𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗜𝗥 𝗗𝗘 𝗟𝗨𝗡𝗘. Demetrius Desmond

07

IT HAD BECOME A SILENT ROUTINE. Every Tuesday and Thursday, I'd find Demetrius at the far corner of the library always tucked away by the tall dust-covered bookshelves.

We'd never actually talked about meeting there, it just started happening naturally. He'd be there after our first encounter and I'd arrive a few minutes later.

Offering a small smile and a warm "hello" that he'd acknowledge with a slight nod. Somehow, the familiarity of it grounded me. It felt like a little escape from everything else.

This afternoon, I was a bit later than usual. When I rounded the corner of the bookshelves, I saw him already there, scribbling notes with that familiar frown of concentration. It wasn't until I slid into my seat that he lifted his head, his expression unchanging as he raised an eyebrow.

"You're late." he said quietly, his gaze flicking back down to his notes.

I sighed while setting my books down. "Mrs. Green wanted to talk to me privately about my behavior. Apparently, I'm the biggest distraction to her teaching."

His lips twitched slightly, barely enough to be called a smile but it was something and I considered it a win.

Demetrius wasn't one to laugh openly but ever since we'd settled into this routine, he'd started showing these subtle glimpses of humor that I couldn't help but treasure.

We studied in silence for a while though I kept catching him glance at me whenever he thought I wasn't looking.

It was subtle but enough to make my heart flutter and my focus on my notes fade. Eventually, the quiet got to me and I started talking about anything that came to mind.

 "I'll never understand how you actually enjoy this." I muttered, gesturing to the equation as he looked at me, a hint of a smirk still playing on his lips. "It's not that hard if you actually concentrate."

"Oh, trust me, I've tried concentrating." I rolled my eyes. "But math seems to have a personal vendetta against me."

He finally let out a quiet chuckle, "Maybe it's not math that has the problem." He said and my mouth dropped open in a mock offense. "Are you calling me dumb?"

He shrugged, the ghost of a smile still lingering. "I'm just saying, you talk a lot for someone who's supposed to be studying." He teased

I blinked, caught off guard by teasing. "Well, if I'm such a distraction, maybe you should pick a quieter table."

He let out a quiet scoff, glancing down at his notes again. "And leave you to figure out all this 'secret code' on your own? I don't think you'd last five minutes." He said it with a dry tone.

I noticed his hand resting closer to mine on the table, fingers almost brushing as his eyes flicked up, studying me with that faint smile, like he was holding back from saying something he shouldn't.

"Maybe you're right." I admitted with a sigh, inching my fingers forward until they nearly touched his. "Maybe I just need a tutor willing to put up with me."

He looked down at our almost-touching hands and for a moment, the air felt charged. Like it was waiting for something to happen. The library seemed quieter, the faint whispers and page-turning sounds fading into the background.

Demetrius's gaze lifted slowly, meeting mine with an intensity that made my heart skip. The usual coolness in his eyes was still there but it was softer now.

His voice dropped to a murmur as he looked at my eyes. "Why don't you ever listen?" His words sounded almost like a tease but there was something deeper there.

"Maybe because no one's ever tried to make me." I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. I was half-joking but the weight of the moment made it sound more serious than I intended.

He was close enough now that I could feel his breath, warm and steady, his eyes darting down to my lips for just a heartbeat before he returned to my gaze.

I wanted to say something, to laugh it off and break the tension but nothing came. Instead, we stayed like that, frozen in our shared silence.

Then, without warning he leaned in and my breath hitched. His hand reached out brushing against mine and settling there as his fingers lightly curled around mine.

I didn't pull away. Instead, I found myself leaning closer. We were too close and everything seemed to happen in slow motion. 

But then, footsteps sounded nearby and we jolted apart before our lips touched and our hands quickly dropping back to our books as if nothing had happened

I turned away, heat rising to my cheeks but I couldn't stop myself from glancing at him. Demetrius's expression was back to its usual calm self though there was a flush along his cheekbones and he refused to meet my gaze.

We sat there, pretending to read our textbooks but neither of us was fooling the other. The unspoken moment lingered, a reminder of the boundary we'd almost crossed. 

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

The following day, I found myself in the classroom during break, talking with my friend as most of the other students had already drifted back in, waiting for the teacher to return.

The conversation was casual, About a scholar imperial mixer but i couldn't really focus since I could feel Demetrius's gaze on me from across the room, lingering enough that my cheeks began to flush as yesterday's moment replayed in my mind.

I forced myself to ignore it, glancing at my friend, nodding along to whatever she was saying, trying to pretend I couldn't feel his stare. As class continued i tried to focus but the lack of sleep and the memories from yesterday was too much

When the teacher finally entered and class began, I tried to focus on the lesson but the lack of sleep from missions paired with the distracting memories of yesterday made it nearly impossible.

My pen drifted across my notes, filling the margins with scribbles instead of actual information. Halfway through, I dared a quick glance his way only to find his gaze flicker up as if he'd been caught.

We both quickly turned back to our notes but I couldn't shake the warmth that crept up my cheeks again.

The silence of the classroom was filled with an unspoken tension, something that wasn't there before and it made every second feel like an eternity.

I clenched my pen, willing myself to pay attention to the teacher but no matter how much I tried, my mind kept wandering back to that quiet moment we'd shared. Before i knew it class ended and once again we had a five minutes break

Leading to most students to stay, As my friends rambled about something new i suddenly heard familiar steps and as i suspected my curly brown headed friend pooped his head in the room

Leon leaned casually against the door frame, offering a roguish grin as the girls swarmed around him and clearly he seemed to enjoy the attention.

Responding to their questions with that carefree charm of his as I chuckled to myself, watching my friend play the part of the mysterious yet familiar visitor.

As the girls continued their chatter, Leon's gaze flicked over to me and he stepped away from the group and came over to me, his expression turning just a bit more serious.

In his hand he held a small envelope, marked with the WISE insignia in the corner as He slipped it into my palm without a word. 

But he didn't say a word about it—too many eyes, too many ears around.

Instead, he leaned in with a grin and said casually. "Read it when you're alone, I'll pick you up directly after school." he said and with that he left leaving me completely confused.

"Is it a love letter?" One of the girls asked, jealousy reeking from them and i shrugged placing the envelope in my bag. "WHO KNOWS."