"Nearly everyday, we're taught the same thing over and over again, which I find strange. Professor Alexandra is back at it again, this time telling us about love and how we can openly express it to everyone we care about on a regular basis. Why doesn't she get married already if love is so vital to her? Is it really appropriate to discuss something like this on a continuous basis? "
Adam disliked the idea of love and felt that learning about it and hearing stories about it was a waste of time; to him, love was just another term with no real significance. Adam had never felt something like love or intimacy, or at least he thought that was the case. He was an introvert who avoided social situations and did most of his work alone.
Adam's train of thought was interrupted by his professor as he was thinking to himself.
"What do you think love is, Adam?"
At this point, Adam's face was puzzled; "what is love?" he wondered as he desperately flipped through the pages of his notebook, whispering to himself, "damn, did she end up reading my mind?" It's as if she knows how much I dread learning about this nonsense.
"What exactly is love?"
"I couldn't care less about something so insignificant and pointless."
Adam felt as though the whole class was looking at him, and the realization shot shivers down his back. "It's so annoying to be put on the spot like that; I can't believe she's asked me such a confusing question; now everyone's probably looking at me as though I'm crazy"
"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you prof," he said as he stood up from his desk and headed towards the front of the lecture hall, "but I have no idea what love is." He immediately dodged the scenario and ran back to his seat, where he sat back down, shoved his hands in his pockets, and slumped back in his chair, letting out a big sigh.
As he looked up from his desk, he noticed his professor was staring at him in an unfriendly manner "So, Adam, how about you pay attention in class? because believe me when I say I don't mind calling you up and telling you to share your thoughts with us again"
Adam's cheeks had grown bright red, and the humiliation on his face was clear.
"So she knows I dislike her class, yet she picks on me all the time? She definitely has issues."
Not long after, the bell rang, and the class was dismissed with the words, "remember everybody, don't forget to finish your job for tomorrow, have a nice day."
Adam rolled his eyes as he walked out of class, picking up his laptop and jacket from his desk, relieved that he wouldn't have to listen to her stories for the next 24 hours.
Since Bridget University is one of the most well-known and well-designed universities, the distance from his lecture hall to the simple escape was very long.
Adam began to wonder why he had to major in English when he had little experience in learning about it while he walked down the stairwell to exit the building quickly.
"What on earth was Shakespeare thinking when he wrote all of those stories? And why did the popularity of love stories continue to rise? Most notably, why are they taught to us in the first place? Is it true that I'm majoring in English or love-?"
"ADAM!" exclaims the host. From a point, Adam heard someone shouting his name obnoxiously, as if a child was crying out for his parent; Adam kept hearing his name and realised it could only be his best friend, Neil.
"What's the deal with your heavy breathing?" With a frustrated voice, Adam inquired of Neil.
"I just raced down three flights of stairs to catch up to you, I wasn't going to let you get away today," Neil said as he vigorously put both his hands on Adam's shoulders, struggling to maintain his balance.
Neil kept speaking as he struggled to catch his breath. "Can we please go to that new ramen place today? It's approximately 5 minutes from our house and 10 minutes from here. I swear I kept track of the time."
"If you can time the distance, you should be able to get there by yourself."
"You said we'd go together last week, but you just kept delaying and avoiding my messages; stop being a slacker and come with me for once. PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"
"You're so irritating"
"How come he's always grumpy?" Neil whispered under his breath, lifting his brows and scrunching up his nose.
"Shut up and get going before I change my mind," Adam said, heading ahead of Neil and totally disregarding him.
Neil enthusiastically led Adam out of their university and the two of them headed to the new ramen shop that Neil had been looking forward to visiting.
Adam's POV
Neil is the most irritating guy I've ever met; he's silly and has always stuck to me like glue, but he's been by my side through every challenge I've faced, so I don't mind him; he always wants to cheer me up and goes out of his way to do so. We've been close friends since senior year of high school, and I admire him and everything he does, particularly since he's the only person I can call family. Regardless, he's the epitome of a brat; I doubt anybody outside of this university will say he's twenty-two. Despite the fact that he is noisy and obnoxious, he motivates me to keep moving. His attitude can give people the wrong impression, which causes him a lot of trouble, especially because they think he's an idiot. In fact, he's the Student Government President with a GPA of 4.0, which is exactly the opposite of mine; he's saved my a$$ on several occasions when it comes to assignments and essays. As a consequence, I can't argue that having a smart ass like him as a best friend has another advantage. We look out for each other in ways no one could ever imagine; he's like a little brother to me, and I'll always be grateful.
End of POV
Adam and Neil have been roommates for 6 years. They met in senior year of high school through a community project, and Adam's introverted dull personality and Neil's optimistic outgoing personality was what initially drew them together. Later, as the years progressed, Neil and Adam became closer and vowed that they would never leave each other's side, no matter what happened. Since they became each other's support net, their friendship evolved over time, and they finally earned themselves the label of older and younger brother. Despite the fact that things were tough through their relationship, they continued to inspire and empower one another to keep going forward.
YOU ARE READING
A Light You've Never Seen Before
Mystery / ThrillerA twenty three year old boy named Adam Lee was abandoned by his family at the age of 15 and never learned what it's like to receive love and affection. He became friends with a boy named Neil Isaac in his senior year in high school at the age of 17...
