...love, Sang

Theorems and Limits

PUNISHMENT CHALLENGE
From the book 'Calculus with Analytic Geometry'

*Imagine older Sang and Kota in college*
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"Although basic theorems must of necessity be proved in accordance with the preceding definition, subsequent results are usually derived from the theorems established..." The monotone voice of the lecturer never failed to make this subject a lot boring than it already was. I covered my mouth as I let out a small yawn, propped my right arm on the table, then rested my chin on my hand. I peered to the left and saw Kota doing just about the same, but he was looking my way. He was never one to get bored with lectures like this, but I guessed he was just as tired as I was.

Staring at the green-eyed boy beside me, I noticed how his new eyeglasses didn't seem to sit on the bridge of his nose the way his previous ones had. It was his fault for not taking them off last night, before he'd tackled me onto his bed and...

Remembering what had happened last night, I subtly pressed my thighs together, faced forward and resumed taking notes. I gave myself a mental slap on the face for the dirty thoughts I was about to have. We're at school, for goodness sake.

In my peripheral vision, I saw subtle movement and thought that maybe he had mimicked my actions. Maybe he'd decided that he, too, should take notes.

A minute later, while I was writing down an equation that I was a hundred percent sure I would never use in my entire life, a folded piece of paper slid over to the side of my notebook. I sneaked a peek to my left and raised an eyebrow at Kota, mentally asking what this was. He simply shrugged and motioned for me to read it. Confused by his actions, I opened the note and then read its contents. It says, "Still tired from last night? I know I am. Not that I'm complaining ;)"

I nearly choked as I read it and felt the instant burn creeping up my cheeks. I looked around the room, worried that someone had witnessed our small interaction, but saw that most of the students were dozing off, except for the front row, who looked invested on the subject matter -- proving theorems.

Releasing a small sigh, I sat back and squinted my eyes at him. I expected this kind of flirting from Luke or Gabriel; even from Nathan. But this was Kota. Dakota Jameson Lee. The model student. The guy who spent his nights reading books and solving math problems. Not the guy who ignored lectures. And definitely not the guy who sent notes in class.

Pursing my lips, I decided to send him back a response. I could feel my eyebrows getting scrunched up as I wrote, "Who are you and what have you done to Kota?" Once again, I scanned the room for onlookers before sliding the note back towards him.

I saw him smirk as he read it. He then sat back, after writing another message. This boy!

The note was sent back into my territory and I stared hard at it, wishing that whatever he wrote in it would be something expected. I honestly didn't want to get caught doing this but, when I saw the gleam in his eyes, I knew I was with the playful Kota.

I unfolded the note and had to suppress the gasp that I almost let out. It said, "You shouting my name last night should be enough of an answer."

He gave me no time to recover, as I saw another piece of folded paper make its way on top of the previous one. "Or do you want me to remind you again later?" Jaw dropping, I turned to face him completely and gave his arm a light punch, completely blowing our cover. Oh, shit!

"Miss Sorenson and Mr. Lee, would you mind sharing with the whole class your discussion up there?" All eyes in the room were now staring at us. I heard a few whispers and giggles from the girls in class and I would have rolled my eyes, if not for Mr. Thomas' glare which was being sent our way.

Before I could voice my apology for our behavior, and for causing interruption in class, Kota beat me to it by saying, "Mr. Thomas, Miss Sorenson was just pointing out to me that, when proving theorems, we should never forget to write down the assumptions needed. Like, for example, in solving for the limits of the equation you've written on the board, we should never forget the assumption that B must not be equated to zero, since A over zero would be meaningless. If we do, we could never solve for its limit."

Everyone turned their attention back to the board, including Mr. Thomas and myself. Right, he was. The nearly proven theorem had no written assumptions with it, which was apparently an important factor when proving, like Kota had said.

"Yes, I must've forgotten. Thank you for that, Mr. Lee. And Miss Sorenson, good job spotting that. But, next time, you can raise your hand and point it out directly, so that the whole class would benefit from the correction."

I really had no words for him, so I just sent a tight smile with a small nod, indicating that I would. I can't believe he fell for it! But I sure could commend him for being a professional about it.

Mr. Thomas was about to go and finish the rest of the lecture, when the alarm on his phone went off - a signal for the end of the class. Yes, he has an alarm for it. Finally, I released the breath I hadn't know I'd held and looked pointedly at Kota.

"Okay, class dismissed. Don't forget to take a copy of the problem set from my desk later, after lunch. And do your homework," Mr. Thomas said. One by one, students cleared their tables and left the room.

Kota and I were the last to exit, since we were seated in the back row. He held my hand and gave it a light squeeze. I squeezed it back harder, but he just released a chuckle. I had to seal my lips shut, until we were out of this building and out of earshot, before I gave him a lecture about the consequences of his actions just moments ago.

On our way to the parking lot, he had his arm around my shoulders and was leaning into me. We stopped next to his car, then he whispered, "So... I believe you never got to answer my question. What do you say about my proposal back there, huh, Sang?"

Instead of giving him an answer, I pinched his sides to punish him a little. But he countered my small attacks by hugging me tighter and trapping my arms. He then let out a hearty laugh.

"You nearly got us in trouble, Kota! Good thing you're such a smart ass, or else I would've been called to the board to finish that equation," I hissed at him. I wasn't really angry at him. I was just a bit miffed that he'd gotten me red-faced inside a classroom, while he'd enjoyed teasing me.

He eased up with the hug, but kept his arms around my waist. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I can't help it. You were so cute. But please stop squirming, Sang. You're gonna get yourself in trouble if you continue to do that." Ugh. What to do with this boy?

Well, two can play at this game, I thought.

I snaked my hand around his neck and pulled him down gently, to my height. "Really, Kota? Last time I checked-" I stepped closer, making my body flush against his, then continued. "-you were the one in trouble. Do you need help with that?" I whispered.  At the same time, I had a finger lightly leaving trails across his chest, over his shirt. I felt his short intake of breath as I continued with my exploration and the lowering of my hand. I smirked. Then, as quickly as I gave him a peck on the lips, I dug inside his pockets for his keys and fished them out.

"Aha! Just what I was looking for." I jangled the keys in my hand and lightly pushed him out of the way. "I'm driving. Get in!" I secretly smiled and hopped inside the car.
Before I closed my door, he leaned inside and whispered. "You're playing a dangerous game, Sang. You know how competitive I am."

I gulped, watching him close my door. Then he walked around to get to the other side, all the while keeping his eyes on me. I'm screwed.