Chasing After Mists

Twenty-Four

Writer's ♪

Exams today and tomorrow. But because I have my priorities straight, here's a chap. (Wish me luck though)

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I've left Taylor Swift alone for the entire week. . . or more. I was losing my enthusiasm to keep trying to win when all my dad does is think I've already failed. I was used to the pressure, the negativity, in fact, everything was already hardwired into my brain and I'm used to everything. . . but, it was annoying. It never fails to be.

In one of the rare occasions in the world, I've accidentally stumbled upon Andrew. . . or he stumbled upon me just as I was midway in my breakfast and reading through the latest updates from back home.

"Harold, was wondering whether you'd come out of your shell," Andrew said, sitting on the empty seat across me with a huge smile. I nodded while he removed his top blazer and hung it. "Don't see you much around the reserve."

"I rarely go there," I said, giving him another glance before taking my eyes back to my phone screen.

"So you've given up?"

"No," I said.

"Good. If this ends, and you win, I might just need to take notes from you."

"You say that like I'm a load older," I said, giving a small smile at the end. A waitress came around and asked him for his order, wherein he gave his order with a side of charm and a bright glimmer in his eyes.

He turned to me later. "Where were we?"

I gave a smile before going back to my scroll through the files. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Make Taylor Swift think you fancy her."

"But I do fancy her," he pointed out.

I moved my coffee cup near me while saying, "But not the way you make it seem."

He laughed.

"How do you do that? You could hurt her."

"Getting hurt is part of it. If you hadn't noticed, she's tough as steel. She can handle me." He smiled. "The one I'm worried about is the backlash, what she might do if she realises that."

She already realised.

I didn't care enough to point it out and instead sipped from my cup.

"Shouldn't you be responsible in finding a way where no one gets hurt in the end?"

"What, like you're doing? You know-" Andrew paused looking wide-eyed so I raised both eyebrows. Slowly, a wide smile started making through his usually pursed lips. "You like her?"

"Wh-"

"Taylor Swift, you like her? Makes sense. It's why you're taking too long aren't you? My brother says you're always done within a month. So is it? Is it why?" He continued rambling.

I held my temple, looking down at my phone screen before locking it off. "No, that's not-"

"That makes so much sense!" he exclaimed as though he discovered the most important element of the periodic table. "Lad, why didn't you tell me? I would've backed off on the flirting." Then he backtracked from his personality a bit, "I'm still a gentleman beneath the arsehole."

"Hardly," I muttered, smiling but trying to withhold that.

He laughed a literal hahahaha, but to think of it, that's actually his real laugh from the very beginning. "So do you like her? I'll stop if you really do. I mean- it's just business. That's what my mum always told me."