Diplomatic Affairs

7

I entered the room and was welcomed by an elegant suite adorned in calming shades of blue. An unused fireplace caught my attention as Nick made his way to the kitchen. I followed, watching as he poured a glass of water, took a sip, and then leaned against the sink, regarding me with an unreadable expression.

"So, what do you want?" he sighed.

"You weren't at the library," I remarked. He scoffed, retorting, "I didn't exactly expect you to be fond of working with 'The first son of Aurelia.'"

I let out a sigh before responding, "I can't believe I'm doing this but I'm sorry." He scoffed once more, retorting, "Yeah, right." I continued, "I overheard your conversation about leaving yesterday." He responded with sarcasm, "Oh, I'm sure you'd love that," to which I countered, "Actually, no. I've come to ask you to stay."

"Why?" he inquired.

I hesitated briefly, "I... I don't know," as Nick's irritation became evident. He cut me off, stating, "Look, it doesn't matter. The supervisor called my dad, and he warned me that if I even thought about leaving, he'd ground me. Given that being stuck with his constant complaining and judgments about my lifestyle would be my idea of hell, staying in this awful place is honestly the better option. So, if asking me to stay was your only reason for coming here, you can leave now." With that, he turned to leave, and I could feel a surge of anger building up within me.

"Are you always this difficult?" I snapped, causing him to halt and face me, his frustration evident. "I'd rather be difficult than play the role of a bigoted, narrow-minded, blindly obedient puppy for dear old mommy to bark her orders at," he retorted icily, hitting a sensitive nerve.

"You're undoubtedly the most infuriating individual I've ever had the misfortune to encounter," I stated and he fired back heatedly, "Trust me, the feeling is completely mutual." As I barely sized up to him while he towered, the space between us narrowing, our intense gazes locked in mutual loathing, the air growing thick with tension. Nick's eyes bore into mine as if he were searching for something.

"If I'm so infuriating, why are you here?" he questioned and I felt a gulp rising in my throat as I took in the sudden closeness, "I-" I began but only choked on my words as his gaze burned into mine, his lips only inches away.

"You like that I infuriate you, don't you?" He questioned and I couldn't bring myself to think of a reply as he grabbed my hips making me groan, "you like that, don't you?" He spoke, his voice sending me into a frenzy.

"You like-" he began when suddenly a vibration in my pocket caught my attention. Retrieving my phone, I saw a text from Elle asking, "Where are you?".

"I need to head back to the library," I said. Nick remained silent, his gaze locked on me as I turned and began to walk away.

Leaving the suite behind, I walked alongside Ryder back to the library. "How did it go?" he inquired. "He's an asshole," I replied. Finding a seat at a nearby table, Ryder stood nearby. Time slipped away as I fiddled with the cover of a book. Suddenly, the library doors swung open, and Nick entered, his demeanor refreshed as he walked toward me, taking a seat beside me.

"You came," I commented, to which he responded, "Don't let it get to your head." He continued, "Let's just get this done and over with."

I tore open the envelope placed before us, revealing the research topic: "The Age-Old Rivalry between Aurelia and Veridia." My surprise was evident. "It's as if they're deliberately trying to start something between us," I remarked.

Nick chimed in dryly, "I don't think we need any help with that." Just then, a loud throat-clearing from behind alerted us to Ryder's presence.

Nick muttered, "Is he gonna be there the entire time?" nodding toward Ryder, who shot him a glare.