"No need to repay me," he replied, crossing his arms. "Do you mind if I share your table? There doesn't seem to be any other available ones" he asked, nodding at the empty seat beside you.
You looked around to find that all the other tables were occupied with guests engaged in lively chatter - not surprising, considering how busy Friday evenings usually were.
"Of course, please have a seat!" you invited, moving over to create space.
You fidgeted with your thumbs, figuring out how to break the awkward silence that quickly formed between the two of you. To your relief, the stranger leaned back and pulled out a book to read. Catching a glimpse of the book's cover from the side of your eye, you wondered what it was about.
"Miss, your pudding," the waiter said, gently placing the lavender-tinted padisarah dessert in front of you. "Enjoy and please do come again," he said as he walked off with a smile.
You dipped your spoon into the soft sweet pudding but no matter how many bites you took, it couldn't distract you from the lingering feelings of bitterness. Eventually, you stared at your pudding sullenly, replaying the earlier events in your head.
You clenched your spoon tightly as a frown subconsciously formed on your face. You were sick and tired of these snobby lifeless scholars who worshiped knowledge. Didn't they know how to live a little? Weren't they ever satisfied? All the hours of work you had put in, the numerous days you had sacrificed - they were all just for your teacher to throw your exam results at your feet and send you away.
And as if that wasn't enough, one of the most esteemed students was going to tutor you just to rub your failure in your face. Your feelings turned bitter because he could probably achieve with ease the things you only dreamt of. What did he know of the struggles ordinary people felt?
You scoffed. You were going to be surrounded by these egotistical judgmental people for the rest of your academic career. "Damn it...." you couldn't help but curse aloud.
"Is something wrong?" a calm voice from behind you came. You jumped a little in your seat, having completely forgotten about the handsome stranger next to you. Placing your head in your hand, you sighed, tracing patterns in your padisarah pudding with the spoon.
"Nothing I just...why can't I be good enough? What makes those other pompous, mindless scholars better than me? Just because they can score a few marks higher than me, am I suddenly the scum of the earth?", you blurted in an outrage. "And whoever that Alhaitham guy is....he can go to hell for all I care! As if I need his help. Just another arrogant snobbish prick for me to deal with. What the hell would he know about anything...," you muttered, clenching your hand in a fist.
"Hm...is that so?" the gray-haired stranger beside you mused, shutting his book closed as he looked at you.
Embarrassment crept up your spine as you realized how immature your little outburst must have sounded - especially to a random Sumeru citizen who just wanted coffee.
"I'm so sorry about that," you apologized, scratching the back of your head.
You watched as he got up from his seat and you felt even guiltier. You quickly jumped up as well, grabbing your books. "Thank you again for paying for my Padisarah pudding! Are you sure there is no way I can repay you?"
"May I know your name..miss?" he asked, his viridescent eyes staring straight into yours.
"Oh, my name is Y/N! I'm a student at the Akademiya,"
"Y/N...?" he asked, his expression shifting from one of seriousness to slight amusement as he met your gaze.
"Yes and your name...?", you asked in return.
"You'll find out soon enough," he said as he turned and left without another word.
"What the...." you murmured, watching the mysterious stranger making his way through the crowd into the dark Sumeru night. Shrugging off any suspicion, you gathered your belongings to head back home to your warm bed and much-needed rest.
.
.
.
- The next morning -
You let out a wide yawn as you sat up in your bed, feeling well-rested. You stopped mid-stretch as a sudden feeling of unease set into your heart. You felt well-rested...? That's weird....
You slowly turned to look at your clock and nearly shrieked after seeing the time. A stream of curses came out of your mouth as you threw your sheets aside and rushed to the bathroom. How could you sleep in!!?! Especially on the first day of lessons with Alhaitham?? You groaned as your hopes to make a good first impression went down the drain.
After scrambling to grab a small breakfast - a Zaytun peach, you practically ran out the door to the Akademiya. You got confused looks and curious stares as you made your way through the bustling streets, trying to avoid knocking anyone over.
You murmured silent prayers while hurrying up the spiral stairs to your teacher's room. He was going to kill you... Wondering what the famed Alhaitham was actually like, you quickly fixed your disheveled hair before pushing the doors open.
You saw the outline of a figure sitting in the corner of the room, shadows concealing his face. He was sitting with one leg crossed over the other, holding a book open in his right hand. You slowly tried to make your way over but tripped on a small pile of books on the floor, flailing your arms as you fell to the floor with a loud thud.
Begging the floor to somehow break the laws of physics and swallow you, you quickly got up....and came face to face with....the same emerald-eyed stranger you had seen yesterday. A sigh of relief escaped your lips. Thank god it was just him, it seems Alhaitham was running late too. But what was this guy doing here?
"Hello, it's nice to see you again!" you exclaimed, smiling at the man in front of you. He simply stared at you in response, almost as if he was judging you...as if he could see right through your insecurities and all your flaws. You shifted uncomfortably and the awkward silence that hung in the air could have been cut with a knife.
The doors behind you flew open and you turned to face your teacher as he walked in with a pleasant expression. You silently thanked him for interrupting the painful silence earlier and greeted him.
"Good morning sir,"
"Ah, yes good morning Y/N," he replied, heading over to his desk. "Late today, are we?"
You looked down. Of course, he somehow knew.
"I'm sorry sir"
"I see you've met Alhaitham already?", he smiled.
What...? Alhaitham wasn't even here yet. "Actually sir, I think he may be running late today as well, I haven't seen him yet," you replied.
The confusion in the look your teacher gave you was enough to make you question your entire existence. "What are you talking about? He's standing right behind you"
- x -
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