Contracted [l.t]

Chapter 3

I don't hear from Louis for almost a week and while that should've given me more time to focus on my study, I still find myself avoiding opening my books. I was certain that I had passed my last test, albeit barely and my exams aren't for another few months, but my professors and lecturers never fail to mention to everyone that starting out studies earlier is more beneficial. Besides that, I still have several assignments, that I haven't even started yet, due in a few weeks. So even with all this free time, I manage to fall behind in my school work. Being that I'm in my final year, I thought that by now I would have some studying skills but apparently not.

At the moment I'm at work, sitting behind the desk with Ange, with one of my textbooks open on my lap as I chew a pen trying to catch up on the past three weeks of readings that I hadn't done. Ange is doing her usual receptionist duties, all the while keeping up a conversation with me whenever I bother to respond.

"I don't get why you bring all your school stuff here when you know that you're not going to get any done." She says, swiveling around in the chair and facing me.

I look up at her and pull the pen out of my mouth. "I feel better knowing that I tried, even a small amount."

"Why don't you just change your course if this is so hard for you?" She asks. I roll my eyes at the question.

"You know why." I mumble, looking back down at my work. Ange simply sighs not willing to get into anything at the moment. She knows why, because we've had this conversation several times over the past few years. She seems to think that I'm not enjoying my course, which I can see why, but I have to finish it. I've dedicated so many long years to this degree, sacrificed a lot of time and money, and all so I don't make the same mistake twice. I promised my family that this is who I was going to be, and I plan on following through.

"Do you have another appointment with Louis?" Ange asks, changing the subject.

"He hasn't contacted me yet." As though to double check, I unlock my phone for a moment, and then turn it back off when I see no notifications.

'What's he like?"

"Sweet." I shrug, nonchalantly. I hadn't really gone into this arrangement with any sort of expectations, and Louis seems like a genuinely nice person.

"That's it? Your client is a world-famous popstar and all you're telling me is that he's sweet?" Angie asks incredulously, swiveling around in the chair to stare at me.

"Confidentiality is key, remember?" I tease her, knowing full well that we often break that rule to each other.

I look up from the book for a second and see her pouting at me. I sigh. "Fine."

She claps in anticipation, before leaning forward in her chair. I don't understand why she's so excited, there's not much I can say, I've only really seen him once, and it's not like fake dates with your fake partner really breed moments to discover each other's innermost secrets. At least not in my experience. "He's not too different from what you see online really. He's funny and sweet, a really exciting person to be around. It's just sometimes, he kind of forgets to think before he speaks."

Angie sighs in disappointment. "You're not telling me anything exciting."

"I don't know what you want me to say."

"I don't know, something juicy, exciting. Something tabloid worthy." I laugh at her pout, turning back to the book in my lap and trying once again to focus on the words on the page. We are each silent for a few moments, concentrating on our own work, me attempting to memorize medical symptoms, and Ange going through different contracts and appointments on the computer.