No Reason But Us

Chapter 19 : Work With Him

The next morning in the girls' dorm room, the loud ring from an alarm clock woke Rita up. Once she stretched out her body, she saw Oddey sleeping on her study desk, then stood up to walk to her.

"Bestie? Bestie." Rita gently shook the sleepy roommate and noticed that there were finished sketch work and paper with notes on them.

Oddey opened her eyes and rubbed them as she put her head up. "Hmm... What time is it?" she yawned.

"It's 7 a.m. Have you been working all night?"

"Yeah, I did." Suddenly, the art student's phone buzzed, so she checked who was texting her. It was visible from the screen that there was a message from Gage.

Her best friend got wide awake from reading his name. "Gage is texting you?!"

"Yes," Oddey replied by grunting. "No big deal."

"No big deal? I thought you said that you're not allowed to be with him. Since when do you guys in the 'text each other' stage?"

"He's just helping me design my set and... I help him with his lines."

"Back up. Why are you helping him rehearse? Doesn't he have cocky Courtney for that?" Rita questioned.

"I just gave him some advice on his acting skills, then... that was when he asked me to help him."

"And you said yes?"

"I got lost when I looked into those green eyes of his."

Rita smirked and gave her this unconvinced look. "Is that so?"

Oddey decided not to respond to that, so she stood up from her seat. "I'm gonna go get ready now."

"Wait. Hold on. I'm just teasing you." Rita stopped in her tracks. "But come on, the heart wants what the heart wants."

"What the heart wants is not something I should want."

"You can't let your father tell you who you can't love."

"I know, but I don't want to disappoint him," Oddey said.

"It's bad. I know. What his Dad did to yours is awful. But why do you guys have to suffer?"

"That's just how it is, Bestie. I shouldn't like him, and I shouldn't even be working with him. You know what, maybe it is not a good idea for him to help me with the design." Oddey took her phone.

"What are you gonna do?" Rita asked as she began to feel worried.

"Text him."

"What are you gonna tell him? Sorry, we can't see each other because my Dad told me so?"

"I'm just gonna tell him that I don't need his help

"That's it!" Her best friend had a lightbulb moment.

Oddey's brow raised. "Huh, what is?"

"You can't fall for him, but your Dad didn't say that you can't 'work' with him. Also, you can't be friends with him. I mean, he is helping you with the set while you will help him rehearse."

The anxious lovestruck girl saw Rita's point, and the two girls smiled since it was a good idea.

----

After classes were over, Oddey was in the campus garden and continued working on the design for each scene on her laptop. Gage went behind her and saw her work. He was impressed by it. "That looks great," he said, but it startled her. "Sorry."

"That's okay," Oddey replied.

Gage sat down with her, "But I'm serious it does look amazing. Great job."