Win Your Heart - TayNew

Chap. 1: Intrigue in the Midst of Monotony

Tay slumped into his chair, the plastic groaning under his weight. "Ugh, first day jitters... except not the exciting kind," he muttered, dropping his bag with a thud that echoed faintly in the cavernous lecture hall. He cast a sideways glance at Nanon, his best friend since childhood, who mirrored his glum expression.

"Seriously, dude," Nanon sighed, dragging a hand through his already-messy hair. "This major is more 'meh' than 'major'."

Tay couldn't agree more. A dull ache settled in his stomach as the door creaked open, revealing the silhouette of the hellish professor. A collective groan rippled through the class, a wave of anxious energy crackling around them. Professor, with her perpetually pursed lips and aura of disapproval, could suck the enthusiasm out of a room faster than a black hole. Tay knew from bitter experience that her classes were notorious for their soul-crushing tedium. He usually zoned out, preferring to lose himself in daydreams rather than endure her monotone lectures.

After fifteen minutes of boring explanations, the classroom door slowly opened, the newcomer stood there breathless, and did not dare say anything. Momentarily silencing the professor's droning introduction.

"You're so late." The teacher coldly side-eyed the poor guy.

"My humblest apologies, Professor," his voice was so calm, and could barely be heard. "Couldn't catch the train, so I had to wait for another!"

The newcomer was undeniably striking. Tall and broad-shouldered, he exuded an aura of effortless confidence that hinted at countless hours spent sculpting his physique. Yet, despite the obvious gym-honed perfection, he wasn't intimidating. A hint of a smile played on his lips, a crinkling at the corners of his eyes that softened his features. It was a smile that held a touch of mystery, a hint of something deeper lurking beneath the surface. It was the kind of smile that could melt the frost off a glacier, and Tay found himself inexplicably captivated. Here, in the midst of Professor Blight's soul-sucking lecture, a beacon of intrigue had appeared, and Tay couldn't tear his gaze away.

A snort escaped the lips of Tay, who was seated in the back, a ripple of amusement briefly disturbing the otherwise stoic sea of faces. The professor, a woman with eyes as sharp as a hawk's, turned her gaze towards the source of the disruption. "Mr. Tawan," she intoned, her voice a velvet hammer, "perhaps you'd care to share the joke with the rest of the class?"

Shame bloomed on Tay's cheeks, a red rose amidst the pale canvas of his face. "Sorry, teacher," he mumbled, twisting a pen between his fingers like a nervous child.

The newcomer, meanwhile, had settled into the empty seat beside him. A faint, ethereal scent, reminiscent of a summer rose garden, wafted across the short distance. A ghost of a smile played on Tay's lips as he watched the newcomer meticulously arrange his belongings.

Tay dared a hesitant smile towards the new student, a silent welcome lost in the oppressive silence that hung over the classroom. Before he could utter a greeting, their home room teacher unleashed her icy condemnation.

"Mr. Tawan," she rasped, her voice a serpent slithering through dead leaves, "would you care to enlighten the class on today's lesson? Perhaps standing at the front, bathed in the glorious light of shared knowledge, would help your weak memory."

Tay felt a cold sweat prickle his skin. This teacher was a master of public humiliation, her pronouncements dripping with venomous sarcasm that left students wilting in their seats. He stammered, his voice barely a whisper, "But teacher, I was simply..."

"No excuses, Mr. Tawan!" she boomed, her voice echoing through the room like a thunderclap. "Silence is the only acceptable form of communication in my class!"

Despair threatened to engulf him, but then a flicker of defiance sparked in his eyes. He straightened his spine, channelling the anger at her cruelty into a steely resolve. "I apologize, teacher," he said, his voice surprisingly firm, "but I cannot comply with your request. I am not the teacher here and wouldn't do any justice to the material or the class by pretending to understand and explain." Shocking the whole class and making the teacher go silent.

A fist of arctic air slammed into Tay, or maybe it was just the raw, exposed nerve of being the one stuck introducing himself. New, the new kid, had this aura - a quiet intensity that prickled at the edges. Maybe it was the way New moved, a hesitant walk through a room full of strangers. Or maybe, Tay thought with a pang, it was the stifled snort that had escaped him when New suddenly entered.

Shame burned hot in Tay's cheeks. The teacher's words were a dull roar in the background, drowned out by the pounding in his chest. Every second stretched into an eternity, each tick of the clock an accusation. He yearned to rewind, to erase that stupid laugh, to offer a hand, a smile, an apology. But the bell, a cruel jester, shattered the tense silence. New, a silent spectre, vanished through the doorway, leaving behind a hollow ache in Tay's gut. "Weird," he whispered, the word heavy on his tongue. But beneath the weight of disappointment, a strange ember flickered to life. New was an enigma, a puzzle Tay desperately wanted to solve. The awkwardness, the silence - it all became strangely captivating, a secret code only they could decipher.

Just then, a playful shove from Nanon sent a jolt through him. "Bro!" Nanon yelled with a smirk. "Don't you want to go? I'm starving! Fast!"

Tay blinked, ripped from his daydream. "Oh, oh, yeah, yeah, I'm coming," he stammered, scrambling to his feet. He shoved his things back into his bag, his mind still a tangled mess of Professor Paradee's monotone and the captivating newcomer. As he followed Nanon out of the lecture hall, a silent question echoed in his mind: Who was that guy? The mystery lingered, a spark of excitement igniting in the midst of the usual academic drudgery.

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Author's Note:

Hello! I'm back after a long hiatus~. I hope everyone is doing well lately! And I really hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I am enjoying writing it 🥹❤️

If you liked this chapter, don't forget to give me a tiny vote! Your opinions and feedback in the comments are much appreciated ❤️

LOVE YOU ALL❤️👋