Beneath the Ice: A University Love Story

17 | Marking What's Mine

A week had passed since Freen and Becky had officially started dating. Becky had a big match scheduled for next week, but her hand injury had kept her off the practice field, so she'd been dedicating herself to catching up on assignments and preparing for class presentations. Tomorrow, her hand would be healed enough to resume training.

Currently, Becky was in the library, her focus on drafting questions for her presentation. Her pen paused mid-sentence when she heard a familiar voice nearby.

"Can I sit here?" Seng asked, standing beside her. Becky glanced up and nodded.

"Yeah, why not?" She gestured to the seat beside her.

Seng settled into the chair, casting a quick glance at her work. "Presentation prep?" he asked, noting her diligent note-taking.

"Yup," Becky replied, nodding. "You have one to give, too."

Seng smiled, lifting his binder. "Already done."

Becky rolled her eyes, feigning exasperation. "Oh, come on, Seng. You're always done with work ahead of time. It's like you don't know how to have fun!"

He chuckled. "I just like to stay ahead of deadlines. That way, I don't stress out at the last minute."

"Well, I never get stressed," she countered, sticking her tongue out in playful defiance.

He shook his head with a laugh. "Only because you're so good at it," he said warmly.

After their banter, they each dove back into their own work. Seng occasionally glanced over at Becky, stealing little glimpses when he thought she wasn't looking. As they finished their study session, they headed to their separate classes.

......

Later, in the Cafeteria...

The cafeteria buzzed with students eating, studying, and chatting between classes. Becky sat with her friends, laughing at a story Engfa was telling. Freen, sitting just one table over, could easily catch the sound of Becky's laughter. She couldn't help the smile that crept across her face whenever she heard that sound.

Nam leaned closer to Seng, interrupting Freen's train of thought. "So," Nam said with a mischievous glint, "what's going on with this new crush of yours?"

Seng's face broke into a grin. "Well... we talk sometimes," he replied, clearly pleased.

Nam gave him a congratulatory pat on the back. "Nice! Anything else?"

"Actually," Seng said, lowering his voice with a conspiratorial tone, "I found out something interesting about her."

Nam and Freen exchanged curious glances as Heng leaned in, listening with interest.

"She's intersex," Seng whispered. His words caught everyone at the table off guard, and Freen's expression darkened instantly because Becky is the only intersex in the university and they both are in Law too. Nam and Heng sense the tension. 

Heng's eyebrows shot up. "Wait, what?"

"Yeah, I overheard some students talking. Apparently, she's intersex," Seng continued, a strange excitement coloring his tone. "That just makes her even more attractive to me. I mean, she's not your typical girly-girl. She's got muscles—have you seen her arms? And now... I know she's got a..."

Freen clenched her fists under the table, her jaw tight as she shot him a death glare that he failed to notice.

"What's her name?" Nam asked, her tone cautious as she kept an eye on Freen's increasingly tense posture.