I walked into the classroom. My eyes immediately landed on my boyfriend, Dave. And, of course, the girl practically climbing him like a jungle gym, laughing with her head thrown back. His lifelong best friend, Monica. They both saw me. Dave instinctively shoved Monica away. But Monica just smirked, throwing me a victorious look. "Sorry, Maya. Dave only saved one seat. First come, first served." The classroom went silent. Every eye in the room was on us. This wasn't the first time Dave had only saved a seat for Monica. The first time, I felt humiliated. I burst into tears and ran out of the room. The second time, when Monica gave me that same smug look, I stood my ground. We had a shouting match in the middle of the lecture hall, and I forced my way into that seat. But between Dave and Monica, I was constantly starting fights, constantly furious. My hormones were a mess just from the pure rage I was walking around with. And this time, watching them pull the same old stunt. I just couldn't be bothered. I didn't try to take the seat from Monica, and I didn't start a fight with Dave. I didn't even look at them. I just clutched my textbook to my chest and walked to the back of the room, toward the only open seat left. "Hi," I said softly, standing over the desk. "Is this seat taken?" 2 The guy sitting there was wearing headphones, his head down as he focused on his notes. He looked up at my voice. His gaze seemed to pause on my face for a second before he pulled his eyes away. Then, he stood up, gesturing for me to take the inner seat. "Thank you," I said in a low voice, sliding into the desk. At the front of the classroom. The sound of a book being slammed down hard on a desk suddenly rang out. I looked down the row. I was staring right into Monica's eyes. She was looking back at me, her expression one of unmistakable fury. I suddenly remembered a rumor I’d heard when I first started at this school. Apparently, Monica and the guy sitting next to me, Ethan, were supposed to be engaged, some old family arrangement. I couldn't help but glance at him. He’d already put his headphones back on and was leaning slightly over his desk, back to solving his problems. I could only see his side profile—distant, cold, and utterly removed. My phone buzzed. I pulled it out. It was a text from Dave. [I lost a bet last night. That’s the only reason I saved Monica a seat today.] [Don't be mad, babe. I’ll take you out for a huge dinner tonight.] I looked at the words and almost laughed out loud. There was always an excuse. It wasn't that Monica had been sick and he had to rush her to the hospital, causing him to miss our date. It was that they were "basically siblings" since they grew up together, completely platonic. If they were really "just platonic," why was he with me? Dave was my first love. And I’d been serious about this relationship. Which was why my happiness, my sadness, my everything was so easily tied up in his actions. But now, I just felt... tired. I didn't reply. I just exited out of the messaging app. During the lecture break. Monica and Dave started goofing around. "Alright, Dave, you’re dead!" Monica lunged at him, chasing him and playfully swatting his arm. It looked a lot more like flirting than fighting. She reached out and pinched his neck. The expression on Dave's face looked like he was enjoying it. "Okay, okay! Are you ever going to act like a girl?" "I’m not one of those whiny, high-maintenance girls you usually go for." Monica’s words were clearly pointed at me as she shot me a look. "I won’t start crying at the drop of a hat to get attention." "And I don't use that fake high-pitched voice to get my way. It’s disgusting." I kept my head down, a small smile playing on my lips. Under the desk, my hand reached out and lightly pulled the sleeve of Ethan's shirt. "Ethan." He turned his head to look at me. I pressed my lips together and pointed to his headphones. Ethan didn't say anything, but he raised his hand and pulled off the earbud closest to me. Then, I spoke, deliberately using that fake high-pitched voice Monica had just described. "Your future fiancée is being awfully flirtatious with my boyfriend. Aren't you jealous?" 3 Ethan’s eyes were cold and distant. "I don't have a future fiancée." "But I heard that you two have an family arrangement." "An ancient myth." Ethan’s voice suddenly dropped a few degrees. I couldn't help but look at him again, my gaze tracing his sharp, strong jawline. Slowly, I let my eyes wander down to his hand, which was holding his pen. The sunlight was streaming through the window, engulfing him. In the light and shadow, his long, slender fingers were as beautiful as carved ivory. I bit my lip, leaning in close to him, and whispered. "Then... want to make a deal?" "A deal for what?" Ethan suddenly turned his face toward me. I didn't have time to pull away. A faint, cool, and incredibly pleasing scent of mint washed over me. My breath hitched for a second. "A deal to be your girlfriend." Ethan actually put down his pen. "What’s in it for me?" My cheeks burned. I looked down, my long eyelashes casting shadows. On the right side of my chin, a bright red, swollen pimple had formed. Right now, it was stinging and itching. My roommate had told me it was definitely a hormonal breakout from stress. In the front row, Dave and Monica were still acting completely inappropriately. Monica was sitting on her desk, playfully kicking Dave. Every now and then, she’d deliberately look back at me and laugh incredibly loud. It was supposed to be a carefree, open laugh. But to me, it was the most irritating sound in the world. When Monica first met me, her attitude had been awful. Dave was introducing us. She was standing right next to Dave, her arm slung over his shoulder like one of his bros. She’d scanned me from head to toe. Then she’d punched Dave’s arm. "You motherfucker! I should have known you liked this type of delicate little flower girl." "If you ever treat your girlfriend better than your bro, I’ll be the first person to call you a pussy." Dave had laughed so hard back then. He must have really enjoyed it. I took a deep breath. When Monica deliberately laughed again and looked my way. Under the table, I pulled Ethan’s sleeve again. "It’ll relieve your stress, and it’ll stabilize my hormones. We both win." I’d heard a few things. The research project Ethan was working on was incredibly difficult. He’d pulling all-nighters in the lab for weeks now. Ethan didn't say anything. His beautiful hand just picked up the pen on his notebook and started twirling it. A long moment passed before he looked at me again, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. "That doesn't sound too bad. Only..." I held my breath instinctively. The sunlight suddenly disappeared behind a cloud. And Ethan’s voice suddenly turned cold. "I’m not interested in other people’s girlfriends." 4 Class started again. Monica had gone back to sitting normally in her own seat. The professor walked in again. The noisy classroom slowly went quiet. I spoke in a voice that only Ethan could hear, whispering to him. "I’m already planning on breaking up with him." Ethan looked straight ahead at the blackboard. "Then break up first. We’ll talk after." I didn't dare say another word to him. He was the famous, untouchable genius of the school. When he was serious, he radiated a cold, distant "do not disturb" vibe. For the rest of the lecture. I kept my head down, focusing on the blackboard and the professor. But only I knew that my mind was miles away. Right before class ended. Dave suddenly sent me another text: [Something came up tonight. We’ll have to do dinner tomorrow.] [I promise I’ll make it up to you this weekend.] [How many times do I have to tell you? Monica and I are just bros.] [Fine, if we hang out this weekend, I promise not to let her come.] I didn't reply. The moment class ended, Monica dragged Dave out of the room. Before they left, she threw one more look toward the back row. But she wasn't looking at me. She was looking at Ethan. But Ethan was wearing his headphones, packing up his notes, not looking up. Monica looked disappointed as she quickly dragged Dave away. "Ethan, can I add you on Instagram?" He stood up, and I worked up the courage to stop him. Ethan didn't pull up his QR code for me to scan. "Break up first." He was so tall that when he looked down at me. I felt like I was being exposed. Like there was nothing I could hide from his eyes. I couldn't meet his gaze. I just pulled up my last conversation with Dave and showed it to him. In a very small voice, I said, "Look. We’re already broken up." Ethan looked at the screen. Then, right in front of him, I deleted Dave’s contact. "Do you believe me now?" Ethan’s face, a face so handsome it should have been a crime, was still blank. But he pulled out his phone, pulling up his own QR code. "Scan me." 5 After adding each other, Ethan left immediately. He’d been practically living in the lab for the last two days and was swamped. We made plans to meet up on Saturday night. I watched him walk away until his back was completely out of sight. Then I just sat there in my seat, dazed. If Ethan’s profile picture wasn't right there in my new contacts list. I almost would have believed that everything that just happened was a figment of my imagination. That night, I had insomnia. Monica posted a ton of Instagram stories. They were all photos of their old high school friend group hanging out. But in almost every single photo, Dave and Monica were the center of attention. The last photo was of Dave and Monica kissing. I couldn't be completely unfazed. But I just let out a self-deprecating laugh. Then I deleted Monica from my contacts. And I posted a new photo to my own story. It was a picture my roommates had taken of my back when we were walking on the track earlier that night. It was beautiful, pure. I added a single caption. "Nothing but single, clean vibes over here." As soon as the story went up, my phone exploded. Several mutual friends immediately commented with "???" "Maya, are you and Dave fighting?" "No way, did you guys break up?" "I knew this day would come. It's because of Monica, right?" I didn't reply to any of them. Because Ethan had just sent me a direct message. [Not asleep yet?] [A little insomnia. How about you? Still in the lab?] [Yeah. Things aren't going well tonight.] Ethan sent a picture. "The results aren't matching up. Even after running the simulation." [What are you going to do? Is it urgent?] [Very. I have to submit the report tomorrow.] [Then... I won’t bother you.] A few seconds later, Ethan suddenly sent an audio message. "Didn't you say you were going to relieve my stress?" His voice was a low, tired rasp. It carried a deep, unshakeable weariness. I shot upright in my bed. My cheeks were burning, my heart pounding so fast I thought it was going to burst out of my chest. I typed out a few words, deleted them, then started over, not knowing what to say. Ethan sent another message: "The pimple on your chin... does it still hurt?" I bit my lip, biting it so hard I left deep tooth marks. [It hurts. And it itches.] 6 Ethan picked me up and took me to his lab. As soon as the door opened, the first thing I saw was a desk. On it was a piece of tortoise shell and a single stick of lit incense. "My predecessor left that. He said it’s incredibly powerful." On the other side of the room, on one of the petri dishes, a very old handwritten protective talisman was taped. Ethan explained again, "My other predecessor left that one. We can’t take it off. If we do, the mold won't grow." I quickly pulled my hand away from the talisman. So this was what a lab at a top-tier university looked like. It turned out that at the end of science was ancient spirituality. Ethan pulled on a clean lab coat. He leaned against a windowsill, the bloodshot veins in his eyes visible. "Unfortunately, none of it worked tonight." "What are you going to do?" Ethan shook his head. "I don't know." "I just have to run the simulation again." "Then... will my being here distract you?" Ethan smiled. "No. I have to wait for the data anyway. It gets boring sitting here alone." "Then I’ll keep you company." I walked over and leaned against the windowsill right next to him. The moonlight was soft and gentle. It was engulfing him, and it was engulfing me. I don't know where the courage came from. "Ethan." "Hmm?" "My chin... it really hurts." "I’ll go buy you some ointment..." "My roommate said... it’s a hormonal breakout from stress." I turned around, tilting my face up to him in the moonlight. "Can you help me stabilize my hormones?" 7 Before I could stand on my tiptoes, close my eyes, and kiss him. Ethan beat me to it. He cupped my face with both hands and lowered his head, a deep kiss that was anything but gentle. At first, his movements were stiff and awkward. But very quickly, he seemed to find his rhythm. His long, slender fingers laced through my thick, cool hair. He held the back of my head, pulling me into him, deepening the kiss. I was so nervous I was shaking. Instinctively, I raised my hands to push him away. Ethan stopped. "Maya." He softly whispered my name. The moonlight was hazy, reflecting in his eyes. His voice was colder than the moonlight itself. "If you want to regret this now, if you want to go back to Dave." "There's still time." I didn't say a word. I just closed my eyes again and lightly wrapped my arms around his neck. As the sound of soft, wet kisses filled the air. The equipment beside us suddenly started let out a few beeps. "Beep, beep." "Ethan?" I jumped, automatically trying to push him away. But my damp fingers were held tightly in his grip. "The simulation was successful." "Maya, we can’t stop yet." Ethan picked me up and sat me on the windowsill. He brushed away the damp hair sticking to my cheek. He pulled me into another kiss, deeper and heavier this time. "How much longer..." My voice was trembling slightly. My legs felt like jelly. "Until it stops beeping." "Until the data is completely stable." "What if it keeps beeping?" Ethan let out a soft laugh by my ear. He lowered his head, pressing against my swollen lips. "Then... maybe a simple kiss won't be enough." 8 My eyes snapped wide open. "That, would that... be too fast?" Ethan kissed me again, a shallow smile playing in his eyes. The "beep, beep" of the equipment continued. Slowly, deliberately, he deepened the kiss again, inch by inch. Just as I was starting to lose my mind, completely drowning in him. He gently released me. The pad of his finger brushed against the corner of my mouth, gently wiping away the traces of our kiss. His voice was a low drone right by my ear: "What would be too fast?" "Did you think I was going to do something to you?" "In a lab... with you?" "Ethan!" I was so angry I shoved him. Ethan didn't move to stop me, letting me push him back a step. He ended up leaning against the lab bench behind him. He wasn't angry either. His face, usually so cold and distant. Right now, it was still tight with a raw hunger. His lips quirked up slightly, a dangerous, playful smile on his face. If I hadn't heard it myself... I never would have believed that Ethan, of all people, could say something so explicit. He rarely smiled, maybe this was why. When he did smile, where was the cold, untouchable genius everyone admired? He was just a complete and utter asshole. I pulled my gaze away, a blank look on my face, and turned to walk out. As I passed by him. He suddenly gripped my wrist. And right at that moment, the "beep, beep" of the equipment abruptly stopped. In the same second, Ethan pulled me into his arms. "The simulation was successful." Saying that, he rested his chin lightly against the side of my neck. "Maya... thank you."
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