Love Is Hard - Karma X Reader

chapter 14

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As the bell rang, I felt a wave of anxiety wash over me. Kayano and Rio flanked me as we made our way to the classroom, their chatter a blur in my ears. My mind was too preoccupied with thoughts of Karma. Would he be in a good mood? Would he even want to talk to me after the lunch incident? 

As we entered the classroom, my heart sank when I spotted him. He was slouched in his chair, hands behind his head, a book open in front of him. The familiar smirk danced on his lips as he glanced up, but it quickly vanished when he saw me. A lump formed in my throat at the thought of approaching him. This was not how I had hoped this class would go. I envisioned him sliding into the seat next to me, not the other way around.

I took a deep breath, reminding myself of my plan. I would sit in front or behind him, but not actually talk. Paper notes. That was my strategy. It felt safer—no eye contact, no fumbling over words. My heart would surely thank me for avoiding a full-on conversation, which felt like running a marathon at a thousand miles per second.

There were two available seats: one beside him and one behind. I hesitated, scanning the room. I finally opted for the seat behind him, hoping it would give me a little emotional buffer. It would hide my expressions when the notes began, a little shield from his piercing gaze.

As I settled into the seat, I tried to shake off the nerves. I could see the back of Karma’s head, his red hair slightly tousled. The way he lounged in his chair, utterly relaxed, made my stomach churn. I couldn’t let myself overthink this. I pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, my hands shaking slightly.

Taking a shaky breath, I scribbled the first note, hoping to smooth things over. *Sorry about earlier. Are you upset?*

I paused, reading it back. Ugh, desperate much? The words felt too needy, so I crumpled it, sighing quietly. This wasn't going as planned at all. Glancing around, I took another piece of paper and started fresh.

*Do you always sit at this spot?*

It felt neutral enough. Steeling myself, I folded the note and tapped his shoulder with the back of my pen. But just as he turned, the note slipped from my fingers, smacking him right in the face.

"Oh! Sorry!" I stammered, heat rushing to my cheeks.

He didn’t respond, just raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable as he took the note. He leaned back, unfolding it with deliberate slowness, and I couldn’t tell if he was reading or just… messing with me. My heart thudded as he finally wrote something and placed the paper on my desk without a glance back.

*What? Got a problem with that?*

My stomach twisted. Did he think I was annoyed with him? This was not how I’d envisioned this at all. Seriously, universe, why are you never on my side?

Alright, enough of the small talk. I took a deep breath, deciding to be a bit more direct this time. *Are you upset because of what happened in the cafeteria?*

This time, instead of tapping him, I slid the note over his shoulder, holding my breath as it landed on his lap. A moment passed before he finally picked it up, unfolding it as casually as if he had all the time in the world. I bit my lip, hoping he’d tease me back—anything but this icy indifference. I can’t believe I went from wishing his teasing would stop to actually missing it now. How did that even happen?

After what felt like hours, he flicked the folded note back over his shoulder onto my desk. I snatched it, nearly dropping it in my rush to read his response.

*Why?~ Are you saying you’d do anything to make the little old me feel better?*

Heat surged up my face, my heart racing so fast it was practically skipping beats. I could almost hear his voice saying that, his usual smug tone making me want to crawl under the desk. And what did he mean by “do anything”? No, no, no. It couldn’t mean *that*. Geez, Y/N, get your mind out of the gutter!