Escape Route

CHAPTER 8

We were sitting under the shade of an acacia tree in the campus park, books and papers sprawled between us like a chaotic mess of ideas. The sun was warm, and the occasional breeze carried the faint scent of the nearby coffee stand. It was one of those rare moments when studying didn't feel like a chore—maybe because I wasn't doing it alone.

"Eliezer, seriously," I muttered, scribbling down notes for our rebuttal. "If you don't stop doodling on my margins, I'm going to—"

"—thank me for making your notes more visually appealing?" he cut in, grinning as he held up my notebook. He had drawn an oddly disproportionate caricature of what I could only assume was supposed to be Mr. Panganiban.

I reached for the notebook, but he leaned back, keeping it out of reach.

"Eliezer!" I hissed, glaring at him. "Give it back. May ginagawa pa ako."

"Relax," he said, smirking. "You need a break. You're so uptight, parang ikaw na 'yung next na 'life-bending' project ni Panganiban."

I rolled my eyes. "If you're not going to help, then at least don't make it worse."

"But I am helping," he insisted, pointing to the doodle. "Look, this is a visual aid for our opening statement. 'Bending minds, one doomed student at a time.' Genius, right?"

I lunged for the notebook, and he laughed, finally handing it over. "Fine, fine! No need to resort to violence, Adah."

I snatched it back and huffed, brushing stray strands of hair away from my face. "You're impossible, you know that?"

"And yet you still willingly hang out with me," he said, resting his chin on his hand. His eyes softened just a little, and for a moment, I forgot how to retort.

Before I could think of a comeback, he reached out and gently tapped the rim of my coffee cup. "By the way, you haven't touched this. It's going to get cold."

I blinked, glancing at the cup. "I was too busy. I'll drink it later."

"You mean now," he said, sliding the cup closer to me. "Come on, Adah. Hindi ka pwedeng maubusan ng energy. Who else will carry this team kung tuluyan kang mag-collapse?"

I rolled my eyes but took a sip, savoring the warm sweetness. As much as I hated to admit it, he was right.

"Better?" he asked, his teasing grin turning softer.

I nodded reluctantly. "Yeah. Thanks."

He didn't reply, just leaned back with that annoyingly self-satisfied look. For someone who liked to get under my skin, he sure had a knack for moments like this just enough sweetness to keep me guessing.

He was scribbling down something on his notebook, the pen in his hand moving so quickly I could barely keep up. His eyes were focused, and his lips were set in that slightly serious expression he got whenever he was deep in thought. His jawline looked even sharper under the sunlight, and I couldn't help but notice how his messy hair seemed to look perfect every time he ran his fingers through it.

I felt a little silly staring at him like that, but I couldn't stop. His presence was just so... him. And I don't know why, but every little thing he did, from the way he tapped his pen against the table to the way he leaned in when he was thinking, made me feel... well, something.

"Eliezer," I said, trying to pull myself out of my thoughts.

"Hm?" he replied, not even glancing up from his notes.

"You've been writing for ten minutes straight," I pointed out, pretending to be focused on my own notebook. "Don't you need a break?"

"Mamaya," he said, his voice casual. "I'm in the zone."