Unspoken

AM I FALLING (Part 2)

As Daniel led Selena into his study, she couldn't help but gape. The room was enormous, easily three times the size of her entire living room back home. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined the walls, filled with books of every size and color, giving it the feel of a personal library.

A large wooden desk sat in the center, polished to perfection, with a sleek laptop resting on top. The windows on one side of the room stretched high, offering a breathtaking view of the garden below. Comfortable leather chairs and a plush sofa completed the luxurious setup.

"Okay, this is not a study room," Selena said, setting her notebooks on the desk. "This is Hogwarts. Where's the sorting hat?"

Daniel chuckled, leaning casually against the desk. "I take that as a compliment," he said with a grin. "So, what do you think? Pretty nice, right?"

Selena shook her head, half amused, half overwhelmed. "Nice? Daniel, this place has more books than our school library. Do you actually read all of these?"

"Some of them," he replied, flashing a playful smirk. "But, you know, it's not just about reading—it's about having the right vibe for studying."

"Vibe?" Selena arched an eyebrow, trying not to laugh. "Right, because every study session needs floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a view of a garden that looks straight out of a movie."

Daniel shrugged, leaning closer. "It helps. And hey, if it impresses you even a little, then it's totally worth it."

Selena rolled her eyes but felt her cheeks warm slightly. She turned her attention to her notebooks, trying to ignore the flutter in her chest. Stay focused, she reminded herself. You're here to work, not to get distracted by his charm.

Before she could respond, the door opened, and Lucia stepped in, looking around wide-eyed. "Wow," she said, dragging out the word. "Your house is insane, Daniel. Is this your study or a museum?"

Daniel grinned, standing up straight. "Glad you like it. Welcome to the headquarters of Group Five."

Lucia smirked, setting her bag down on a nearby chair. "Headquarters, huh? Fancy."

Moments later, Alejandro and Mateo entered together, talking animatedly. Alejandro froze mid-sentence as he stepped into the room, his mouth dropping open. "Dude," he said, gesturing around. "Your house is so big. Do you get lost in here?"

Mateo laughed, nudging Daniel. "Seriously, man. Do you have a map for visitors?"

Daniel laughed, spreading his arms. "Come on, it's not that big."

Alejandro gave him a skeptical look. "Not that big? You have an actual library in your house. This is straight out of a billionaire's guide to home decor."

Selena chuckled quietly, watching Daniel shrug as if his massive house was no big deal. "You guys act like you've never seen books before," he teased.

"Not this many," Alejandro said, plopping onto the sofa. "Where's the secret passageway? Every library needs one."

"Nice try," Daniel shot back. "But if I told you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore."

The room broke into light laughter.

Daniel turned to the group, clapping his hands together. "Looks like we're all here now. Time to get to work."

Rafael sat at the dining table in his home, his group members scattered around the room with notebooks and worksheets in hand.

The faint scent of fresh coffee lingered in the air, mixing with the muted hum of voices as Alex and Ana debated over a particularly tricky equation.

Despite the bustling energy of the room, Rafael was elsewhere—his thoughts tangled in a loop he couldn't break free from.

He leaned back in his chair, his pencil resting against his lips as his gaze drifted toward the window.

His mind painted a vivid picture: Selena sitting in Daniel's massive study, surrounded by the gleaming shelves of books. She would be focused, her dark hair tucked behind her ear, her glasses slightly slipping down her nose as she jotted something in her notebook. But then Daniel would lean in, his trademark smirk plastered across his face, saying something charmingly sarcastic that would make her laugh. Rafael felt his jaw clench at the thought.

"Rafael, seriously, are you even here?" Alex's voice cut through his daydream. He was sitting cross-legged on the couch, looking exasperated. "We're all doing the assignment, and you're just... staring into space."

Rafael snapped back to reality, blinking. "Sorry. What was the question?"

Ana groaned softly. "The third equation. Can you at least double-check it? Or are you too busy dreaming about... whatever's on your mind?"

Rafael straightened up, feigning nonchalance. "I'm not dreaming. I just... got distracted, that's all."

But as soon as he tried to refocus, his thoughts betrayed him again.

"What if Selena and Daniel aren't even working? What if they're just laughing, talking... enjoying each other's company?" The thought gnawed at him. He could almost see it—Daniel leaning closer to Selena, making her laugh with one of his smooth remarks. "What if he's giving her all the attention I should've given her?" Rafael's stomach churned.

"Rafael, are you okay?" Adriana's voice broke through his haze.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine," he said quickly, sitting up straighter.

Adriana was explaining something about the second question, her voice calm and precise, but Rafael couldn't focus. His mind was elsewhere, replaying an imaginary scene at Daniel's house. He pictured Selena sitting beside Daniel in his enormous study room, her soft laughter ringing out as Daniel made some clever remark. The image of Daniel leaning in close, showing Selena something in her notebook, made Rafael's stomach tighten uncomfortably.

Olivia, who had been unusually quiet, finally let out a sigh. "Do you think they've even started working yet?" she muttered, tapping her pen against her notebook. She wasn't addressing anyone in particular, but Rafael knew exactly who she meant.

"I doubt it," Rafael said, his tone sharper than he intended. "Daniel probably spent the whole time showing off his house."

Olivia snorted, half-smirking. "I bet he's using that ridiculous charm of his. You know how he gets. Always trying to be the center of attention."

Ana looked up from her notes, raising an eyebrow. "Are we talking about Daniel and Selena? Shouldn't we be focused on our assignment?"

"I am focused," Rafael said quickly, flipping a page in his notebook. But the truth was, he wasn't. His imagination painted another picture—Daniel offering Selena the easiest questions, leaning back smugly as if to say, See how generous I am? Selena would smile at him, maybe even thank him.

Why does it matter? Rafael thought, gripping his pencil tightly. But the unease in his chest lingered.

Meanwhile, Olivia wasn't faring much better. She had been unusually quiet, a rarity for her. Every so often, she'd glance at her phone, her fingers itching to text Selena and ask how things were going. But she didn't dare; it would make her jealousy too obvious.

"Why does she get to be in his group? They probably haven't even started working yet," Olivia thought, her jaw tightening. She pictured Daniel flashing his charming grin at Selena, showing off his confidence. It made her stomach twist.

"Hey, Olivia," Alex called out, waving a piece of paper in front of her face. "What do you think about this approach to question three?"

"What? Oh—um, yeah, it looks good," Olivia replied distractedly, not even looking at the paper.

Ana leaned toward her. "You're not focused either. What's going on?"

"Nothing," Olivia said sharply, then softened her tone. "I'm just tired, that's all."

Adriana exchanged a knowing glance with Ana. "Alright, let's refocus. We need to finish this before Saturday ends, and you two are spacing out."

Rafael forced himself to nod, gripping his pen tighter. But the image of Selena and Daniel lingered, vivid and taunting. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was slipping out of his hands.