The afternoon sun filtered through the large windows of the Wellston library, casting a warm, golden hue over the rows of books and study tables. It was relatively quiet, with only the occasional rustle of pages or the soft murmur of students discussing their assignments.
Remi, however, was anything but calm. She sat at a corner table, her brow furrowed in concentration as she stared at her French textbook. The words seemed to blur together, and no matter how much she tried to make sense of the conjugations and vocabulary, they just wouldn't stick.
"Ugh, why is this so difficult?" she muttered under her breath, tapping her pen against the table in frustration.
She flipped through her notes, trying to find something—anything—that would make the lesson click. But the more she looked, the more confused she became. It was like trying to decipher a code written in a language she barely understood. Well, that's exactly what it was.
"You know," a familiar voice said from behind her, "you might have an easier time if you actually paid attention in class."
Remi jumped, startled, and turned to see Arlo standing there, a teasing smirk playing on his lips. He was holding a book, but his attention was clearly focused on her and her obvious struggle.
"Arlo! Don't sneak up on me like that!" Remi huffed, though she couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips. "And for your information, I do pay attention. It's just... French is hard!"
Arlo raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Is that so? Because I seem to remember a certain someone doodling in her notebook instead of taking notes during class."
Remi's cheeks flushed a light pink. "That was one time! And besides, the teacher talks too fast. How am I supposed to keep up?"
Arlo chuckled, setting his book down on the table before pulling out a chair next to her. "It's not that bad. You just need to practice more."
"Easy for you to say," Remi muttered, slumping back in her chair. "You're probably fluent in, like, five languages."
"Six, actually," Arlo replied, his tone casual but his smirk widening at her exasperated expression. "And yes, French happens to be one of them."
Remi's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, seriously? You're fluent in French?"
"Oui, bien sûr," Arlo said smoothly, slipping into French as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Je parle couramment le français. Toute ma famille est française."
Remi blinked, completely lost. "Uh... what?"
Arlo couldn't help but laugh at her confusion. "I said, 'Yes, of course. I'm fluent in French. My whole family is French.'"
Remi's jaw dropped. "Your entire family is French? You never told me that!"
"You never asked," Arlo said with a shrug, clearly enjoying her reaction.
Remi narrowed her eyes at him, a playful glint in her gaze. "So you've just been holding out on me this whole time? I've been struggling with this stupid homework, and you could've helped me ages ago!"
"I could have," Arlo admitted, leaning back in his chair with a smug expression. "But where's the fun in that?"
"Arlo!" Remi swatted at his arm, though she couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up. "You're terrible!"
"I prefer 'efficient,'" Arlo corrected, though his tone was light. "But if you're nice to me, I might consider helping you out."
Remi crossed her arms, pretending to think it over. "Hmm, I don't know. What do you want in return?"
Arlo tilted his head, pretending to be deep in thought. "How about... lunch? You buy."
"Deal," Remi agreed quickly, before he could change his mind. "Now, can you please help me with this? I'm going to fail if I don't figure out how to conjugate these verbs."
Arlo's expression softened slightly, and he pulled her notebook closer to him. "Alright, let's see what you've got so far."
Remi handed him her notes, and he scanned them with a critical eye. "Your conjugations aren't too bad, but you're mixing up some of the tenses. Here, look..."
He leaned in closer, pointing out the mistakes she'd made and explaining the correct forms in a way that was surprisingly easy to understand. Remi watched him, her frustration slowly melting away as he guided her through the lesson. He was patient, his voice steady and calm, and she found herself relaxing as she listened to him.
After a few minutes, Arlo handed the notebook back to her. "Try it now. I think you'll find it a lot easier."
Remi took a deep breath and started working through the exercises again. This time, the words seemed to make more sense, and she found herself understanding the patterns Arlo had pointed out. By the time she finished the first set of problems, she was grinning from ear to ear.
"Hey, I did it!" she exclaimed, looking up at him with bright eyes.
Arlo smiled, a rare, genuine smile that made her heart skip a beat. "I told you it wasn't that hard."
Remi beamed, feeling a rush of gratitude. "Thanks, Arlo. You're a lifesaver."
"Just don't expect me to do your homework for you," Arlo teased, though there was a warmth in his voice that softened the words.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Remi shot back with a grin. "But I might just take you up on that lunch offer."
Arlo shook his head, chuckling. "You're impossible, you know that?"
"And you love it," Remi quipped, standing up and gathering her things.
Arlo didn't respond right away, but the soft look in his eyes as he watched her was answer enough. He stood up as well, slipping his book under his arm. "Come on, let's get out of here. I'm starting to forget what fresh air smells like."
Remi laughed, falling into step beside him as they left the library together. As they walked, she couldn't help but feel a little lighter, the weight of her frustration lifted by his presence. Arlo might tease her, but he was always there when she needed him—and that was something she'd never take for granted.
