Academic lovers

12 | Care

The taste was still lingering in my throat—a disgusting taste. I swear Aiden tried to seriously poison me. The mere thought of it sent shivers down my spine.

"Thompson"

I refused to acknowledge him, crossing my arms defiantly as I stared straight ahead.

A moment passed, and then another, as silence settled between us like a heavy fog. It was in this silence that I could feel Aiden's gaze burning into the side of my face, his impatience palpable.

"Come on, Thompson," he pleaded. "When are you going to talk to me?"

When you apologize for trying to poison me.

"Is it because of the drink?"

I nodded, sniffling my nose.

"It wasn't that bad," he whispered.

I snapped, "It wasn't that bad? I passed out for two minutes."

Aiden quickly interrupted, correcting me, "Actually, it was only one minute and a half."

I gave him a skeptical look. "Fine, one and a half minutes. But seriously, what the hell was in that cup?"

Aiden furrowed his brows. "I'd rather not say."

He then burst into laughter as I let out an exasperated groan and sank deeper into the cozy embrace of my couch. "You know, for someone who claims to be trying to make me feel better, you're doing a pretty good job of the opposite."

He chuckled, his grin widening. "Hey, but it worked, didn't it? You're feeling a bit better now, right?"

I nodded, a reluctant smile tugging at the corners of my lips. "Yeah, I guess whatever that was did the trick."

—

The air between us hung heavy with an unusual silence, one that felt strangely comforting rather than awkward or uncomfortable.

Although the sun was on the verge of setting, its warm glow still illuminated the room, creating a calm atmosphere.

The gentle hum of the fan provided a soothing background noise, occasionally interrupted by my own coughs and sniffles.

This was the first time I actually felt okay in the presence of Aiden. But his existence still irked me.

He lounged on the couch, spreading his legs without a care, as if he owned the place, even though this was Aiden's first time coming to my house. His vacant gaze seemed fixed on some distant point, lost in thoughts I could only speculate about. He's probably thinking of a new way to poison me.

"So you know about the football game that's coming up?"

I turned my gaze towards him, shaking my head in response.

"Our team is going up against St.August; are you coming?"

I shrugged, "No idea; not really my scene."

He repositioned himself, placing his hands behind his head. "Well, you should come; it's going to be good."

"You're saying that as if you know for sure that our team is going to win."

A grin appeared on his face as he confidently said, "We will win; trust me. After all, you're sitting in front of the best player in the school." I couldn't help but scoff at his audacity.

"Alright, I'll consider it," I conceded, and a satisfied smile spread across his face.

"Wait, pass me your phone for a second."