After a long day at the universities studio Aira was truly exhausted. Not exactly physically, more so it was a creative burnout. All those preparations and sketch making for the exams drained all of her energy till the last drop. She was excited to finally get back to her apartment and plop herself on a bed.
Ten minutes after barely dragging her feet back home Aira was finally unlocking the door of her apartment she was ready to be greeted by her kitty, but she couldn't believe her luck-or rather, her lack thereof-as she stood in the doorway of her tiny apartment, staring incredulously at the stranger who dared to occupy her space. But the bigger shock was when she noticed her cat comfortably curled up in stranger's lap.
She had been prepared for the usual drill of awkward roommate introductions, but nothing could have prepared her for the sight of this guy, a tall, brooding figure with a scowl etched permanently onto his rugged features. Why is he here? Nobody has informed her of a new roommate coming.... Maybe she just forgot to check the email about this information? A lot of thoughts were spinning in her head at once.
Suppressing a sigh, Aira plastered on her most polite smile, albeit tinged with a hint of annoyance.
"Hi, I'm Aira," she offered tentatively, extending her hand in a feeble attempt at civility.
A stranger eyed her outstretched hand with disdain, his lips curling into a sneer.
"Yeah, I got that," he muttered gruffly, barely acknowledging her gesture as he kept petting the cat.
Aira's jaw tightened, her irritation bubbling to the surface as she watched him make himself at home without so much as a word of apology for his tardiness. She had meticulously arranged the apartment to her liking, and the intrusion of this surly stranger felt like a personal affront to her carefully curated space.
"Aren't you going to introduce yourself as well or I should just call you 'stranger'?" she asked him with a pinch of sarcasm echoing in her tone.
"San. Choi San." he simply said with his low voice, which made Aira even more irritated.
She thought for a second whether to respond to him or just leave to her room and get the rest she needs. But since it's her place and for now San is just a stranger in this flat, she decided to say a few words.
"You know... Since you gonna live here you might as well say more than just three words." she said through the clenched teeth.
He finally spinned all they way to face her and raised his eyes to look at Aira since all his attention before was on her cat.
"I don't need to use words on useless talking. "
Aira was baffled to hear him say it in a calmest tone possible with an unreadable expression on his face. And a gaze which was piercing through her soul. Her frustration bubbled to the surface, her jaw clenched as she struggled to maintain her composure in the face of San's infuriating calmness.
"Useless talking?" she echoed incredulously, her voice tinged with barely-contained anger. "Is that what you think this is?"
San's expression remained impassive, his gaze unwavering as he met Aira's fiery stare.
"I think we both know there are more important things to focus on than idle chatter. " he replied evenly, his tone betraying nothing of the turmoil brewing beneath the surface.
Aira's pulse quickened at his words, her mind racing as she tried to decipher the hidden meaning behind them. What was he trying to tell her? And why did his indifference sting more than his hostility ever could?
"I don't understand you, San..." Aira admitted, her voice softening slightly as her anger gave way to confusion. "One minute you're distant and cold, and the next you're... I don't know, offering cryptic advice like some kind of sage."
San's lips quirked into a faint smile at her words, a glimmer of amusement dancing in his stormy eyes.
"Maybe I'm just full of surprises," he mused cryptically, his gaze lingering on Aira's face as if daring her to unravel the mystery that was him.
Aira bristled at his nonchalant response, her frustration mounting with each passing second. But as she studied San's enigmatic expression, a flicker of something unfamiliar stirred within her-a curiosity that threatened to unravel the carefully constructed walls she had built around her heart.
No no no. She shook her head, this guy is irritating and there are no true secrets surrounding him or his personality. He's just a cocky douche.
