The Equation of Hearts

√𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟸𝟽ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩ

Athena was still enraged and embarrassed about the night of the party. It didn't help that he moved on so quickly. He would regard her as he often did and speak to the others as normally as he used to. He still helped around the house - though Athena had that maid he was helping with the laundry fired. She had the impulse and fulfilled it. Regardless, she hated that he pretended none of that happened, but she still felt judged within his proximity.

It was suffocating for a week, being around him and feeling like she was the only one dying of her own humility and anger. So she pulled him to the side on an impulse one night as he was about to leave. He had received a text and checked the time, excusing himself. But she gripped onto his shirt and hugged around his waist, stopping him. He froze at the door and looked back slowly. She looked up at him and couldn't deny, it felt good to hug him like that. But again, he lacked any reaction and hummed for her to continue. She silently pulled him into her room - the closest to the front door as it was. And when she slammed her door, she caged him against it, looking up at him in a state of hysteric desperation. He didn't speak, only waited, "say something," she exhaled. His head cocked to the side, he wasn't the one that wanted to have a conversation. "Anything. Please." She begged. And still, he didn't want to. It just felt somewhat painful for him.

"Be quick." He ordered. Under the blindfold, he glanced and saw the umbrellas still in the room. He'd have to be careful.

"Anything a bit more provocative?" She requested, she was mad, yet his voice was so collected, it was hard to stay like that. He shook his head,

"I'm not interested in talking to you right now." He turned to face the door,

"Okay wait, wait," she hugged him before he could fully turn. He held onto her arms and pulled them away, "okay that's fine. I need to know if you were drunk at-"

"I don't drink." He raised a hand firmly, muttering a prayer, "no." He shook his head.

"What- so you remember what happened at the party?" She narrowed her eyes. He didn't react. "Surely, I feel I'm going insane standing around you and feeling as judged as I do," she began laughing, "like your eyes are burning into my skin and I can barely stand straight around you because I can hear your disapproving thoughts about me." She rambled as if confessing would make her chances at this better. He rested a hand on her shoulder and she looked at it, seeing him lean closer. Maybe he was just playing the hardball and getting her to think about him. It was working rather effortlessly. Was he about to fix it with sex? She wasn't sure how to feel about that. Initially, yes, yay! She won, he was teasing her and she profited. Then, it was confusing. It was only what now, a month ago? Around that long since she was alone with him and didn't want him at all. But her heart and mind couldn't decide for this one if they wanted him or not. Because she really wanted him now, but she also felt she would regret it.

She was confused.

"I don't care enough about you to hold a grudge." He confessed, "I was emotionally driven and I apologise for that. But that is all I'm apologising for." He pushed her away with ease, turning for the door, "otherwise, I said what I did. And I don't offer pathetic falses." He opened the door,

"W-Wait, what?" She realised and reached for him, "you're sorry for being emotionally driven but you're saying you don't care enough!?" She exclaimed. He shushed her and she listened,

"I don't care about you. I care about your mother." He corrected himself and looked forward, "but again, you don't have to listen to me. It doesn't change my life." He walked off.

"Wait, wait!" She exclaimed and held onto his shirt. She felt her questions were left unanswered. Did he care or didn't he? He cared but not for her? What did that even mean? "What does that mean!?" She gripped onto his shirt and he opened the front door. He didn't respond, he just walked away. At first, he dragged her along, but he pulled her hand away without even facing her. And then he left. She stared at the elevator and inhaled heavily, turning to storm inside. Instantly, she went to her room and buried her face in her pillow, screaming. She realised what he meant after: he only cared about his damn monthly payment. And nothing else. She could just kill him. The nerve of him to tease and shatter her heart. Then she realised what she was thinking and implying. The possibility that he could even graze her heartstrings with his fingertips was blasphemous. Yet the thought made her clutch her chest.