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"You're pacing around," Elijah finally spoke after hearing Yulia toss and turn for the nth time. It seemed the girl was uncomfortable with their current setup, so the lad brought himself to a sitting position. "I think I should get a new room instead."
Yulia gasped. "No no no! I'm not uncomfortable, really." Her stutter did not help at all, head hanging in defeat. "I was actually worried you're uncomfortable sleeping in the couch."
Elijah stared at her, his eyes brimming with indifference. "I'm not."
The girl cowered at the lukewarm response. "Okay."
Awkward.
Yulia must have forgotten how they weren't actually close enough to begin with. Sure, Eli was nicer and more tolerant of her than few months ago, but this was still Elijah Xia we were talking about.
A small part of her wanted to learn more about the guy. However, she found it difficult to cast away the lingering thoughts about her "liking someone in the group." She was also curious about Genesis and Luciel before, but she never felt self-conscious about it.
"Eli?" She hated things which had no explanation, even more so if she's the only one who could answer herself. One of them was why she could not bring her eyes to meet Elijah's. Her fingers drummed on the spotless, white sheets.
"Lia." Elijah acknowledged her call. He was scrolling through his phone, unimpressed with whatever it was on his screen. Hearing the girl's hesitant pause, he lowered his phone and asked, "you called me?"
"Ah! It's nothing!," the flustered girl took back. Perhaps it was her upbringing that told her never to disturb anyone unless it was absolutely necessary— in this case, her parents. "Do... continue with what you're doing."
Yulia's awkward response did not sit well with the latter. Elijah sat up, his back against the sofa, ready to entertain the conversation. "Stop being so-" Sighs. "You got my attention and curiosity now. Better satiate it with something worthy of my time."
Is this how geniuses communicate?!, Yulia inwardly grimaced. But Gen and Ciel rarely talks about something important. Elijah's so selective...
Then, she remembered how the lad would rarely involve himself with those two guys' conversations. "W-well..." Her mind harrowed through possible topics related to Physics or Parasitology that Elijah might like, her brain going short-circuit as it overloaded. "Er..."
"I was kidding," Elijah muttered in a softer tone, tearing his gaze from her. Somehow, he felt bad for his rough humor. It seemed to have scared the poor girl.
Yulia's eyes widened. Surprise surprise! Elijah Xia knew how to joke. "Oh. Right."
"Just speak your mind like how you would with Gen and Ciel," he sighed, trying to salvage the conversation. He really had no knack for small talks.
