The Red Strings of Fate

Chapter 2

"What's taking that idiot so long to arrive?" Zoe complained angrily while squinting her eyes at the bright light of her bedroom. She was looking at it out of boredom.

Ten minutes have passed and he still hasn't come into the apartment. She could just do the presentation and work all by herself and purposely give John a zero grading mark. She decided she'll do the work alone, besides, she doesn't need his help at all.

She opened her laptop and typed in her password. She opened her PowerPoint and made the first slide.

Just as she was about to finish the first slide, the door outside her room opened. She sighed in disappointment as John had already arrived, meaning he will be helping her after all. Zoe punched her pillow and her bedroom door slid open.

"Do you know how to knock before you come inside?" Zoe snapped and continued to work on the PowerPoint.

"My apologies for my intrusion." John closed the door behind her and sat in Zoe's office chair. "Are you working without me already?"

"Of course, you took way too long to come here. My apartment isn't even that far from the university. It's basically a five-minute walk." Zoe replied, annoyed, while continuing her work on the slides.

"Going poker face on me, are you?" he frowned and took Zoe's notes. He read her notes thoroughly. He saw how neat Zoe's handwriting is. Unlike his, his handwriting was too tiny to be read by anyone; those who can only understand small handwriting and John could only read it.

John placed the notes back and took out papers to make them as a visual aid for their report. Zoe took a glance at his visual aid.

"Good boy, That's how you do it properly." she praised John. He knows she was trying to taunt him. She plastered her face with a smirk and continued with the slides.

"You- I- Is that...?" John couldn't even pick up the correct words to form, or even form a proper and meaningful sentence.

"Aww...is baby John trying to tell me what his first word is?" Zoe grinned at him, trying to make him burst out of his place. Whatever she's doing, she's planning it evilly.

"Are you pleased with yourself already? You're really perfect are you?" he furrowed his brows, annoyed with Zoe's taunting.

"Why, thank you. Have you opened your eyes to how better I am than you?" she continued to annoy him with his own words.

"You know, you're really getting on my nerves today." he moved a bit near where he was close to Zoe's face. They both realized the atmosphere around them was hot. Zoe's eyes met his eyes, and they share contact. They continued to scoot nearer to each other's faces until they heard a loud knock on the door.

"Zoe, are you there? If you're there, I'll leave the cheesecake I bought for you on the fridge." It was Megan, who came back from the school's infirmary.

The moment they just had felt like a dream, a movie, but it had to end abruptly since it could get far worse if Megan didn't interrupt.

"Hey Megan, have you bought some for me too?" John asked loudly, a little too loud the neighbors could've heard it.

Megan slammed the door open, her aura darker than usual around her. She looked much better after visiting the infirmary than the last time they met her in the hallways."Lower your voice or you're paying our 20k bill monthly every year you boastful feeler."

John closed his mouth shut like super glue, Megan sounded like she could strangle and murder John to death. He didn't wanna bother asking that loud ever again.

"Anyways, if the Landlord comes here, I'll tell him it's your fault." Megan pursed her lips. "And no, I didn't buy you one. Your visit is unexpected."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. But can I have yours instead?" John asked happily as a joke. Megan gave him an I'm-warning-you glare with eyes that is displeased with his question and he did not bother to ask more.