your face. Remember when-"

I cut him off. "You're so childish, Miller. Let's just get back to work."

"Not if you admit that I was right and you were wrong."

I crossed my arms. "Nope"

He got up from his chair, placed his glasses down, and started stretching, letting out a loud groan.

"We've been here for like 15 minutes, not even an hour, so there's no need for that."

He looked down. "I'm an athlete, sweetheart."

"Just come sit down."

"No, let's take a break."

"Break? We've barely progressed, and you want to take a break? Absolutely not."

"So you haven't told me your honest opinion about yesterday" He said, deciding to ignore me.

I raised an eyebrow. "The game? You weren't half bad, I guess" I shrugged

"Not the right answer"

I sighed, giving in, "Okay, you were good." Then instantly cringed. This is something I would have never said to Aiden. But I guess things are different.

He smiled, knowing he had gotten a compliment out of me. "I know"

I rolled my eyes, pushing my things away, knowing that we weren't going to continue any time soon.

Curiosity picked up my mind. "So how long have you been playing football?"

"Aw, I didn't know you cared." Aiden joked while placing his hand on his chest.

"I don't."

He grinned, seeing through my act. "Well, I've been playing since I was a kid. Started with my dad and brother, so about fourteen years."

"You have a brother?"

His demeanour shifted for a second but went back to normal: "Yeah, an older one; he was a real football player, probably better than me."

I noticed that he said; was. Did something happen? Does his brother not play anymore? I decided not to push any further, since it's none of my business.

Shifting the focus away from his family, he turned the conversation towards me.

"What about you?"

"What?"

"You got any siblings."

I shook my head lightly. "Nope, only child."

"That must suck."

Feeling slightly offended by his assumption, I gasped lightly and retorted, "Actually, no, it's not that bad."

He chucked, "That's what they all say."

Rolling my eyes with a small smile "Enough talking about useless things; now let's continue, C'mon." He groaned in response but reluctantly sat down.

—

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